By Frank Sinatra, AAP Editor
Updated on April 10, 2018. Earlier tonight at the Camden County Boathouse in Pennsauken, votes were tallied for two school districts’ local bond referendum votes. And while Collingswood School District’s proposal lost by three to one, the bond referendum proposed by the Pennsauken School District won by an impressive 74 percent.
The official vote, including provisional ballots, was 1932 yes, 669 no. Over 2,600 Pennsauken residents participated.
“I would like to thank all the teachers, administrators, educators, and stakeholders for all their hard work and dedication,” says Dr. Tarchichi, superintendent, Pennsauken Public Schools. “This is a historic day for Pennsauken Public Schools, the Township of Pennsauken and all of its residents. This is a great day, thank you and congratulations! Today belongs to all of us.”
So what’s next?
According to District officials, the projects outlined in the referendum need to go out to bid, so that work can be scheduled and started. It’s a stringent, competitive bid process; all bids are based on the same specifications and sealed until a set deadline has passed. The District will go with the lowest bidder and has the ability to reject all bids if the cost goes above what was anticipated for each individual project.
“There is a set process that has to be followed,” says Tarchichi. “We will not be accepting any bids – regardless of whether or not they are the lowest bidder – if it goes above the cost we’ve identified while drawing up the plans with Garrison and Associates.”
The District has begun polling Pennsauken residents on what should be done with the Longfellow School property after the building’s demolition. The online survey, which will require respondents to provide information confirming they are current Pennsauken residents, is available at the District’s website, Pennsauken.net. Those that do not have access to a computer will have select opportunities to submit their response via a computer at the Pennsauken Free Public Library. Dates are currently being determined and will be announced in the coming weeks. It is important to note that resident information provided via the survey will only be used to confirm residency and not be retained for any other purpose. The deadline for submitting responses will be at the end of May.
“We made a promise to ask residents what they felt should go at the site of Longfellow Elementary. We’re keeping that promise,” explains Tarchichi. “We feel that we’ve proposed a great park that will benefit the entire community. However, we realize that not everyone feels that way. We are asking residents that do not want a park there to provide at least one alternative to what the District has proposed. Just saying ‘no’ doesn’t help us.”
The superintendent went on to say that the majority of the projects will be started at the same time, with priorities given to outdoor projects – to take advantage of the warmer weather for to speed construction – as well as work for the high tech magnet high school and the security vestibules.
“We anticipate that once bids are approved and work begins, that all projects proposed in the referendum should be completed in approximately 16 months of time.”
As for the financial impact of the referendum on the school portion of Pennsauken residents’ property taxes, that won’t be seen until after March of 2019. The old bond that is currently expiring officially comes off the District books the month prior.
“Pennsauken’s Board of Education has already started the budget process for the upcoming school year. We will work together to make sure that we are fiscally responsible with the tax dollars that residents entrust with us,” says Tarchichi.
To provide updates on referendum projects, the District plans to hold information meetings open to the public throughout the process. Residents will also find updates at GrowingPennsaukenSchools.com.
