An analysis of the New Jersey Public School District school bond referendum process: A historical case study of the Egg Harbor Township School District Bond Referendum of 2004-05

This dissertation presents a historical case study of the Egg Harbor Township School District bond referendum that passed with an exceptionally high 92 percent of votes in January 2005. The methodology used in this study resulted in both an examination of the components of the New Jersey Public School District bond referendum process as well as an analysis of these components that led to this particular referendum\u27s passage. The school bond referendum of 2005 secured the funds necessary for the rapidly developing community of Egg Harbor Township to build two new primary (K-1) schools and add an expansion to the high school. In this study, data were collected from volunteered participants using an online questionnaire, open-ended questions and interviews. Participants were selected for this study based on their perceptions and involvement in this school bond referendum campaign. Of the thirty-four participants, four groups of stakeholders were identified—(1) Egg Harbor Township School Board and Strategic Planning Committee Members, (2) Egg Harbor Township School District Administrators, (3) Employees of the Private Sector (School Design and Marketing Firms), and (4) Employees from the New Jersey Pinelands Commission. Documents, including published newsletters mailed to residents, approved school design plans, proposed referendum costs, and Egg Harbor Township demographic data were collected and studied to identify and analyze the factors that contributed to the referendum\u27s passage. The literature on public school bond referenda have conveyed that a number of different factors exist that can influence the outcome of a vote. Four predictors of referenda, borrowed from an earlier study, considered for this dissertation included: (I) Educational Culture, (2) Tax Revolt (i.e., Taxpayer Willingness to Pay), (3) Taxpayer Capacity to Pay, and (4) Voter Turnout. The findings of this research are geared to assist public school administrators and school board members with planning and preparing for a school bond referendum campaign. With an enhanced understanding of how to acquire passage for a school bond referendum, it was a goal of my research to improve a public school district\u27s ability to prepare strategies to keep their facilities updated for current and future generations of students. As public school building designs continue to evolve with educational trends, and the costs of public school construction and renovation remain a local responsibility, understanding how to secure the local funding will continue to take an administrative precedence in the planning of public school facilities