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Star Ledger Continuous News Desk, by Jean Rundquist, 4-23-09
Despite national recession, N.J. voters approve 73 percent of school budgets
They braced for the worst but instead most New Jersey school districts were expressing relief today, after voters approved 73.3 percent of school budgets in local school elections Tuesday night.
Despite elections coming in the middle of a national recession, nearly three-quarters of the 550 school budgets put before voters passed, about the same percentage that passed in 2008..
"I think it is impressive given the economic times," said state Education Commissioner Lucille Davy. "I think it's a really clear sign the governor's efforts to fully fund education are working. He is doing this not only because it's the right thing to do, but it's one of many ways we are trying to rein in property taxes.
"Voters are responding," she said.
New Jersey School Boards Association spokesman Frank Belluscio said officials had thought there might be "a much more significant drop-off" in the passing rate. Last year, voters approved 73.5 percent of school spending plans.
"In this economy, it is a very good sign that we have had such a large number of approvals," he said.
Voter turnout was lower than 2008, however. Some 13.4 percent of an estimated 5.4 million registered voters cast ballots, down from 14.3 percent, according to the state Department of Education.
Voters headed to the polls during the worst economy in recent memory, giving rise to concerns that spending plans might get swamped.
Many school officials said they recognized the economic challenges residents were facing at home and worked to keep budgets lean. Also working in districts' favor: Direct state school aid increased by $300 million this year, and a second round of federal stimulus money, announced last week, is expected to pump an additional $609 million into New Jersey schools.
In some past recessions, voters had reacted more vehemently. In 1981, in the middle of a prolonged recession, voters approved 63.8 percent of budgets.
In some local school districts today, educators were beaming.
Chester's school budget passed by two votes, edging up from an original one-vote margin when absentee ballots were counted.
"We were thrilled," said Christina Van Woert, Chester Schools Superintendent. "We tried to craft the most fiscally responsible budget we could, while still allowing for educational excellence. We think we did that, and we're just appreciative of the response."
In nearby Mountain Lakes, however, Superintendent John Kazmark said he had already reached out to municipal officials after the school budget was defeated for the first time in 25 years.
"These are very unusual times," he said. "I think we realized before the vote that it was a possibility that our budget or anybody's budget could go down. It's hard to tell exactly what that would be due to."
Defeated budgets go to the local governing body, which may make cuts or not.
Joseph DePierro, dean of the College of Education and Human Services at Seton Hall University, said he was not surprised so many budgets were approved.
He said the economy may have had a different effect on the balloting: People worried about declining property values in the recession may have wanted to stave off further erosion by keeping schools strong.
"I think people are very savvy. They want their children to do better in hard economic times, and the best way is to have the skills they need to be competitive," DePierro said. "But they also are recognizing the school system is the core of their local communities."
Joyce Powell, president of the state's largest teachers union, the New Jersey Education Association, agreed "New Jersey voters are strongly committed to their public schools."
Only 11 districts statewide, meanwhile, asked voters for special permission to spend more than the 4 percent cap imposed on tax levies. And none of them passed.
The two closest were in Denville, where $240,000 would have bought extracurricular stipends, a maintenance person and a part-time string music instructor, and South Amboy, where $42,000 would have gone for middle school sports. Denville's measure lost by one-quarter of 1 percent, according to the school board association.
There were also 22 construction bond issue referenda on ballots, 16 of which passed.
Complete coverage of Tuesday's school elections
PRESS OF ATLANTIC CITY, 4-23-09 :
New Jersey voters no tougher on school budgets this year than last
By DIANE D’AMICO Education Writer, 609-272-7241 | Posted: Thursday, April 23, 2009
The economy may be bad, and unemployment may be at an all-time high, but New Jersey voters still approved almost 74 percent of school budgets Tuesday, the same rate as last year.
State Education Commissioner Lucille Davy on Wednesday called the approval rate a sign that voters will support their schools, but they want to know the money is being spent effectively.
Still, despite chronic complaining about property taxes, voter turnout was just 13.4 percent, down from last year’s 14.3 percent.
“That is disappointing, and it always troubles me,” Davy said.
Many budgets called for minimal or no tax increases, and even some tax cuts, helped by an infusion of an extra $304 million in state aid Gov. Jon S. Corzine included in his proposed budget.
Increased state aid and new state laws capping property-tax increases appear to have played a role in increasing budget approvals during the past few years.
New Jersey School Boards Association data show that in 2006, when five years of flat state aid forced local school boards to turn to taxpayers for more money, only 52 percent of budgets passed.
Increased state aid and budget caps in 2007 and 2008 helped keep property taxes stable, and budget approval rates rose to 78 percent in 2007 and 74 percent in 2008.
Still, not all budgets were approved Tuesday. Atlantic County voters approved just 61 percent of budgets, with those of all three regional districts — Buena, Mainland and Greater Egg Harbor — among those rejected by the voters.
Mainland Regional High School in Linwood will get more than $40 million in repairs and renovations, thanks to voter approval of two bond referenda. But the district’s annual school budget was rejected by voters, who also rejected the budgets for the high school district’s K-8 sending districts of Northfield and Somers Point.
Mainland Regional school superintendent Russell Dever said it can be hard to figure out how or why voters make their decisions. But with three bond referenda and the budget to consider, it was clear voters carefully considered all the options.
Voters approved major renovations to the high school, and a new roof and solar panels. But they rejected an artificial turf athletic field, and the annual budget.
“Bonds are for tangible things people can see,” Dever said. “The budget is a more complex item. I think there is some frustration with the economy and property taxes. A lot of voters do think there is always something that can be cut from a budget.”
Many of the rejected budgets had tax hikes — 4 percent in Upper Township, 11 percent in Woodbine, and 5 percent in Northfield.
But Somers Point’s tax rate is staying the same, yet voters still rejected the budget. Greater Egg Harbor Regional’s tax rate is going down and the budget was defeated, though only by about 40 votes.
“It’s just the strangest thing,” Greater Egg superintendent Adam Pfeffer said. “Maybe we just didn’t get the message out well enough that the rate was going down.”
He wondered whether the tax cut actually hurt voter turnout.
“There are always people who vote against the budget,” he said. “But maybe people felt with the tax cut they didn’t really have to come out to support us this year. We lost the positive vote.”
Defeated school budgets now go to the local municipal governments for review. Those officials can recommend additional cuts, and have until May 19 to certify a final tax rate.
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