The $27 million school referendum, greatly reduced from the $130 million proposed at one point last year, was approved by voters, 2,186 to 1,613. For those who are tracking the relative level of support for school referendums, the most recent comparison was in 2012, when the school board raised $11 million. The turnout then was lower, and the vote was proportionately more in favor, 1,238 to 571. The board is expected to propose another and much larger referendum in the coming year.
One thing the next referendum is not likely to include is the acquisition of the two office buildings at 100 and 101 Thanet Circle. The school district had been in negotiation to buy the property, but last month a sale of the buildings was announced — KABR, a Ridgefield Park-based real estate company, is the buyer.
In other school news, the Princeton High School principal since 2003, Gary Snyder, announced his retirement effective at the end of the current school year in June. Snyder, who came to Princeton from a principal’s position in Massachusetts, followed a succession of a half dozen Princeton High School principals in the previous 10 years. Also retiring: Stephanie Kennedy, the business manager, and Lew Goldstein, assistant superintendent.
This article was originally published in the January 2019 Princeton Echo.
