Much at stake during upcoming school vote

Residents of Sayreville face not one, but two big decisions Tuesday, both dealing with the immediate future of the borough’s school district and the costs related to it. On that date, voters will be asked not only to OK a nearly $67 million budget to pay for the 2005-06 school year, but also whether they can support a $47 million plan for additions and renovations at Sayreville War Memorial High School.

What those two questions will do to a homeowner’s tax bill may, unfortunately, be enough to prompt many people to reject them both, perhaps with the hope that someone somewhere will get the message that the checkbook can only take so many hits. But that scenario would be unfortunate, given the circumstances.

For one thing, the borough’s school budget is undoubtedly tight, having been scrutinized to great lengths in recent years as state aid has leveled off and fixed costs increased. In fact, asking for a 9-cent increase in the school tax rate shows the board is watching its spending. Despite teachers’ salaries, insurance and other cost increases, the district fared well when compared to many similar school districts nearby that are seeking tax hikes twice or even three times that amount.

But more importantly, it is obvious that this referendum needs to be approved, and that the work it includes will have to be done, one way or another. The high school, at present, is way over its capacity. The school, built to house 1,048 students, has nearly 1,700 today. Growth from residential resales and from new housing exists not just in projections but in the elementary and middle schools. It’s coming to the high school.

If the referendum is approved this month, the high school will in a few years be able to accommodate these students without forcing them to eat lunch in 20 minutes, without requiring classes to be held in hallways, and without having to continue renting costly trailers for use as classrooms. Despite its cost of $152 per year for the owner of property assessed at $141,300, residents should realize that their share would have been higher had the state not granted $13.9 million for the project. That money may not be there the next time the board proposes high school additions, and there will be a next time.

Having addressed many of the district’s needs over the years in a piecemeal way, it’s time to address the last major problem — crowding at the high school.

Placing the referendum on the ballot with a rising school budget may wind up hurting this project’s chances of approval, but we hope that voters are educated going in and that they consider the needs of the school district and the borough’s children when they head to the polls next week.