School Board Approves November Election Move

Westwood Regional Board of Education elections will take place on November 6 along with the other elections scheduled that day, instead of in April as was originally planned, and residents will not be able to vote on the district's budget as long as it does not exceed a 2 percent levy cap.

According to Superintendent Geoffrey Zoeller, the change saves money on the cost of holding spring elections, helps the district's administration secure a budget earlier than was previously possible and "elevates the status of the board of education to every other form of government in the state of New Jersey."

The change was approved by the Westwood Regional Board of Education at their meeting at the Jr./Sr. High School Thursday night, despite the concerns of some board members who said that the 2 percent levy could cause a disparity between taxes paid by Westwood and Washington Township residents. The new law that made this change possible states that the board cannot revert to spring elections for at least four years. According to board member Joseph Blundo, a 2 percent levy increase each year could raise Westwood residents' taxes by as much as 17.5 percent over the next four years, while Washington residents could see their taxes fall by 4 percent in the same time frame.

According to Blundo, the district is not looking to increase its tax levy by the maximum 2 percent for next year's budget, but Westwood residents are still likely to see an increase in the amount they pay, while Washington residents will likely see a decrease. Blundo said he was concerned about removing voters' ability to approve or deny the district's budgets.

"We are taking from the public their ability to have a say on the budget," Blundo said. "I'm very hesitant to remove that from the public domain."

Blundo and board member Darlene Mandeville both voted against the resolution, saying they would prefer to wait a year and to see how it affects other districts. The board will still vote to give final approval to the budget each year.

The resolution was made possible by a new law that went into effect last month, which set guidelines for school districts to switch to November elections. The option has proved popular, with 401 of the state's 538 districts having made the change by early Friday morning, according to the New Jersey School Boards Association.