UPDATED: Town Council Not Likely to Change School Election

UPDATED: Deputy Mayor Greg Gallo echoed the mayor's statement that council would want to work with the board of education to coordinate any change in the school election.

"But I personally feel like all of these (elections) should be done in November, when the public is paying more attention," Gallo added, mentioning he'd like to see fire district elections moved as well.

On the other hand, Gallo was less enthusiastic at the notion of taking away voters' ability to have a say on the school budget.

"As a property taxpayer, I am concerned that just because it's under (the 2 percent) cap, it doesn't go to the public," he said.

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Though members of the Moorestown Board of Education allowing them to shift school elections to the fall and pass budgets without voter approval, two major groups have come out in support of the change.

Both the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA) and the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) support the legislation because it leaves the decision in the hands of individual districts.

"There are many variables that differ town-to-town, and communities should be able to decide whether April or November elections work better for them,” said NJSBA spokesman Frank Belluscio.

Both groups were also fine with the provision taking budgets off the ballot, noting voters don’t have a say on municipal or county budgets. According to Belluscio, school budgets “often bear the brunt of voter dissatisfaction.”

“School boards set the budget based on their individual community and school needs,” said NJEA spokesman Steve Baker. “That's what they're elected to do and that's what they should be doing.”

The new law allows three ways to move the election and remove budgets from the ballot (one can’t be done without the other): by referendum (if 15 percent of voters from the last presidential election sign a petition), a resolution by the school board, or a resolution by the municipality.

Mayor John Button said he personally doesn’t see a downside to moving the election to the fall, but admitted, “My perspective is, I’m not the expert … It certainly would be our desire to work together with the school board.”

Some members of the school board were concerned by the notion that the township could move the election unilaterally, without the school board having a say.

Belluscio said the NJSBA is also against that provision, explaining, “Municipal governing bodies are separate entities from school boards. There are many municipal governments that have nonpartisan May elections—no school board can take a vote to change that. I'm not sure how it's fair to give a municipal body the authority to change a school board election either."

The NJEA did not share those same concerns however. Baker stated it’s still a local elected body doing what they believe is in the best interest of the public.

While township council may have the power to move the school election independently, Button said it’s not a right they’re likely to exercise.

“I have no reason at the moment to believe council would take unilateral action,” he said.

The mayor said he has been in contact with School Board President Don Mishler to discuss the issue.

The school board is slated to vote on the change at a special meeting next Tuesday, Jan. 24, at . The board will hold an executive session to discuss personnel matters at the start of the meeting (6 p.m.) and return to the public portion by 7:30 p.m.

The first district in the state to make the change was in Jackson Township, Ocean County. Belluscio said he’s received many phone calls from superintendents, business administrators and board members across the state interested in making the change—more than he expected, he said.