$225.8 million school rebuilding programme reaches construction, with $125.8 million of bonds sold

What happened

Westfield voters approved $225,807,242 of school bonds at a school district election held on April 15, 2025, on a proposal the board adopted on March 25, 2025. On June 16, 2026 the board adopted the resolution fixing the form and details of the first permanent issue, $125,807,000 of school bonds maturing in annual instalments from 2028, and providing for their sale. Before that the district had been carrying the work on $25.3 million of one-year bond anticipation notes. The programme covers all nine Westfield schools and runs from 2026 to 2028: full-day kindergarten additions and renovations at Franklin, Jefferson, McKinley, Tamaques, Wilson and Washington elementary schools; electric service replacement districtwide; air-conditioning and mechanical replacements; locker room and small-group-instruction work at Edison and Roosevelt intermediate schools; and a Westfield High School package covering the media centre, auditorium, locker renovations, the child study team and wood shop areas, and the drive loop. FKA Architects is architect of record and Legacy Construction Management is owner's representative. The first large construction contract, the McKinley Elementary School additions and alterations project, was awarded to M&M Construction Company of Cranford on August 25, 2026 at $14,175,000.

Why it matters to families

This is the largest thing happening in Westfield's schools, and it will reach every school building and every family over the next three years. The district's own budget presentation says the tax impact of the permanent bonds begins in 2027, on top of the 5.97 per cent operating levy increase already adopted for 2026-2027. Families should also expect construction on campuses during term time from 2026 onward, with work phased around the academic calendar and summer programmes.

The evidence

The June 16, 2026 agenda and minutes carry the bond resolution, which recites the $225,807,242 authorisation, the board proposal of March 25, 2025, the affirmative vote of a majority of voters at the school district election held on April 15, 2025, the $125,807,000 single issue and the year-by-year maturity schedule beginning in 2028. The November 18, 2025 schematic plans presentation and the April 14, 2026 referendum projects presentation list the school-by-school scope, the 2026-2028 sequence, the consultant roles and the New Jersey Department of Education approvals received for Edison and Roosevelt. The January 20, 2026 budget presentation states that $25.3 million of one-year bond anticipation notes had been issued and that permanent financing would follow in summer 2026 with tax impact beginning in 2027. The August 25, 2026 agenda and minutes award the McKinley project to M&M Construction Company at $14,175,000 on a $14,050,000 base bid plus alternates.

The source