Election Results: Wayne Votes Down Full-Day Kindergarten — Again

WAYNE, N.J. — For the second consecutive year, residents overwhelmingly voted down bringing full-day kindergarten to the district.

Residents again voted ‘no’ to the question of raising nearly $2.1 million to implement the program in the last district in Passaic County not have to have it. The vote was 11,073 to 8,602. The money would have been in addition to the district’s 2016-17 budget and used to hire 20 teachers and several aides, and pay for textbooks and staff benefits. It would have cost the average homeowner an additional $94 this year.

The Board of Education voted in September to not implement the program. A tuition-based supplemental program was implemented at some district schools this year as an alternative to the full-day program.

A grassroots group of parents lobbied hard for the program for months out in the community and on social media.

All 13 board of education candidates expressed support for implementing the program. Eleven candidates ran for three, three-year terms, while two ran for a two-year unexpired term.

Incumbents Michael Bubba and Mitch Badiner and newcomer Suzanne Pudup won the three, three-year terms up for grabs this year. Stacy Scher won the two-year unexpired term.

Here are the election results:

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