By Peter Elacqua
Staff Writer
MARLBORO – The Marlboro K-8 School District Board of Education will take another crack at a referendum in order to address the district’s most pressing infrastructure needs.
During a meeting at the Frank J. Dugan Elementary School on Jan. 19, board members voted unanimously to place a referendum before voters on Sept. 27 that is expected to seek approval for capital improvements in Marlboro’s schools.
Business Administrator Cindy Barr-Rague said the exact question voters will be asked this fall will appear on the board’s Feb. 16 meeting agenda.
On Nov. 3, voters rejected a $46.5 million referendum that proposed the construction of new classrooms at the David C. Abbott Early Learning Center in order to accommodate a full-day kindergarten program and a significant number of capital improvements at other schools in the district.
On Nov. 24, the board defeated a motion to hold a Jan. 26 referendum and ask voters to approve $26.3 million in capital improvements ($6.16 million at the Marlboro Middle School; $3.93 million at the Defino Central Elementary School; $2.61 million at the Dugan Elementary School; $4.9 million at the Asher Holmes Elementary School; $4.73 million at the Marlboro Elementary School; and $3.97 million at the Robertsville Elementary School).
Board President Debbie Mattos said, “I am pleased the board is discussing going forward with the referendum regarding the district’s capital improvements. These
improvements are extremely necessary especially since there are 30- to 50-year-old parts that can no longer be ordered and/or replaced. The board will be voting to approve the wording of the referendum at an upcoming public meeting.”
In other business at the Jan. 19 meeting, the board entered into an agreement with Turn-Key Technologies for upgrades to the district’s wireless Internet system to address connectivity and wireless issues in the schools. The estimated price of the upgrades is $226,518. The board previously said the state will provide $90,000 of erate funding for the project.
The board will meet at 7 p.m. Feb. 2 at the district’s administrative offices in the municipal complex.
