Email Campaign Circulating in Berkeley Heights Referendum Contains Misleading Claims

Subject: Important – Please Read & Share!!! Hello! Please help to forward this email to 5 friends and neighbors! As many of you know, there will be a Referendum vote in Berkeley Heights to fund critical updates to our schools. Both questions must pass for our schools to get all of the updates so they serve our students and stay competitive. Mail in Ballots are being sent out today & in-person voting will be March 10th!! It is not a given that this will pass — we need to show up. If the Referendum fails, critical fixes and improvements may not happen and/or costs will have to come from the regular operating budget, which could mean cuts to teachers, school programs and much more! Below is some key information — please consider forwarding this email to five friends and neighbors. If you are interested in helping our efforts, or would like a yard sign or a button, let me know! What’s happening: · Berkeley Heights schools are in need of critical infrastructure updates that cannot be paid for out of the normal operating budget. · There is a town-wide referendum vote to fund these updates which include updating and fixing critical infrastructure like plumbing and roofing systems, HVAC repair, as well as updating and modernizing important student spaces like libraries, media centers and STEM labs. · Vote by mail starts on February 9 and ends on March 10, which is also the day of in-person voting. · These measures are not guaranteed to pass. It will require every supporter showing up to vote and talking to their friends and neighbors about doing the same. How does this work? · There are two questions on the ballot. Question one is a tax-neutral option and question two involves a tax increase of about $250 a year for the average Berkeley Heights home. · Both questions must pass for our schools to get all of the updates so they serve our students and stay competitive. · For more info on what’s in the questions, visit the referendum website. · If the town passes the referendum questions, NJ State will contribute an estimated 33% of the cost of the project. If the referendum does not pass, we will receive no such contribution What happens if it doesn’t pass? · We will have to fund these fixes out of the current operating budget, which cannot absorb these costs — especially without the state contribution we would receive by passing the referendum. · This could result in cuts to school programs, teachers · Could result in fee increases for school supplies, bussing, activities and sports! · Many necessary fixes and upgrades may not happen. Why is this important? · Safe, modern schools are critical to our students’ wellbeing and long-term success. · They are also important to the wellbeing of our town and the strength of our property values. · Many of us moved or chose to raise our kids in Berkeley Heights because of our strong school system. Other towns around us including New Providence, Madison and Watchung have all passed referendums recently to fund their school updates like this. We are not the only town in this situation, but we do not want to be the only town who didn’t take action!!! · Consider these examples of why we need upgrades: o GL only allows 30 students in the library at a time because they cannot accommodate more. o GL’s science labs are not fully functioning (broken equipment, lack of power/internet bandwidth) and students often have to watch videos of some experiments instead of doing them themselves. o Columbia and GL were closed multiple times last year due to plumbing and/or heating issues. o Don’t our kids and teachers deserve better than this??!! What should I do now? · Make sure you are registered to vote by February 21. · VOTE YES ON QUESTIONS 1 & 2 when you receive your mail-in ballot or in-person on March 10. · Forward this email to 5 friends and neighbors! · Follow us on Instagram: @voteyesforbhkids · For a yard sign, button, or to offer help with our efforts, Email [REDACTED] or DM us on Instagram!