Voters to hit the polls on Tuesday and vote on the district’s spending plan.
By: Melissa Hayes
Voters will get their say Tuesday on next year’s school budget and which of six candidates will fill three open school board seats.
The candidates are incumbents Marty Abschutz, Barry Nathanson and Matthew Speesler, and challengers Ed Birch, Vishal Chheda and Attilio DeFalco.
They are vying for three, three-year seats on the board.
The South Brunswick Education Association will host a candidates forum at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the main meeting room of the Municipal Building.
Voters will decide the fate of a $119 million school spending plan that includes a $106.7 million tax levy. The budget calls for a 9 percent tax hike and carries a tax rate increase of 19 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. Under that rate, the owner of a house assessed at the township average of $188,600 would pay $4,375.52 in school taxes, up $358.34 from the current school year.
Community members will vote on 17.6 cents of the increase in two ballot questions; 1.4 cents of the increase comes from already approved debt. The first question will ask voters to approve a $81.2 million tax levy for general expenses, which will increase the tax rate by 16.8 cents. The second question will ask voters to approve $657,597 in taxes to pay for courtesy and late buses, which would increase the tax rate by 0.8 cents.
If the general fund question is not approved by voters, the second question cannot pass.
The polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The polling places are:
Districts 1, 4 and 29: Indian Fields School, 359 Ridge Road;
Districts 2, 19 and 20: Monmouth Junction Firehouse, 537 Ridge Road;
District 3: Kingston First Aid building, Route 27;
Districts 5, 6, 8, 9 and 16: South Brunswick Community Center, New Road;
Districts 7, 10 and 24: Constable School, Constable Road;
Districts 11 and 12: Brunswick Acres School, Kory Drive;
Districts 13, 15, 23 and 30: South Brunswick Senior Center, Route 522;
Districts 14, 17 and 28: Crossroads South Middle School, Major Road;
Districts 18, 21 and 22: Kendall Park First Aid/Fire Substation, Henderson Road;
Districts 25, 26 and 27: South Brunswick High School gymnasium, Ridge Road.

