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March 7, 2008
Lawmakers again mull moving school elections to November
By MICHAEL RISPOLI
GANNETT STATE BUREAU
In an effort to reduce costs and increase voter participation, state lawmakers Thursday discussed moving school board elections from April to the general election in November.
The Senate Education Committee held discussions Thursday with education groups about consolidating election days, as well as eliminate the requirement that voters decide school tax levies, except for separate questions if the growth cap is exceeded.
Extra elections cost citizens money that could be saved to reduce property taxes or better spent on education, said Sen. Shirley Turner, D-Mercer, the committee chairwoman and sponsor of a bill that would enact such changes.
"Every time we turn around, we're having another election that is costing people money," said Turner.
Turner also said moving the elections to November would allow more voters to have a say in school board elections, since participation is significantly higher.
The idea of consolidating elections has been around for some time. The same committee in 1996 suggested such reforms, and the special legislative session on property tax reform in the summer of 2006 discussed the idea as well. Turner said given the fiscal situation in the state, consolidating the elections "is even more compelling than before."
Education groups opposed moving education elections to November, saying it could politicize the school board election process.
"We've talked to board members in the last year who have said if the election is moved to November, they would resign from the school board," said Michael Vrancik, director of governmental relations for the New Jersey School Boards Associations.
Turner dismissed the portrayal of school board elections being free of any partisanship.
"We're being naive if we think that partisanship doesn't exist in school board elections," said Turner.
Turner said she would entertain the idea of keeping the elections out of November in favor of consolidating the April elections with nonpartisan elections in May or primary elections in June.
Sen. M. Teresa Ruiz, D-Essex, vice chairwoman of the committee, was also against moving school board elections to November, saying it would amplify any perceived politicization of board members.
"I know these are hard times, but with democracy, we shouldn't put a price on it," said Ruiz.
Concerns were also raised about holding nonpolitical elections on the same ballot as political ones, which could be in violation of the Hatch Act of 1939, the federal law that prohibits civil servants from engaging in political activity.
Although opposed to moving school board elections to November, the education groups all favored eliminating the school budget vote.
Michael Flynn, associate director of governmental relations for the New Jersey Education Association, said moving additional spending questions into November could be problematic because the questions would pertain to a school year already underway.
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Teachers' criminal background checks may be strengthened
By Michael Rispoli • GANNETT STATE BUREAU • March 7, 2008
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TRENTON — The Senate Education Committee advanced a bill Thursday aimed at preventing school employees with criminal records from slipping through the cracks when obtaining jobs.
The bill would require the state Department of Education to match its database of employees with the state Department of Labor's files to find employees who should have been disqualified from work based on their past criminal history. The checks would be performed every three months.
Bill sponsor Sen. Barbara Buono, D-Middlesex, said the new requirement came as a recommendation from a 2007 state audit. The audit found even if the DOE discovered a worker who was disqualified as a result of their criminal history, there was no way to ensure districts would fire the employee after being notified by the state. Buono called it "a common sense bill."
"Every parent wants to know that when they send their children off to school, that they will learn in a safe environment with responsible adults," said Buono.
In April 2007, a Gannett New Jersey review of payroll and criminal records found at least 11 school employees throughout the state had potentially disqualifying records which should have prohibited them from being hired.
DOE spokesman Jon Zlock said the department currently is working on updating its method of background checks.
"We want to monitor the effectiveness of the criminal background check process and identify areas in where we can improve," said Zlock.
The New Jersey Education Association opposed the bill because a more comprehensive bill is in the works, said Wayne Dibofsky, associate director of governmental relations for the NJEA.
"The senator's bill is a good step in the right direction. We maintain we've got to go further, faster, and we need to do it quicker," said Dibofsky.
NJEA's preferred bill is currently pending in the Senate — also sponsored by Buono — and is more overreaching because it also would include nonpublic schools, contractors who work in schools and bus drivers.
Senate Democratic spokesman Jim Griffin said Buono's bill was introduced before NJEA's preferred bill because language and specifics are still being worked out before it can be taken up in committee.
Dibofsky told the committee he expects the expanded bill to be brought before the committee by May.
Michael Rispoli: mrispol@gannett.com
