Voters soundly reject Becton upgrades in referendum called partial by superintendent

Marsha A. Stoltz, NorthJersey.com
Updated ·2 min read

EAST RUTHERFORD — Becton Regional High School's $49.2 million proposal to support multiple campus upgrades aimed at improving job-related skills for its 950 students was soundly defeated at the polls Tuesday.

Residents from East Rutherford and Carlstadt were offered a $5.8 million reduction on projects proposed in March 2022 for $55 million. Maywood students attend on a send/receive basis, and their residents were not eligible to vote.

Results posted on bergencountyclerk.gov include:

Vocational and Trades Annex at 160 Paterson Ave. would be renovated if Question 3 of the Becton Regional March 12 referendum is approvedl
Vocational and Trades Annex at 160 Paterson Ave. would be renovated if Question 3 of the Becton Regional March 12 referendum is approvedl

  • Question 1: No votes 1,216 (609 Carlstadt, 607 East Rutherford); yes votes 570 (228 Carlstadt, 342 East Rutherford)

  • Question 2: No votes 1,202 (596 Carlstadt, 606 East Rutherford); yes votes 542 (221 Carlstadt, 321 East Rutherford)

  • Question 3: No votes 1,216 (604 Carlstadt, 612 East Rutherford); yes votes 549 (225 Carlstadt, 324 East Rutherford)

Carlstadt voter participation levels ranged from 17.14% in District 3 to 23.02% in District 1. East Rutherford voter participation levels ranged from 7.82% in District 1 to 18.01% in District 4.

The Carlstadt Borough Council passed a resolution condemning the plan shortly after Superintendent Dario Sforza announced the referendum in January. Carlstadt Mayor Robert Zimmermann discouraged approval of the plan in several letters to his constituents.

"While we wished this school election remained an impartial process, we appreciate those that participated, and we will continue to strive to provide the best possible educational experience for our students," Sforza said in a statement Wednesday.

"The goal was to bring career-oriented specialized programs that could have proven to be effective in exposing students to the realistic demands of today’s workforce while assisting them in developing critical 21st-century creativity, problem-solving, critical thinking, and communication skills that are often not addressed in their current classrooms," he said.

The day after the defeat in the referendum, Zimmermann said the school's proposal ignored pressing immediate needs and did not explain the cost differentials and benefits between in-house programs and out-of-district services.

"The entire school is allowed to go out to lunch because they don't have enough room in the cafeteria, and they're crossing the Route 17 exit ramp to reach Jersey Mike's and Starbucks," Zimmermann said. "And we only heard about cost for the structure, not how much it will cost to staff, heat and clean per year."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Voters soundly defeat Becton Regional High School upgrades