Voters approve Washington School District’s $29.4 million budget that includes a 14-cent tax rate increase.
By: Marisa Maldonado
WASHINGTON The fourth time was the charm for the school district as voters approved the school budget for the first time in four years, and by a resounding margin.
After several years of heated debates over the direction of district spending, the $29.4 million budget for 2005-2006 passed by a vote of 1,109-735. The budget calls for a 14-cent tax rate increase, which sets the school tax rate at $2.58 per $100 of assessed property value.
Residents with a home assessed at the township average of $175,000 will pay $4,515 in school taxes, $245 more than the current year.
"I would like to say we did produce a budget that was fair and reasonable," board member Mark Setaro said. "I know no increase is good, but it was the lowest increase that we experienced in six years."
The 1,832 voters also voted in four school board members, all whom ran uncontested on a slate. Incumbents Michele Siekerka, Nagesh Kuppuraju and Mr. Setaro will serve three-year terms, while newcomer Maxine Fox was elected to a one-year unexpired term.
Board member Carol Boyne, who is head of the board’s community relations committee, is stepping down after one term. The board will hold its reorganization meeting Tuesday in the Pond Road Middle School cafeteria.
Mr. Kuppuraju, a Wycklow Court resident, said the best part of Tuesday night was voters’ approval of the budget. He said a lack of competition in the election meant he and his fellow candidates could focus on the budget’s merits while campaigning.
"This year we were very proactive in trimming the budget as much as we could before being released to the public," he said.
Last year the Township Committee cut $500,000 from the budget after voters rejected the proposal.
Some costs, such as those related to the impending opening of Robbinsville High School, could not be avoided, Mr. Kuppuraju said. The opening of the high school in September will take up a lot of the board’s time, Mr. Setaro said. He called the building a "community center for the town."
A resident of Westbury Court, Mr. Setaro received 1,248 votes. He said he looks forward to working with the new superintendent, John Zabo, who begins work in the district July 1.
"That’s one of the reasons I decided to run for re-election," said Mr. Setaro, who will serve his second term. "I wanted to make sure things were up and running properly before passing the torch along."
All four candidates also have pledged to work with New Jersey legislators in restoring the township’s core curriculum aid. Ms. Siekerka, who received 1,247 votes and will begin her third board term, said the restoration of aid would be a priority of hers.
"I will continue to work with our legislators, as I’ve been doing over the past few years," she said. "And (I will follow up) on contacts we’ve made with the state treasurer and other government officials."
Ms. Fox, the only newcomer to the board, said she is excited about "learning the ropes" of the board and getting the community more involved in district affairs.
"This election marked the beginning of that," she said, referring to voter approval of the budget.

