A new bill signed by Gov. Christie may change the way you vote in school board elections for years to come.
Christie approved a bill that gives school districts the option of moving board of education elections to November — at the same time as general elections.
Additionally, the bill allows all school budgets that fall within the 2-percent cap to be passed automatically, with no approval needed by township voters. A school board would have to present a “second question” for voter approval if a budget is proposed to exceed the 2-percent cap.
Haddonfield will have until Friday, Feb. 17 to decide on the new bill.
“After decades in Trenton of fruitlessly discussing the idea of moving school district elections to November, leaders in this state today have again demonstrated that we can get things done for the people of New Jersey when we work together,” Christie said. “This bipartisan tool kit bill finally gives real pathways for school boards or voters to move district elections to November, providing the bright prospect for both local government savings and increased voter participation in the process. With this legislation now law, I urge school board members and voters in every one of our districts to act as quickly as possible to take hold of these benefits.”
A school board would have to approve of a move through a resolution, according to state representatives.
Business Administrator Andy Hall said the district currently spends about $22,000 a year on its election. The way the bill is written, he said, the school district would be responsible for any additional costs that the County Board of Elections incurs if it holds the additional election in November. By early estimates, this would likely be between $2,000 to $5,000, he said.
Board of Education President Steve Weinstein said if the board needed to go over the 2 percent cap, the question would be voted on during the November budget. However, any increase over the 2 percent cap would have to first be approved by the county, he said, and none were approved last year.
If a second question were approved, the board of education would craft and pass a temporary budget so it could continue to do business during the year until the November election.
Board of Education Member Lynn Biehn said the proposal sounded like a winner for the district. It would certainly save the district money, she said.
“The idea behind this proposal is that it would save money and build incentives into the process to keep budgets below the 2 percent cap,” Weinstein also said.
The board will vote on the resolution on Thursday, Feb. 9, at 7:30 p.m. in the high school library.
In other board of education news:
The BOE was scheduled to begin discussion on its 2012–2013 budget, but delayed the discussion until the Haddonfield Education Association contracts have been officially ratified.
It would be better to discuss the budget using real money figures instead of estimated ones, Weinstein said.
