University funds part of local school renovation

President Shapiro presented the Princeton Regional schools with a gift of $500,000 yesterday. The donation will go towards what will probably be the largest renovation project in the history of the school district.

Of the more than $1.66 million the University has contributed to the Princeton community since June, this is the largest single donation.

If its proposal is approved at an April 17 referendum, the Princeton Regional Board of Education plans to embark on a $78.2 million building project that will improve the facilities of all six of the district's schools.

The University's gift will go directly toward the conversion of the current Princeton High School auditorium into a reading room for an expanded and modernized library.

"This extraordinary contribution on the part of Princeton University demonstrates the University's ongoing support of the Princeton Regional schools and the education of its children," Princeton Regional schools Superintendent Claire Sheff Kohn said. "It is a major gift to be added to a long list of other significant contributions made to this district by the University."

The referendum is the result of a July 2000 New Jersey state initiative — the State Facilities Construction Act — which offers state aid for up to 40 percent of eligible costs for renovation of state facilities. The rest will be paid by taxpayers and through private donations.

According to school board vice president Frank Strasburger, the University's gift is especially generous because it is the largest organization in both the Borough and the Township and will thus be the largest tax-dollar contributor to the project.

As a non-profit corporation, the University is not required to pay property taxes. Each year, however, the trustees approve a sizeable donation to both the Borough and the Township.

Because the $500,000 contribution will take some of the burden off of area taxpayers, "not only is it a gift for the school district, it is a gift for the community as well," school board member Ann Burns said.

Area schools have long been in need of renovation, according to Burns. The last major project at the high school was in 1978, when a new gym was added. Aside from that project, the high school has not been renovated in over 50 years.

Shapiro agreed that the proposed program "presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the Princeton Regional schools to make improvements and additions to its facilities. These improvements are urgently needed if the schools are to continue to provide educational experiences of the highest possible quality."

University Director of Community and State Affairs Pam Hersh said she was enthusiastic about the University's donation.

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"[The gift] is just one more way to make a contribution to ensure a thriving community," she said.

The choice of the high school library as an opportunity for the University to contribute "had a certain logic to it," said Strasburger. "When we realized that we would be changing the high school's auditorium . . . into a new library, it seemed to be an irresistible match."

"Princeton University has always been a wonderful neighbor to our public schools," Strasburger added. "The gift continues that tradition. We are thrilled and hope that this gift may encourage others in our community to follow this example."