Articles Taxes and budget
The Branchburg School Bond Questions, Explained: $15,028,799 and $19,852,100
What the two school bond questions on the November 3, 2026 ballot authorize, their eligible costs and 40% state debt-service aid, the district portal's project lists, and the Board of Education's August 13, 2026 resolution putting them on the ballot.
The short version
- Question 1 (School Bond 1): appropriate $15,028,799 and issue bonds up to the same amount for improvements, alterations, renovations and mechanical upgrades at Stony Brook School, Whiton Elementary School and Branchburg Central Middle School.
- Question 2 (School Bond 2): appropriate $19,852,100 and issue bonds up to the same amount for improvements and a Stony Brook addition with a gymnasium, nurse’s suite, classrooms and restrooms — effective only if Question 1 also passes.
- State debt-service aid is 40% of annual debt service on the questions’ final eligible costs: $15,028,799 for Question 1 and $2,284,063 for Question 2.
- The Board of Education approved the questions by unanimous roll call at a special meeting on Aug. 13, 2026. Its explanatory statement puts the total project cost at $34,880,899.
- Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, polls 6 a.m.–8 p.m.
The question text comes from the Somerset County Clerk’s 2026 general-election sample ballot and the Board of Education’s August 13, 2026 resolution, which set out the questions’ wording, amounts and eligible costs. Voters’ mailed sample ballots carry the exact printed wording and layout.
What each question authorizes
| Question 1 | Question 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Printed title | School Bond 1 | School Bond 2 |
| Appropriation | $15,028,799 | $19,852,100 |
| Bonds authorized | up to $15,028,799 | up to $19,852,100 |
| Final eligible costs | $15,028,799 | $2,284,063 |
| State debt-service aid | 40% of annual debt service on eligible costs | 40% of annual debt service on eligible costs |
| Scope | Improvements, alterations, renovations, mechanical upgrades at Stony Brook, Whiton (including partial roof replacement) and Branchburg Central Middle School, with fixtures, furniture, equipment and site work | Improvements, upgrades and an addition at Stony Brook with a gymnasium, nurse’s suite, classrooms and restrooms, plus fixtures, furniture, equipment and site work |
| Condition | — | Takes effect only if Question 1 is also approved |
Both questions state $0 for school facility construction elements in addition to the Commissioner of Education’s facilities efficiency standards, and that the Board may transfer funds only among the projects approved at this election.
Question 1’s eligible costs break down, as the ballot lists them:
| School | Final eligible cost |
|---|---|
| Stony Brook School | $3,485,134 |
| Whiton Elementary School | $4,453,255 |
| Branchburg Central Middle School | $7,090,410 |
| Total | $15,028,799 |
The district’s project lists
The Branchburg Township School District’s Referendum 2.0 portal lists the same costs and these project scopes:
- Ballot Question 1 — Building Systems & Infrastructure: HVAC units at all three schools, restroom renovations at all three schools, roof projects and soffit repair at Whiton and Branchburg Central Middle School, an emergency generator and auxiliary-gym bleachers/stage at BCMS, and a multi-purpose room and kitchen at Stony Brook.
- Ballot Question 2 — Stony Brook Annex: electrical upgrades, nurse’s office and main office renovations, two additional classrooms and restrooms, gym and stage additions, and site work with additional parking.
The portal also carries a final project-cost and state-aid summary, a tax-impact calculator, a calendar of informational sessions, and voter information. The portal’s summaries are the district’s descriptions; the ballot wording is the legal authorization text.
How the questions got on the ballot
The Board of Education adopted the resolution “authorizing the submission of two bond proposal questions, together with an explanatory statement, to the school district voters at the annual school district election to be held on November 3, 2026” at a special meeting on August 13, 2026. According to the Board’s minutes:
- Board President Vincent Carpentier called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m. Present were Michael Blaustein, Vincent Carpentier, Jeffrey Celebre, Puja Desai, Kenneth Hallenbeck, Robert Maider and Charles Tuma; Nat Krishnamurti and Megan Smith were absent. There was no public comment.
- On motion of Mr. Tuma, seconded by Ms. Desai, the resolution was “unanimously approved by Roll Call.”
- The resolution’s explanatory statement says that if both questions pass, the total cost of the projects will be $34,880,899, with bonds not to exceed that amount, and final eligible costs of $17,312,862 ($5,769,197 for Stony Brook School, $4,453,255 for Whiton Elementary School and $7,090,410 for Branchburg Central Middle School), with state debt-service aid of 40% on those eligible costs.
- Under the resolution, a Supplemental Debt Statement was prepared by the Township’s Chief Financial Officer and filed with the Township Clerk and the Board Secretary before adoption, to be filed with the state Division of Local Government Services before the election.
- The Board accepted the state Department of Education’s determination of preliminary eligible costs, decided to construct the project itself, and agreed to locally fund any excess costs. It reconfirmed FKA Architects as project architect and identifies Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, P.A. as bond counsel.
- Mr. Carpentier introduced Dr. Christine Burton, the Liaison for Referendum Communication, and invited all to attend the Board’s August 20 meeting to hear more; the district portal links an “August 20: Board of Education Referendum 2.0 Presentation.”
The referendum is the Board of Education’s. The Township Committee’s minutes through October 12, 2026 record no action on it.
Voting
The Township Clerk’s notice sets election day as Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, polls open 6 a.m.–8 p.m., with polling places listed on each voter’s sample ballot. Early voting runs Oct. 24–Nov. 1 at Somerset County early-voting sites (10 a.m.–8 p.m. Monday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Sunday; any county voter may use any site). Vote-by-mail ballots may be returned to the secure drop box at the Branchburg Municipal Building until 8 p.m. on Election Day. The County Clerk’s notice says sample ballots were mailed Oct. 21, 2026 to active voters who had not requested a vote-by-mail ballot, and that a sample ballot is not an official ballot for casting votes. The County Clerk page, as saved on the research date, said unofficial results would post after polls close on Nov. 3 and final certification on Nov. 18, 2026.
What the documents do not state
- The ballot, the Board’s resolution and the portal state bond ceilings, eligible costs and the 40% aid percentage. They do not state projected annual debt service, interest rates, the tax-rate effect or a per-household tax figure; the portal links a tax-impact calculator.
- They do not give a construction schedule or phasing.
What residents can do
- Read the ballot: your mailed sample ballot carries the exact question text and your polling place; the County Clerk’s sample-ballot packet is online.
- Read the district’s portal: the Referendum 2.0 site lists the projects, costs, state-aid summary and informational sessions; the Board’s minutes are on the district’s BOE Meeting Minutes page.
- Vote Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, 6 a.m.–8 p.m.; early vote Oct. 24–Nov. 1 at county sites, or return a vote-by-mail ballot to the Municipal Building drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day.