To the Editor:

Regarding the proposed bond referendum, one question won’t go away: if we didn’t have Cranbury’s 280 students, would we need to expand the high school? And even if we did, would we need to do it so quickly? Behind this one question are many that really haven’t been answered:

• The Cranbury send-receive agreement can, by law, be terminated. (See NJSA 18A:38-21 and NJSA 18A:38-21.1.) How would the legal fees associated with termination, a problem noted at one Board of Education (BoE) meeting, compare with the price of the proposed bond?

• How does Cranbury’s annual contribution compare with the annual interest expected on the full bond of $130M?

• Do people live inexpensively in Cranbury so their children can go to PHS? If we are forever tied to this agreement, and must we rebuild to accommodate it, could a better contract be negotiated so that Cranbury pays its share of capital costs?

• Does it ever pay to rush into an expensive deal, or to ignore the concerns of those who must pay for it? Although these questions and more remain unresolved, the BoE has set May 22 for approval of this 10-year agreement. If the BoE truly wants community support, it must openly and fully respond to the voters.

Write now to the Board of Education with copies to Mayor and Council. Tell the BoE they must delay the vote until all questions are answered.

We are one community. All of us support good schools.

Mary Clurman

Harris Road