RBR Referendum Passed December 11, 2018
Ensuring Excellence
Tell Me More

We thank our community for their faith in our school district. With this project, RBR will be ready to meet future challenges, serve our community, and meet the needs of all our students. It ensures we will continue to be one of the finest high schools in our state.


Purpose

The referendum’s two questions are designed to target five vital areas


Question #1

  1. Meet Growing Enrollment Needs: Current enrollment already exceeds building capacity and a recent demographic study predicts further significant increases. RBR has 1,217 students enrolled this year and its capacity is 1,041 students; that’s expected to jump to almost 1,400 in the coming years. To put it simply, RBR is starting to burst at the seams. See Demographic Information
  2. Improve our facilities for academic programs: Our remarkable students, staff, and programs are housed in a facility that is nearly 50 years old. No major change in the footprint has occurred since the building was opened in 1975. Modern learning spaces will inspire students and support programs aligned with 21st century needs.
  3. Ensure continuation of tuition revenue: Dwindling classroom space will further reduce our ability to accept tuition paying out-of-district students, a large source of revenue for our district. RBR taxpayers are now paying over $1.2 million more per year than we were just 4 years ago due to lost tuition revenue.
  4. Necessary Maintenance of Physical Plant: The roof is approaching the end of its service life. Its replacement is approximately $6.1 million. A project this large cannot be paid for within the regular budget.
  5. Athletic Facility Improvements – See Question #2

Question #2

Addresses items identified in the strategic plan developed by our community and adopted in 2016. Included are the installation of an artificial turf field and a new concession stand with two restrooms. These improvements to the athletic facilities will help our students by:

  • Providing more outdoor practice time for our athletes
  • Reducing the number of weather-related cancellations in our sports schedule
  • Providing a safer playing surface for athletes
  • Allowing the RBR student body to more frequently use the field for physical education classes
  • Bringing our athletic facilities up to par with other districts. We are the only school in our athletic division that does not have a turf field.
  • Providing much needed bathroom facilities to our athletes, students, and all visitors attending outdoor activities including sporting events, graduation and other school functions. At present time, there are no bathroom facilities.

What's at Stake


Over the years, RBR has been ranked among the top high schools in the country and state by NJ Monthly Magazine, The Washington Post, and given an “A” rating by Niche. Its academy programs include Visual & Performing arts, Information Technology and Engineering, Finance and Early Childhood Education. RBR is a unique school in many ways, including its tuition revenue program. Since 1984, RBR has accepted out-of-district students who pay tuition either by their sending school districts or their parents.

Just a few years ago, RBR tuition revenue money covered ALL of the following:

  • the cost to educate these students
  • the cost of all of our award-winning academy programs
  • all of our athletic programs
  • all of our extra-curricular activities and more.

Due to increased enrollment from the core districts we have reduced the number of tuition students, which has reduced the tuition brought in by these students and increased the burden placed on district taxpayers. As previously stated, our taxpayers are now paying over $1.2M more per year than we were just four years ago due to lost tuition revenue.

What will happen if the referendum fails?

The revenue we bring in from tuition-based students will continue to decline. RBR will still need a new roof, will still need additional classroom space, and will not have a mechanism to fund the needed work. If the referendum fails, we may be faced with a difficult situation where our taxes will most likely increase, and we may still have to cut programs.

Referendum Costs

What is the referendum asking for and what will it cost?


Question #1 will include replacement of the roof, renovation of existing academic spaces (including the Media Center), and the addition of 10 new classrooms. This question qualifies for significant state debt service aid.

Area of Work Gross Cost Anticipated State Aid Net to Taxpayers
Replace roof $6.1M $2.1M $4.0M
Renovate existing areas $6.8M $2.3M $4.5M
Addition of 10 new classrooms $7.0M $0 $7.0M
Ques. #1 Total $19.9M $4.4M $15.5M


Question #2 can only pass if Question #1 passes first. It addresses items that were specifically asked for in the community-driven strategic plan.

Area of Work Gross Cost Anticipated State Aid Net to Taxpayers
Turf Field $1.6M $500k $1.1M
Concessions Stand & Rest Rooms $730k $0 $730k
Ques. #2 Total $2.3M $500k $1.8M

Tax Impact

What will the referendum cost taxpayers?


Every homeowner will have a different cost depending on the town and the home’s assessed value. Also, because we are timing this with the expiration of old debt in 2022, the amount will decrease after a few years.

Anticipated personal cost per year for each $100,000 of assessed home value through fiscal year 2023:

Town Question #1 Question#2 Question#1 and #2
Little Silver $19 $4 $23
Red Bank $19 $4 $22
Shrewsbury $21 $3 $24


For each $100,000 of assessed home value after fiscal year 2023

Town Question #1 Question#2 Question#1 and #2
Little Silver $10 $3 $12
Red Bank $10 $3 $13
Shrewsbury $12 $3 $15

Additional Information

Where can you get more information?


You can email any questions specifically related to the referendum to rbr-referendum@rbrhs.org.  You can also request that someone from the BOE attend any local organization meetings, presentations, or other gatherings. To make a request, use the email above. Our plan is to accommodate as many groups as we possibly can.

As always, you can contact your locally elected Board members to ask questions about any RBR issue.  The RBR Board of Education public meetings are always posted on the www.rbrhs.org website.

The referendum for RBR will be presented to the public at a Board of Education meeting this coming fall. Please check back to this website for periodic updates.  To learn more about the voting process, please click on this link.









About RBR


Red Bank Regional is an exceptional school district with a rich curriculum and diverse offerings. Many students graduate with multiple college credits earned in Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and Dual Credit courses. Our graduates attend some of the most selective universities and colleges in the country. Outside of the classroom, RBR students excel in 26 different sports and almost 40 diverse clubs and extra-curricular activities. RBR has been recognized for its excellence by several publications including Newsweek, The Washington Post and New Jersey Monthly Magazine.

RBR’s award winning academy programs in the Visual & Performing Arts, Information Technology, Engineering, and Early Childhood Education provide a range of courses for our students, and also enable the district to enroll tuition students from all over Monmouth County. This tuition program both reduces the cost of education to our taxpayers and makes RBR’s unique and diverse offerings possible. Please visit our website at www.rbrhs.org to learn more about our high school.








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