Fewer Districts to Hold April School Board Elections

Ramsey is one of a shrinking number of school districts across the state that is continuing to hold school elections in April, the New Jersey School Boards Association reported in a release Wednesday.

Across the state, only 41 school districts will hold elections this April 16, down from 74 districts last year.

According to the NJSBA, when a new state law last year gave school boards the option to switch election dates to November, 468 districts made the switch. This year, a total of 501 will hold elections in the fall.

Moving to November allowed the districts to eliminate a public vote on the school budget, so long as it came in under the 2% tax levy cap. Proponents of switching the date to November also cited cost savings associated with holding just one election per year, instead of two – a school election in April and a government election in November.

Communities like Ramsey, that stayed with the April election time, also held on to the budget vote.

Late last year, Ramsey Board of Ed members discussed the decision, saying that they felt it was important for voters in Ramsey to have a say on the school budget.

Only 14 other towns in Bergen County agreed with Ramsey’s decision. According to the NJSBA, the following districts will hold elections on April 16:

New Jersey Districts Conducting School Elections on April 16, 2013

County

Number of April School Elections

Names of Districts

Atlantic

0

–

Bergen

15

Cliffside Park, East Rutherford, Emerson, Englewood, Fairview, Garfield, Hackensack, Harrington Park, Midland Park, Norwood, Oakland, Palisades Park, Ramsey, Ridgewood, Wood-Ridge

Burlington

0

–

Camden

0

–

Cape May

0

–

Cumberland

1

Bridgeton

Essex

3

Belleville, Irvington, Newark*

Gloucester

2

Delsea Regional, Franklin

Hudson

3

North Bergen, Secaucus, Weehawken

Hunterdon

0

–

Mercer

0

–

Middlesex

4

Cranbury, Edison, Metuchen, New Brunswick*

Monmouth

1

Neptune Township

Morris

6

Chatham, Mendham Township, Mountain Lakes,

Pequannock, Riverdale, Rockaway Borough

Ocean

0

–

Passaic

4

Hawthorne, Passaic, Paterson*, Totowa

Salem

0

–

Somerset

0

–

Sussex

0

–

Union

0

–

Warren

2

Allamuchy, Greenwich

Total

41

* Of the school districts eligible to move their elections to November, 38 school districts have retained April elections, where voters will select candidates to serve on the school board and decide their district’s base budget. In New Brunswick, citizens voted to change from a mayor-appointed school board to an elected board, with the district’s first school board and budget election being held in April 2013. Two state-operated districts – Newark and Paterson – will conduct board member elections on April 16, but do not place their proposed budgets on the ballot.

“Valid arguments can be made for both November and April school elections,” Dr. Lawrence S. Feinsod, NJSBA executive director, said in the release.

“On one hand, November elections increase a district’s budget stability, and eliminate the cost of conducting an additional election,” he explained. “However, a number of school board members believe that retaining April school elections helps to preserve the non-partisan nature of school board office. Also, some feel strongly that the public should retain the right to vote on the proposed school budget.”

Submit your questions or news tips to jessica.mazzola@patch.com. And, remember to sign up for Ramsey Patch's daily newsletter, and get updates on Facebook and Twitter.