The Middle and Dennis township school districts will seek voter approval Sept. 17 for additional funds that would result in increases to each district’s school tax levy.
The Middle Township school board will be asking residents to allow the school district to bond for a $26.5 million project that will get $3 million of state support. The project involves work at two school complexes and select athletic facilities.
A July 31 post on the district’s website says of the tax impact if the ballot question is approved: “The owner of a home assessed at the Middle Township average of $251,010 could expect an annual tax impact of around $165.” The added tax levy would then be used to pay off the bonds over an expected 20-year period. The sample bond question provided by the county clerk’s office, which may not yet be final, currently lacks any statement on what the tax impact of approval would be for residents.
In Dennis Township, the school board seeks an additional $2,200,000 for the 2024-2025 school year and each subsequent school year. The district says the funds “would maintain the programs and services the district provided in the 2022-2023 school year and result in a permanent increase in the district’s tax levy of $2,200,000.”
At a budget presentation on March 13, district business administrator Terri Weeks said of the tax impact that for every $100,000 of assessed value, a homeowner would owe an additional $10.20. At the time the plan had been to ask for $1.9 million, which has since grown to $2.2 million in extra funding, so the tax impact would ostensibly be higher.
The polls will be open Sept. 17 in Middle Township from 4 to 8 p.m. In Dennis Township the polls will be open that day from 2 to 8 p.m.
Middle Township
At Middle Township Elementary #1, with grades pre-K through 2, plans call for a new building with four new pre-k classrooms that will be Americans With Disabilities Act-compliant. They also call for renovations to create six additional pre-k classrooms with ADA-compliant bathrooms, more efficient unit ventilation for 16 classrooms and electric service upgrades to support the new ventilation.
At Middle Elementary School #2, with grades 3 to 5, there is a planned building addition with nine classrooms, two small-group instruction classrooms, two guidance offices and a dedicated area for the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math program.
The athletic facilities upgrades include a multisport artificial turf field at Memorial Field, along with replacement of the home-side bleachers with seating for more than 1,300 and a new press box. Funds also will be used to resurface five tennis courts between the middle school and high school.
The ballot question says that the district plans to issue bonds for the entire $26.5 million estimated cost. The state’s $3 million contribution is toward state-eligible costs, which come to $8,889,238 of the total project costs, with none of the upgrades to athletic facilities included in the state-approved expenses.
The sample bond question provided by the county clerk’s office may not yet be final. It is conspicuous by its lack of any statement for voters that says what the impact of approval would be on their tax bills.
Dennis Township
The interpretive statement for the school district’s ballot question states that the funds would be used to maintain teachers and instructional assistants, maintain the 2022-2023 level of programs, maintain facilities, replace a school bus and maintain the current level of funding for athletics and co-curricular activities.
In the November 2023 general election, the Dennis school district had a ballot question asking voters to approve $1.3 million in new tax revenue. That question was defeated, with 57% of the votes opposed. In the space of less than a year, the amount the district says it needs has risen by almost $1 million.
The Dennis Township School District has two public schools, the primary school for grades pre-k to 2 and the elementary/middle school for grades 3 to 8. The combined enrollment is about 620 students.
Why a Special Election?
School districts that have opted for separate elections, with their extra costs, rather than include their ballot questions in a general election have had a better track record in getting their questions approved. The special elections tend to have very small turnout, usually less than 10%, and those who are in favor of the added funds tend to be in the majority in that low turnout pool.
When Dennis put its question on the general election ballot last November it lost, with 36% of the registered voters casting a ballot.
When the Lower Township school district sought voter approval for special funding in March 2022, it passed; fewer than 7% of the township’s registered voters cast a ballot.
The same was true when the Lower Cape May Regional school district asked the voters to approve new bonding for funds in January 2022. The turnout was 9%, and the question passed. In Cape May and West Cape May, the turnout was less than 7%.
In both Dennis and Middle townships, the school tax is the most significant contributor to a resident’s overall property tax bill. More than half of the total bill comes from the school levy.
Special elections mean new expense. Middle Township taxpayers will pay an estimated $43,000 to cover the expense of an election that is seven weeks prior to the general election. Turnout for the November election is likely to be heavy, given the presidential and Senate races that are on the ballot.
In public notices about the upcoming September vote, neither school district explained why a special election was necessary.
Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.
