Budget Supporters Mobilize to 'Get Out the Vote' on April 20

Parents of students in Bernards schools have begun to mobilize the "get out to vote" efforts in support of this year's school budget.

Over 100 parents were in attendance at a special, all-district wide PTO meeting on Wednesday morning, which concluded with a discussion of how the budget supporters could influence the community to vote in favor of the document at the polls on April 20.

While the parents took time ask detailed questions about the budget decisions that were made, many also expressed their desire to put aside minor disagreements to vote yes for the budget in the election.

The school district has had three budgets rejected by voters in the past 12 years, according to Goger, who warned of the consequences of failing to pass the document in her discussion with parents. If the budget fails, the township committee is granted the authority to determine how much the district should spend, and then the Board of Education must come up with a budget to fit the amount. The last time the township committee reviewed the budget, approximately $950,000 was removed, according to Goger.

"People will say that I don't like that this got cut or that got cut, so I'm voting no on the budget," Goger said. "They don't understand that it is not coming back, [and] also that more will get cut."

Michelle Cappola of Vanderveer Drive urged parents at the end of the meeting to talk to their friends and neighbors about voting yes for the budget on election day.

"We have a break coming up and when we come back I'm concerned people are going to get caught up in little things," Cappola said. She also said that in terms of getting people to the polls, "Emails are not successful. Speak to them, [and] show some passion."

Polls will be open on election day, April 20, from 2 – 9 p.m. A list of polling places was listed in a previous Patch article, and residents who are unable to vote on election day can vote ahead of time by absentee ballot. For more information on the budget proposal see, Why the Schools are Asking for More Taxes and What Exactly is Being Cut in the Schools on Basking Ridge Patch.