Voters resoundingly approve Morris School District $158M bond referendum

Voters in the Morris School District on Tuesday voted nearly 3-to-1 to approve a $158 million bond referendum for a slew of capital improvements across all 10 district schools in Morristown and Morris Township.

“We could not be more delighted and we could not be more grateful,” said District Superintendent Anne Mucci, praising voters, the school board and students.

Unofficially, the borrowing plan passed by 3,358 to 1,166, with about 14.5 percent of registered voters in the combined municipalities casting ballots.

“We’re very, very happy that people voted to invest in our kids and give them the best learning environment that we can,” said Linda Murphy, vice president of the board.

Improvements should start next summer, and continue for another three or four summers, Mucci said. Bathroom upgrades and air conditioning installation may come first. The bidding process will take time, she said.

Other projects include expansion of the Morristown High School cafeteria and addition of classrooms at the Frelinghuysen Middle School, and renovations to the high school and middle school auditoriums and to the high school swimming pool, among other items. School officials had warned they would have been forced to pull the plug for good on the 43-year-old pool without the cash infusion.

The pool, a resource for the community and surrounding schools, will close for two swim seasons during the rebuild. That won’t happen next season, but precisely when has yet to be determined, said the superintendent, now in her fourth year at the helm.

Voter approval means the district is virtually assured of securing $46.4 million in state aid, to blunt some of the impact on taxpayers.

The district has estimated passage of the referendum will equate to a monthly tax increase of $38 for someone with a Morristown home assessed at the town average ($635,443). The owner of an average Morris Township home ($560,500) will incur a $41-per-month hike. Morris Plains pays to send students to Morristown High; borough residents did not vote in the referendum.

The referendum culminated months of delicate advocacy by district administrators and board members. Legally constrained from requesting voter approval, they instead mounted an informational campaign, with special public meetings, videos and web pages describing aging infrastructure and how students would benefit from addressing it.

Mucci compared the district’s strategy to a clothing chain’s ad slogan from her youth: “An educated consumer is our best customer.”

“That’s how we ran this campaign. Provide people with information, give them looks inside the schools, let them understand what we’re asking for and why. So our campaign was structured around educating people, giving them access to as much information as possible, and then letting them go to the polls and decide how they felt after they reviewed all that info,” Mucci said.

The district has operated debt-free since the late 1990s, by Mucci’s estimate. But major projects no longer could be accomplished within the framework of the regional district’s annual budgets — Murphy calculated that way would have taken 35 years to complete everything.

“We will be taking on debt with this referendum,” Mucci acknowledged, “but that point really resonated with voters, and I think the thing that I heard overwhelmingly from people is: ‘Yes, it’s time. We need to do these things.'”

Mucci can’t revel for too long: She heads to Trenton on Wednesday morning for a state athletic association meeting, then returns to Morristown for a curriculum session. On Thursday, the planning starts in earnest for the renovations.

“You know, the celebration is just coming to work every day in such a great community with such wonderful support,” she said.

Morris School District Superintendent Anne Mucci sent this message to parents after Tuesday’s referendum victory:

Sept. 15, 2026

Dear Morris School District Community,

According to the summary results report, the Morris School District’s bond referendum has passed overwhelmingly, with 3,358 votes in favor and 1,166 votes opposed. Once the results have been formally certified, the District will provide additional information.

Tonight’s outcome represents far more than approval of a series of construction projects. It is a powerful vote of confidence in our schools, our educators, our students, and the future of this community.

Over the past several months, residents attended public forums, asked thoughtful questions, reviewed the details of the proposal, and spoke with their neighbors. Families filled our schools during Back-to-School Nights. Current parents advocated for the opportunities their children deserve, while former parents and graduates shared what their Morris School District education has meant to them long after they left our classrooms. Most importantly, voters came out and made their voices heard.
This result reflects what is possible when a community and its schools work in genuine partnership.

The referendum itself was also the product of an extraordinary team effort. Our Board of Education approached this responsibility with years of careful planning, serious deliberation, and thoughtful stewardship of the community’s resources. Our administrators, teachers, support staff, and Buildings and Grounds team helped identify needs, develop solutions, answer questions, and explain how these investments will strengthen the daily experiences of our students. Families, community organizations, municipal partners, alumni, and residents helped carry that conversation throughout Morristown, Morris Township, and Morris Plains.

To everyone who participated in that process—and to every resident who voted—thank you.
For the people who work in our schools each day, this support is deeply meaningful. It affirms the work they do, the opportunities they create, and the trust this community places in them. For our students, it is a promise that we will continue investing in learning environments worthy of their potential.

Now, the real work begins.

The referendum will launch a multiyear program of improvements across the District. These projects will require careful coordination, responsible financial oversight, and ongoing communication with our families, employees, and community. We will provide regular updates on project schedules, milestones, costs, and anticipated completion dates so that the public can follow the work from planning through construction.

This process has reminded me just how extraordinary the Morris School District community is. Our three municipalities are united by a shared belief in public education and by a commitment to ensuring that every student has the opportunity to learn, grow, and find a path forward.

Thank you for believing in our schools. Thank you for investing in our students. And thank you for helping us build what comes next.

Sincerely,

Anne Mucci, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools