Westfield Super Extends 'Heartfelt Gratitude' To Voters For Passage Of Proposal

WESTFIELD, NJ — While the vote tally is still preliminary, it looks as if the voters passed the $1.6 million spending proposal on Tuesday night.

"We are pleased with the unofficial results that indicate Westfield voter approval of the additional spending proposal for the 2024-2025 school district operating budget. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all who went to the polls to cast their vote. The apparent approval of the additional spending plan, along with the base budget approved by the Board of Education on March 26, enables the district to continue moving forward in our commitment to deliver the best educational experience possible for our students. We are looking forward to receiving the final results," said Superintendent Dr. Raymond Gonzalez to Patch.

Voters also elected three Board members in the Westfield Annual School Board election on Tuesday night.

Here are the real-time unofficial results for the Proposal, and Board of Education candidates. According to Union County, 96 percent of the districts have reported. However, these results remain unofficial until all mail-in and provisional ballots are counted:

Proposal

The ballot question proposed a tax levy increase of 1.49 percent - a .59 percent increase in Educational Continuity and .9 percent increase for Enhancements to the 2024-25 budget.

As of 10 p.m. on Tuesday, 2,535 voters voted in favor of the proposal and 1,240 voted against it.

This Additional Spending Proposal of $1,675,397 will encompass funding for:

• The retention of 7 current staff members whose positions were not able to be provided for in the base budget,
• 3 elementary teachers for enrichment that targets computer science and design thinking standards for all K-5 students,
• 1 high school teacher to support additional electives,
• 1 special services supervisor,
• 1 assistant buildings and grounds supervisor,
• 2 maintenance / groundskeepers,
• 3 part-time security personnel, and
• Enhanced compensation for paraprofessionals.

School Board Candidates

The Westfield Election also included the vote for three School Board candidates out of the six running.

Incumbents Leila Morrelli and Sonal Patel along with Julie Steinberg prevailed over Brad Schaeffer, Mark Shore, and Lindsay Bezalel.

Here are the vote tallies:

• Brad Schaeffer - 1,209
• Leila Morrelli(incumbent) - 1,949
• Julie Steinberg - 2,234
• Sonal Patel(incumbent) - 2,044
• Mark Shore - 1,106
• Lindsay Bezalel - 1,680

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