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The vote, if passed, would add 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 will cost between $65-$70 million.

The vote was supposed to take place on Sept. 30, the same day as Rosh Hashanah; after public opposition, especially from the town's Jewish community, the date was moved. The vote had failed in April by a couple hundred votes.

DiMuzio said he is in favor of the vote passing because the schools in Edison are extremely overcrowded. Currently DiMuzio said there are close to 14,200 students in the elementary schools in Edison.

"Number one, the less number the class size, the better the education," he said.

He said there will be at least 10 new classrooms in each school, new gyms, and each school will gave its own cafeteria instead of students eating in their classrooms.

"When you have to eat in classrooms, it gets overcrowded," DiMuzio said.

DiMuzio said the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students from Lindeneau elementary school on Blossom St. will be attending the new school a long with the excess students from Washington Elementary School on Winthrop Rd., and Lincoln elementary school, on Brookville Rd.

"Grades K, 1, and 2, and special education are staying at Lindeneau," he said.

DiMuzio said the average home owner's taxes will increase by $57-$60, but he hopes to offset that increase if the new additions allow special education students to return to the public schools in Edison.

"It costs $50-58,000 per special education student to go to school outside of the district," he said.

Also, he said if passed the Board of Education will likely come forward with other elementary schools, such as Menlo Park and Martin Luther King, for add additions to as well.

Debbie Anes, a school board member who has a son at Woodbrook Elementary said she hopes the vote passes because she knows how over crowded the school is.

"A big part of the addition is classrooms," Anes said.

By adding additions to the three schools and creating a new school, each class will have fewer students, she said. Currently, there are an estimated 26 students in each class and after the additions of new classrooms there will be about 22 students in each class, she said.

"It's very difficult because of the number of kids in every class," she said. "Everything is suffering; it's at a point where there's no more classroom space."

Anes said Woodbrook Elementary has music lessons in a custodian's office and art class is taught on a cart.

"They can't even paint because there's no art room," she said.

She said children should be able to have a gym where they can run around in and have fun.

"I'd like them to be able to have real gym class," she said.

Anes said if the vote is passed there will be a much better educational environment for the students in all three schools.

She said her son enjoys school, but misses out on part of the social atmosphere in a normal school.

"He misses eating lunch with his friends," she said.

Gene Maeroff, another member of the school board, said he is in favor of the bond referendum and hopes it passes.

"The district desperately needs more classrooms," Maeroff said.

Crag Prupis, a resident of Edison and a town activist, said he is also in favor of the vote passing.

"One of the things I like about it, they are building classrooms for special needs kids," Prupis said.

Prupis said ultimately it will also benefit parents of special needs students because they won't have to send their kids out of district anymore.

"It's important for special needs kids and their parents," he said.

Prupis acknowledged that those without kids in the school district, such as seniors, Orthodox Jews, and singles, may vote against the bond.

"When in the community, you look at the greater need of the community," he said.

He said Jews that don't go to these schools should favor it, because in the end it will provide a better education for the children of these schools.

Rabbi Dr. Bernhard Rosenberg of Congregation Beth-El in Edison, who led the movement to pressure officials to change the date of the vote, said he wasn't taking a position on the referendum.

"The battle that we were in, I felt it was a religious issue, because they wanted to have it on Rosh Hashanah," Rosenberg said. "Now that it's cleared up, people should be able to vote for whoever they want."