It’s going to be a busy election season for the two school districts in Evesham Township this November. The deadline to register for the November school district elections passed last week, and the ballot for the K-8 board of education district and the high school district are jam packed with candidates.
The Evesham K-8 School District will see three full-term seats expire at the end of 2012. Two of those seats belong to members Louise Sprouse and Trish Everhart, who have filed to run for re-election, according to the Burlington County Clerk’s office.
The incumbents will be joined by five others: Kevin Stone, JoAnne Harmon, Elaine Barbagiovanni, Joe Fisicaro Jr. and Delana Simon.
Of the candidates, the top three vote getters win seats on the board.
Evesham Township also has a representative on the Lenape Regional High School District Board of Education. The LRHSD BOE has a two-year seat open for the Evesham representative.
Incumbent BOE member Barry Fitzgerald will run again for his expiring seat against newcomer Joanne Sanferraro.
This will be the first time the school elections will coincide with the November election. Both boards voted in favor of moving the election from its traditional April date to later in the year.
Gov. Christie signed a bill into law that allows all school districts to move elections to the November general election date.
Additionally, the bill also 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.
The school district pays between $23,000 and $25,000 each year to hold the elections, district representatives reported, and with the federal, state, county, municipal and school elections all being held on the same date, it would spread that cost across several entities.
The way the bill is written, the school district would be responsible for any additional costs that the county board of elections incurs if it holds the election in November.
