Residents May Lose School Budget Vote

The debated Wednesday night whether or not moving school elections from April to November, and possibly eliminating the community’s vote on the annual school budget, would work in Mahwah.

The discussion at this week’s Board of Education meeting was prompted by a new state bill that was passed by the Assembly this week and is now awaiting Governor Chris Christie’s signature. According to Mahwah School District Business Administrator Ed Deptula “we have every indication that the governor is going to sign the bill.”

If and when Christie signs the bill, the Mahwah Board of Ed will be given the option to move school board elections to November, and BOE positions would appear on the general election ballot, along with any municipal, county, state, and national offices up for election in any particular year.

If a district chooses to switch to the November vote, the public’s ability to vote on the annual budget would be eliminated, so long as the budget’s tax levy is under the state-mandated two percent tax cap. Residents would only vote to approve or deny the budget if it would raise school taxes more than two percent.

If the Board of Ed decides not to switch the date, and to leave the elections and budget vote in tact in April, it could still be switched – either by Mahwah’s town council, or by a public referendum vote.

Though the board ultimately decided it would more seriously discuss the potential change once the bill is signed and “more guidance” is provided by the state government, members did bring up pros and cons of switching the voting date.

According to Deptula, “the assumption is that there would be a considerable reduction in the cost to the board [of holding an election], since we wouldn’t be putting it on alone anymore.” He said the costs associated with running the April elections, which include printing and mailing ballots, paying poll workers and the costs of county work done during elections, are about $30-35,000 per year.”

Another perk cited by the state legislature would be theoretically increasing voter turnout, because more people vote in a general election than in a school one.

However, Mahwah Board members expressed concerns that sharing the ballot may not be ideal. “Your name will get lost on the ballot,” board member Peter Wendrychowicz said. Board VP Chuck Saldarini added that the costs to board members of running for election may go up, since they would need to compete for attention with those running for government offices.

Board members also asked if moving the date would “politicize the process” of voting in a school board.

Three seats on the board – those currently held by Candace Larson, Christine Davis and John Dolan – are up for election this year. If the board did decide to move the election date, their terms would be extended to the new November date.