Students across the Moriarty-Edgewood School District will learn in safer buildings with improved climate control and modern technology following voters’ approval Tuesday of a $20 million general obligation bond and two mill levies.
The measures maintain current tax rates without increasing property taxes for residents, district officials said.
For students at Edgewood Middle School, the bond approval means replacing outdated evaporative coolers with refrigerated air conditioning systems — a $5.3 million investment that includes roof repairs and HVAC improvements. Students at South Mountain and Moriarty elementary schools will see similar climate control upgrades in their multipurpose rooms.
Route 66 Elementary students will benefit from $250,000 in roof repairs and $1 million in HVAC upgrades, ensuring comfortable learning conditions year-round.
Safety improvements will touch all seven schools serving the district’s approximately 2,346 students. The bond allocates $109,200 for card access systems on exterior doors, $195,000 for security alarm systems, $273,000 for security cameras and $1 million for fire alarm system upgrades.
Students districtwide will access improved technology through $3.75 million allocated over five years — $750,000 annually — for hardware updates and educational software.
Moriarty High School students will see demolition of the aging wood shop building dating to 1964, part of a $258,128 project to improve campus facilities.
The bond dedicates more than $6 million to priority repairs across district buildings, with another $2.4 million for HVAC control upgrades, $1 million for lighting improvements and $700,000 for flooring upgrades.
Transportation improvements include a $2.5 million permanent transportation building, while water system improvements totaling $540,000 will ensure safe drinking water for students.
Students at Estancia Valley Classical Academy, which operates within the district, will also benefit from the capital improvements.
The bond will fund facility improvements over five years. District officials emphasized that bond funds can only be used for designated improvements and cannot be allocated for salary increases, as required by law.
Recent bond-funded projects include the Route 66 Elementary playground, a multisports complex, security cameras and HVAC systems.
The district will seek support from the Public School Capital Outlay Council to leverage state matching funds and stretch local dollars further, officials said.
