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Edison voters defeated for the second time this year a bond referendum for the construction of expansions to the school district.

If passed on Dec. 9, it would have added a new elementary school behind Thomas Jefferson Middle School on Division St., and additions to three elementary schools: Woodbrook, on Robin Rd., James Madison, on New Dover Rd., and Benjamin Franklin, on Woodbridge Ave.

According to Schools Superintendent John DiMuzio, the project would have cost $65-$70 million.

David Dickinson, the president of the Edison Board of Education, said 1,911 people voted for the referendum, while 3,696 people voted against it.

"I voted for it," Dickinson said. "It was unfortunate it didn't pass because we need new classrooms and there's not enough space."

Dickinson said he has a 10 year-old son at Menlo Park School, and feels the elementary schools are extremely overcrowded.

Currently, there are 720 students at Menlo Park School and about 22 kids in his son's class. However, he said, enrollment will keep increasing, which will exacerbate the problem.

"The goal is to get every elementary school in Edison with a gym and a cafeteria," Dickinson said.

Dickinson said the economy, as well as low voter turnout, hurt the referendum's chances of getting passed.

"Less than 10 percent of the registered voters in Edison came out to vote," he said.

Dickinson said he believes the school board will find a resolution to the problems with the elementary schools. The board will be meeting next on Dec. 18.

"We'll find a way, we always do," he said.

School board member Debbie Anes said the board was unanimously in favor of the referendum, and she is very disappointed.

"It's much-needed space, and the part the public was hesitant about was the new school," Anes said.

Anes said the current state of the economy made the chances of the referendum passing even worse, but she was still surprised it failed.

"There was very minimal turnout for the voting," she said. "The number of people who voted for it was so minimal, it was shocking."

Many teachers at the three schools are extremely upset, especially music and art teachers who are must teach on carts or in makeshift classrooms, she said.

"They are depriving the kids of an education," Anes said. "We need classroom space and a cafeteria for lunch."

Anes said it's simply not fair that the children can't eat lunch with their friends in a cafeteria or play sports in a gym.

"It's not fair, a hot lunch should be a hot lunch," Anes said. "A healthy thing should be to socialize with their friends."

She said her son, who is a student at Woodbrook, is very disappointed because he wanted a gym to play basketball in and wanted a cafeteria to eat lunch and see his friends in.

The referendum was defeated during the school board elections in April, and then scheduled for a second vote on Sept. 30. That day, however, was Rosh Hashanah, and local Jewish leaders, led by Rabbi Bernhard Rosenberg of Congregation Beth-El in Edison, pushed for the date to be moved so members of the Jewish community could participate in the vote. The date was moved to Dec. 9.

Rosenberg said he is upset the referendum failed, but not surprised.

"It didn't pass because it was the same old proposal that the board has introduced over and over again," Rosenberg said.

Rosenberg believes the economy played a role in defeating the referendum.

"I think they have to come up with a proposal that will benefit the children of the schools in Edison, because the schools are overcrowded," he said. "To benefit the children, the board should come up with a proposal that benefits the community."