School board and budget results

From the Record:

Budgets in the black

Tuesday’s school elections produced some surprising results, from squeakers on budget approvals and veteran board members being voted out of office to a power outage that held up counting.

Rochelle Park showed that every vote counts. The $10.1 million budget passed 190-187 at the polls, but absentee ballots still needed to be counted.

And in Maywood, the budget passed with 13 votes, although 15 absentee ballots were still waiting to be counted.

Teaneck’s budget passed after last year’s was the first in eight years to be defeated. Also veteran board member Barbara Ostroth lost her bid for a fifth term, placing fourth in a five way race for three open seats.

The smallest community in Bergen overwhelmingly supported its spending plan. Teterboro voters passed the budget unanimously, 4-0.

Eileen K. DeBari, secretary of the Bergen County Board of Elections, said the board had managed to count all but a few of about 2,400 absentee ballots before the power outage brought the count to a halt. It was not clear when a final tally would be available.

With 25 of the 74 districts reporting, school budgets in Bergen County were passing overwhelmingly. Tax levies were approved in 24 of the 25 districts.

Passaic County election officials were having technical problems Tuesday night and were unable to disseminate election results quickly.

Last year, 75 percent of budgets were approved in Bergen County — the second highest in the state. Only 28 percent of spending plans were approved in Passaic County.

About 53 percent of budgets were approved statewide last year, the lowest in 12 years.

From the Cherry Hill Courier Post:

Results on school budgets mixed

South Jersey voters went to the polls Tuesday, approving school budgets in towns like Cherry Hill, Deptford and Mount Laurel, but rejecting spending plans in Washington Township and the Lenape regional district.

Elsewhere, budgets appeared to pass narrowly in Haddon Heights and Medford, both with margins of fewer than 25 votes. South Harrison’s budget was approved in a 184-183 squeaker, according to unofficial results.

Budgets went down by narrow margins in Haddonfield and Evesham, while defeats were lopsided in Waterford and the Black Horse Pike regional district serving Bellmawr, Gloucester Township and Runnemede.

Winslow voters overwhelmingly rejected a budget that would cut 80 jobs, as well as a $3.7 million proposal that would bolster security.

At press time, tri-county voters had approved basic budgets in 64 districts and rejected them in 33.

School administrators fared worst in Camden County, with 21 approvals and 18 rejections. Burlington County had 23 approvals and eight rejections. Gloucester County had 20 approvals and seven rejections. Results were too close to call in at least one school board race.

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8 Responses to School board and budget results

  1. James Bednar says:

    From the Daily Record:

    Budgets fail in 5 Morris districts

    In a complete reversal from last year, only five Morris County school districts suffered budget defeats in Tuesday night’s school elections, the lowest number since 1999 when only three districts’ spending plans met with voter dissatisfaction.

    Last year, 18 budgets fell to voters’ anger over rising property taxes, the largest number in more than a decade.

    Budgets were rejected in Jefferson, Montville, Roxbury, Wharton and Victory Gardens. These are not towns facing the largest tax increases in the county. Voters said “no” to average tax increases of $307 in Montville and $200 in Roxbury, but Jefferson had an average increase below $200.

  2. James Bednar says:

    From the Philly Inquirer:

    Taxes or no, many N.J. school budgets pass

    Despite the likelihood of paying higher property taxes, voters in many South Jersey towns yesterday approved local school budgets for the 2007-08 school year.
    Voters in several districts, however, were less inclined. Budgets in several of the region’s largest districts, including Washington Township in Gloucester County, Kingsway Regional, Delsea Regional and Lenape, were rejected.

    In preliminary unofficial late returns, voters in at least 50 of the 104 districts in Burlington, Camden and Burlington Counties approved proposed budgets. They also elected school board members.

    Voters in nine districts in the tri-county area also approved at least two of 12 proposed second ballot questions that allow districts to raise additional taxes, typically to pay for special projects or hire more staff. At least four were rejected.

  3. thatbigwindow says:

    I guess people are waking up in River Edge!

  4. RentinginNJ says:

    The problem is that these elections are so poorly attended. Many towns had turnouts in the low hundreds. Rochelle Park had 377 people vote.

    Basically, you have teachers and parents of school age kids versus the fixed income senior citizens in many towns. Most people are apathetic about this stuff.

    I would bet that school budgets will have a tougher time passing when budget proposals are moved to election day in November, when voter turnout tends to be a little higher.

  5. bergenbubbleburst says:

    #tbw River Edges’s turnout was one of the lowest,if not thel lowest I have ever seen.

    Huge amiounts of rah-rah cheer leading, and yet the budget failed.

    Perhaps supporters figured there was no need to vote as it would pass. But you would think that if you support the budget, you would have at least taken the time out to vote yes.

    Or perhaps soemthing else is going on. I have to believe the BOE must be in absolute shock.

  6. bergenbubbleburst says:

    #4tbw I am absolutely shocked the budget failed in River Edge, and I am shocked at the low turnout, only 1,014 voters.

    All the rah rah cheer leading, and support, yet the supporters did not feel a need to come out and vote.

    Perhaps they just assumed it would pass, or perhaps it is something else.

    I am sure the BOE must be in absolute shock right now. It should start to get very interesting.

  7. bergenbubbleburst says:

    Soory for the double post, got the internal error message.

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