Board of Ed Could Move School Election to November

Monday night's school board agenda includes a discussion and possible resolution on whether the Bernards school district should go along with a new statewide option to and possibly eliminate a public vote on school budgets.

"I would rather take my chances with the voters," School Board president Susan Carlsson said on Sunday evening, although she acknowledged her opinion might not be in the majority if the issue comes to a vote at Monday's meeting.

She said she has several reasons for preferring to keep the school election in April, including that she doesn't want school business ever to become mixed up with municipal partisanship, even though she said she does not see that possibility with the current

The meeting agenda printed on the Bernards Township school website lists a proposal to approve the change of the school election day. The is scheduled to meet at the at 7 p.m.

The change in school election regulations approved this month by the state legislature, and then signed by Gov. Chris Christie about a week ago, would allow school elections to be moved to November, at the same time as the general election under one of three circumstances.

The Board of Education could approve the changed election date, or so could the Township Committee, a circumstance Carlsson said she doesn't anticipate.

The election date change also could be brought about by public petition, signed by 15 percent of voters, and Carlsson said she hasn't heard of a move to bring that about in Bernards Township.

According to the legislation, if the school election is moved to November, voters would no longer be given the right to vote on the amount of local taxes to be raised to fund the next year's school budget if the increase stays below the state two percent cap on increases.

However, if the increase in the amount to be raised by taxes does exceed two percent, voters would be given the chance in November to vote on a "second question" of whether to approve that greater increase, the legislation says.

Carlsson said she doesn't anticipate the school tax levy increase in Bernards to go above 2 percent.

But she said the fiscal year for school budgets in the state, which begin each July 1, would be out of sync for the election. In addition, Carlsson said there would be a "lame duck" period for school board members who either decide to leave the board, or who are voted off, until new board members voted in at the November polls took office in January.

As it now stands, Board of Education members who are elected in April are seated at the next meeting, she noted.

Carlsson said the New Jersey School Boards Associations are urging local school board to make a decision before the deadline at the end of February for school board candidates who would be listed on the ballot in the April election, if it is held at that time.

Supporters of moving school elections to November, including Christie, say it will save money by holding only one election, while also bringing in more votes since more people tend to vote in the general election than on the school board.

One reason for opposition is the view of some by eliminating the vote on a budget that falls withing the two percent cap, it takes away the rights of voters.