The district plans to promote specific details of the projects later in August, including plans for full-day kindergarten.
Officials at this week’s Mt. Laurel Schools Board of Education meeting announced the district would be holding a bond referendum on Oct. 2 to secure funding to work on a number of different projects across the district.
Although the district doesn’t plan to promote specific details of the projects until later in August, officials said the board has approval for a question that will be on the ballot for voters on Tuesday, Oct. 2.
“We’re very excited about that, and you’re going to be hearing a lot more about it as we go forward and we get later into the summer, and we get into the school year as we begin,” Superintendent George Rafferty said. “September will be here before we know it, and the election is scheduled for Oct. 2, so we realize we have our work cut out for us in terms of communicating to the community the details of what this will mean for our schools.”
In referencing projects for the referendum, Rafferty said the district’s business administrator has worked for the past several years to undertake what locals might equate to a “home inspection” on their residence to examine the age and quality of the district’s infrastructure.
In addition, the district recently finalized its three-year strategic plan, which Rafferty said involved soliciting opinions about the future of the district from people who live in Mt. Laurel, work in Mt. Laurel, send their children to district schools or represent various agencies and organizations that partner with the district.
“We’ve heard loud and clear the kinds of things they want to see us work on as we go forward into the future, and I think this special election will be one of those ‘referendums,’ if you will, on the things we’ve identified together that we want to work on and improve our schools and move our schools forward into the future,” Rafferty said.
According to Rafferty, one such item includes full-day kindergarten.
“[Full-day kindergarten] is something we have not been able to achieve, and we hope we will be able to through this referendum and special election,” Rafferty said. “That will be part of the component as well.”
In reference to the timing of the referendum, District Business Administrator Robert Wachter Jr. said the district would be holding the referendum this year as the district will soon pay off existing debt.
“This is our opportunity — a golden opportunity for us to do this,” Wachter said.
Rafferty also echoed Wachter’s sentiment regarding the timing of the referendum.
“For us it will be … a very financial wise time for us to make a move in this direction,” Rafferty said.
Wachter said the district has also already secured approval on the county level and from Mt. Laurel Township for polling places, the number of voting machines, the hours for polling and the specific question that will put before voters.
“We are ready to go and move forward … and we’re going to start communicating out,” Wachter said. “The month of August we figured would be our kicking off point.”
