Ramsey's School Budget Voting Guide

Ramsey is one of 41 school districts across the state that will hold school board elections Tuesday.

Polls in town will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Check out a list of polling locations here. Patch breaks down everything you need to know before heading to the polls to vote.

The Budget

The board of education is . It calls for a 0.2% tax increase, which the district says is the lowest increase that has been proposed in at least 30 years.

According to district officials, the spending plan calls for an annual tax increase of $14.87 for the average homeowner in Ramsey with a home worth $427,200. Residents can figure out their anticipated tax increase under the proposed budget by adding $3.48 for each $100,000 of their home’s assessed value.

According to Interim Superintendent Bruce DeYoung and Business Administrator Bob Marcotulli, the budget keeps all district programs in tact for next year, and does not call for any major changes.

The Candidates

Four candidates will be running for three seats on the board of education. Patch spoke to each candidate about his or her background, and why he or she is running for the position.

Timothy Finnegan

Finnegan has lived in the borough for 17 years with his wife and three children, all currently students in the Ramsey school district. He is an incumbent, running for his second term on the Board of Education.

Finnegan, who grew up in Monmouth County, is a managing director for JP Morgan Chase in NYC.

Finnegan said he is running for a seat on the board because he enjoys serving on it now.

“It’s been fascinating to learn about the business of education and all of the moving parts,” he told Patch. “It is very rare that you get the chance to be challenged with something completely different from what you do everyday. Plus, in the past three years, we’ve got a lot of good going on in the district, with the iPad initiative, unprecedented tax increase in the budget, the hiring of a Superintendent, and last year’s hiring of all the new principals.”

In terms of challenges he feels the district will face in the next three years, Finnegan said “It’s going to be all about finances. We have been fiscally responsible, and we need to continue that. We need to maintain the high standard of education in a world of increasing costs. That is going to be the challenge.”

Claudia Monteith

Monteith has lived in Ramsey since the 1950’s, and is a graduate of Ramsey High School. She served on the Board of Education from 1996-2007, and 2007-present. She is seeking reelection this year.

Monteith, her husband, and her kids are all Ramsey grads. She is retired from the microbiology and pharmaceutical industries, has two grandchildren, and has been active in many groups in town over the years, including the Jr. Football League, Boy Scouts and at the First Presbyterian Church.

Monteith said she is running for reelection because she likes the job, and feels she has the experience to carry it out in a responsible way.

“I’ve always thought that the best gift you can give a kid is a quality education,” she told Patch. “I have a lot of practice and experience in helping do that. I think [the current board is] a well-rounded group. We have people with kids in the district and people without kids in the district, so you get both perspectives. I’ve seen my kids go through, so I have a perspective on every school building, but I also understand the concerns of senior citizens on a fixed income, and of residents in town who don’t have kids in the schools. I’ve also developed a good rapport with everyone in the district and people in town, and that makes the job easier to do.  The people in our district are quality people who work so hard. I am proud of them and proud to represent the district.”

In terms of challenges she feels the district may face in the next three years, Monteith cited fiscal concerns and continuing to hire “good education professionals. For me, it is all about the people. Ramsey has a great reputation, and we need to foster the feeling that our staff is respected and heard so that we can continue to attract the best educators.

Carrie Williams

Williams has lived in Ramsey for 20 years, and has one son who is an RHS grad and two twin daughters who are juniors at Ramsey High. She has served on the Board for six years, and is seeking reelection to her third term. Williams, who is originally from Woodcliff Lake, spent 15 years working for a large healthcare information company and is now the Director of Operations for an estate planning firm.

Williams said she is seeking reelection because she “would like to continue to play an essential role in our community and more importantly, in our student’s lives.  Ramsey has established outstanding academic standards. I am committed to maintaining and building on those standards of excellence through a strong curriculum and the use of cutting edge technology in the classroom.”

In terms of challenges she sees the district facing in the future, Williams said, “It is equally important to the community that the Board of Education balances a high quality education with prudent tax dollar spending.  As a result, the budget that the community will vote on has the lowest property tax rate increase that has ever been documented in Ramsey.  In these times, it is also critical to maintain a safe, respectful and tolerant school environment for each one of our students.  The Board is investing in advanced technologies and equipment to continue to keep our schools safe and Ramsey has established strong student tolerance policies and programs that include an essential cyber bullying awareness component to keep our students safe, productive and happy in their schools. The current members of the Board have worked hard to accomplish and maintain these important goals.  I hope that the three incumbent members are once again given the opportunity to serve this community together.”

Reena Chawla

Chawla has lived in the borough for four-and-a-half years, and is seeking her first term on the Board. She is an engineer who recently founded an information technology firm, and has two kids currently enrolled in the Ramsey School system.

Chawla said she wants to run for a seat on the board because “the current Board of Education has done a good job in keeping the finances and teacher contracts steady, and overall has reached a place of relative stability. I think it’s a good time to introduce some progressive thoughts into the mix. My big idea is regarding globalization. I have an international perspective, and I think the district has a strong language program, which is a vital ingredient for a solid foundation. But, I think there is definitely room to improve interaction and give kids a truly global perspective.”

In terms of challenges the district may face moving forward, Chawla said she feels spending in the district will be the biggest concern. “[From what I understand], in one or two years from now, we may not be in the same economic situation in the district that were are in now in the district. We don’t know what state aid will be, and I think we need to plan for those changes ahead of time. We have a good technology intitiative in the schools, and I think smart spending on technology will help us save money in the long run.”

The Other Districts

According to the New Jersey School Boards Association, only 41 districts will hold their school board elections Tuesday. The rest have voted to move their elections to November, and remove their school budget votes.

In Bergen County, 15 districts will be holding elections. According to the NJSBA, 37 seats are up for election across the county, and 48 candidates are running. 26 of those are incumbents.

The group released the following statewide stats:

School districts conducting school elections on April 16, 2013 (full list)

 41

Total number of candidates

 163

Ratio of candidates to available board seats

 1.37 to 1

Percentage of candidates who are incumbents

52

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