Student Testimony While Supportive Underscores Challenges Within BHPSNJ Referendum Structure

GL Student Representatives offered strong insight as to how the referendum questions match up to their reality during the 11/20/2025 BOE Meeting.

One student representative described the impact of deteriorating infrastructure on instruction, explaining that last winter his AP U.S. History classroom fell to 56 degrees because the heating system failed. He added that coolant leaked across multiple rooms, forcing AP Computer Science and several other classes into the IMC for a month.

“These repairs are under bond proposal number two.”

He then described chronic roof leaks at GL:

“Every single time it rains at GL, the rain comes straight through the roof… custodians know exactly where to put the bins so that the water does not spill.”

He emphasized that electrical wiring sits directly beneath those leaks.

“Electricity and water… they do not really mix too well.”

Roof replacement is also placed in Question 2.

The student stressed the impact of failing science labs.

“A lot of the classrooms, the electrical outlets… they do not work anymore.”

He recalled a chemistry experiment where his hot plate turned off mid-lab because the electrical system failed.

This led him to the central point that framed his entire testimony:

“All of the projects that have the most impact to students like me and Pippa are under bond proposal number two.”

He acknowledged that solving these issues will increase taxes but argued that the referendum groups lower priority upgrades in Question 1 while placing core safety and instructional needs in Question 2.

“There needs to be some shifting around of projects. We need to be focusing more on the projects that we need instead of the projects that we want.”

The second student reinforced similar concerns.

She described facilities that alumni from the 1970s said “look the same as when they went to school 50 years ago.”

She echoed the science lab issues, citing equipment failures and lab activities canceled because “the iPads did not turn on” or teachers had to pay for materials themselves.

She concluded by stressing that expanding and modernizing labs is essential for meaningful instruction:

“I would just really like to express the importance of the second question regarding the renovation of the science labs.”

Both students supported improvements across the district, but their testimony made the structure of the referendum clear.

The urgent needs including heating, roofs, electrical systems, and functioning science labs are placed in Question 2. Question 2 cannot pass unless Question 1 passes first.

Their comments reflected what many other resident expressed during the meeting and in conversations leading up to it – the referendum’s design places essential safety and instructional upgrades at risk by making them dependent on a first question that contains items the community may not view as top priorities.  However, both students expressed support for Media Centers as important for students and were strongly supportive of this item in Question 1.

On a positive note, if the referendum does fail in March, the BOE can put forward a set of questions that may be more in line with public sentiment in November.