Voters deny Deptford bond, OK Harrison roof

• FAIL: Deptford School District's $34M middle school expansion proposal.
• PASS: Harrison Twp. Schools' $5.3 million roof project.

After Tuesday's special school board vote in Gloucester County, there's good news and bad news for two public school districts.

First, the good news: 

The inside of Harrison Township Elementary School will soon be dry in wet weather.

More than 70 percent of voters in the school district election authorized the $5.3 million bond to replace the flat roof with a pitched roof in a 506-210 vote, according to Gloucester County Office of Elections' unofficial results. 

The bad news: 

Deptford Township Schools Superintendent Charles Ford could begin stockpiling red pens for more edits to a school expansion proposal twice defeated by township voters.

The $34.5 million proposal for major additions to Monongahela Middle School, added classrooms to the district's elementary schools, and upgrades to Deptford High was defeated by 69 percent of voters.

The proposal failed in a 1,633-731 vote, according to unofficial election results.

MORE on Deptford's proposal: $100M vs. $34M: How Deptford's bon proposal changed

But Ford isn't giving up on plans to expand the middle school, a measure that would allow the district to move its sixth-graders into the middle school building. The shift would have freed up space in the township's public elementary schools for new students, he explained.

About 375 new single-family homes are approved for construction by the township. Ford estimates the new families could bring at least 150 new students into the school district over the next five to 10 years.

Adding to the middle school would have been a proactive attempt to handle the new enrollment, he said.

Ford, township and school officials will do "a lot of erasing" on the plan that started out as a near-$100-million proposal last year.

That initial proposal — at $97.4 million — was defeated by voters in March.

Officials cut it by $63 million, removing plans for new gyms at three schools and ventilation upgrades at all schools, before putting it back out to voters this week.

What does $100M buy a school district? Here's the first proposal: SJ school district wants $100M

"It's been tough," Ford said.

"Nobody wants their taxes to go up, and I can't blame them."

The March referendum proposed a $267 annual tax increase per household based on the township's average home value.

The September proposal lowered the tax impact to just over $90 per household annually.

"I have to continue to push. You want to keep your class sizes low," Ford said.

"My kids are worth it."

Carly Q. Romalino; (856) 486-2476; cromalino@gannettnj.com