Voters Approve $45.7 Million School Budget Tax Levy

Voters in Westwood and Washington Township approved the proposed tax levy for the 2011-2012 school year budget and chose incumbents to retain their seats on the , according to the unofficial election results.

In Westwood, 591 voters cast their ballots in favor of the budget tax levy while 575 voted against it. In the township, 708 voted yes while 449 voted no. The tax levy for the school district budget is $45,674,917, which makes up more than 91 percent of the total spending plan of $50,124,950.

Beth Holmes of Washington Township said she always votes for the school budget tax levy. "I think it's important for the education of the kids," she said, adding, "It keeps property values up."

Westwood resident Doreen Albano, who is a teacher in another school district, said she voted to approve the tax levy.

"My job depends on it so I'm going to support it here," she said.

Superintendent Geoffrey Zoeller said he was pleased with the results.

"I'm gratified that our school district community has faith and trust we've done our best to produce a budget that is responsible to the taxpayer while at the same time retaining effective programming for our young people," he said.

In a tight race in Washington Township, incumbents Barbara Gregory and Darlene Mandeville defeated challenger Susan Huber to retain their seats on the school board, each getting elected to another three-year term. Mandeville received 654 votes while Gregory defeated Huber by just two votes, getting 574 to Huber's 572.

Westwood voters chose incumbent Lee-Ann Schaadt for the three-year term on the Westwood Regional Board of Education. Schaadt received 541 votes while challenger Donna Firriolo received 438.

"I'm thrilled to be reelected to the board," Schaadt said. "I'm very excited to continue the amazing work we've been accomplishing with the Westwood Regional School District."

For the one-year unexpired term in Westwood, voters picked Susan Swietkowski, who was appointed to the position in February after trustee Eileen Mosolino resigned. Swietkowski got 390 votes, Russell Miller received 358 votes and Christopher Montana got 289 votes.

Swietkowski said she is looking forward to remaining a member of the school board. "I got a little taste of the board the last six weeks and I'm excited to continue working with them for the next year," she said.

With the adopted school district budget, Westwood residents with average assessed homes will see their school taxes increase while township residents will see a decrease. According to education officials, borough residents with homes assessed at $398,240 will have their school taxes go up $165 for the 2011-2012 school year while township residents with homes assessed at $542,800 will have their school taxes decrease $47.04 for the school year.