>BOARD OF EDUCATION TO DISCUSS POSSIBILITY OF MOVING
ELECTION DATE
New legislation, effective immediately, allows school board/budget elections tobe moved from April to November (to coincide with other local/state/national elections).The Ridgewood Board of Education, like the majority of elected boards in the state, willbe discussing this issue in public session. The Board’s discussions will be held duringthe regularly scheduled Board meeting on Monday, January 23. The meeting will beheld at 7:30 PM in the Board Room on the 3rd floor of the Ed Center, 49 Cottage Place.
The session will include time for public comment and questions.The following is a brief summary of the mechanisms and provisions of this newlaw and arguments for and against the change in election date. If you have any questions,please e-mail them to dfishbein@ridgewood.k12.nj.us.
Mechanism to move Board Election:
The Board may move the election by resolution (majority vote). Or the Village Council may move the election by resolution (majority vote). Or the election may be moved by petition containing signatures of 15% of thelocal residents who voted in the last presidential election.Provisions:
If the election is moved to November, no budget vote is needed for budgets thatare at or under cap (the cap is currently 2%). Tax levy above cap will still require a vote, and the amount by which the budgetis above cap will be placed on the November ballot as a separate question. Moving the election from April to November is voluntary—eachdistrict/municipality can make its own decision If the election is moved to November, it cannot be moved back to April for atleast 4 years.
Elections can be moved from April to November now or at any time in the future.Arguments in Favor of Moving the Board Election to November: Increased voter participation Saving the cost of the April election (N.B.: This is an $42,100 annual savings.Note there will be costs associated with the November election, but they areunknown at this time.) Municipal, county, state and federal budgets are not submitted to voters. This lawbrings boards of education into line with other governing bodies. Failed budgets put instructional programs and facilities maintenance in jeopardy.Arguments Against Moving the Election to November In some districts/municipalities, moving the election to November may makeboard elections (which are non-partisan by law) more “political.” Deprives voters of the opportunity to vote on budgets that are at or under cap Dilutes the attention paid to local school board/budget elections
