West Windsor-Plainsboro voters support school budget

Richard Kaye and Randall Tucker elected in West Windsor board race.

By: Emily Craighead
   The mood was cautiously optimistic Tuesday night at the Community Middle School commons, where West Windsor-Plainsboro school administrators, Board of Education members and board hopefuls awaited election returns, chatting and munching on chocolate-chip cookies.
   There were smiles and congratulations when they received word just before 10 p.m. that the $136.24 million budget was approved by a vote of 1,654-958. The budget won approval in both municipalities, West Windsor by a vote of 1,234-632 and Plainsboro by 420-326.
   "This is a vote of confidence for the administration that they have done a good job," board President Hemant Marathe said.
   Voter turnout was 12.7 percent in West Windsor and 7.5 percent in Plainsboro.
   Elected to the two seats on the regional Board of Education from West Windsor were Richard Kaye and Randall Tucker, with 1,239 and 1,064 votes, respectively. Adam Shrager trailed in the balloting with 738 votes.
   In Plainsboro, incumbent Patricia Bocarsly was returned to the board without opposition.
   Before the election, Ms. Bocarsly, the board vice president, said she wasn’t sure what to make of Plainsboro residents’ relative silence on the subject of the budget.
   "I’m really proud of Plainsboro," Ms. Bocarsly said. "Two years of these kinds of increases and Plainsboro passes the budget. I think the ones that come out to vote value education and understand we’re delivering a quality product."
   The budget represents a 4.6-percent increase over the $130 million budget for the current academic year. The increase is driven largely by a rise in costs related to salaries, benefits and enrollment growth.
   Under the 2005-2006 budget, the tax rate in West Windsor Township will rise from $2.54 to $2.57 per $100 of assessed value. The owner of a home assessed at the township average of $239,000 will pay $6,142 in school taxes next year, about $72 more than last year.
   In Plainsboro Township, the new tax rate will be $1.42 per $100 of assessed value. The owner of a home assessed at the township average of $395,000 will pay $5,609 in school taxes next year.
   Direct comparisons to the current year’s tax rate and average school tax bill are difficult to make in Plainsboro. Properties in the township have undergone a complete reassessment, with the value of an average home more than doubling, from $190,000 to $395,000. At the same time, the tax rate for school purposes, currently $2.29 per $100 of assessed valuation, will drop by 87 cents to $1.42 per $100 of assessed value.
   Mr. Tucker’s cell phone rang seconds after Mr. Marathe told him he won a seat on the board — it was his wife calling to find out the results.
   "I’m looking forward to working with the administration and the board, and I’m very anxious to get started," said Mr. Tucker, a resident of Jill Drive in Princeton Junction. "And I’m pleased the budget passed."
   Mr. Kaye, of Coneflower Lane in the age-restricted Village Grande community, said he hopes he will able to fill his predecessors’ shoes on the board.
   "I’m pleased and nervous, but I’m very grateful the budget passed," Mr. Kaye said.
   Part of his goal, he said, will be to help all residents understand the value of their school district.
   "How do you help a town better understand what they have to be grateful for?" Mr. Kaye mused. "I don’t think West Windsor really appreciates what it has to be grateful for."
   Mr. Shrager said he is likely to run again for a seat on the board.
   "My commitment to public service and to our schools remains firm," he said. He added that West Windsor residents should keep in mind schools are one of the main reasons people move to West Windsor, and he complimented his opponents in the school board race.
   "West Windsor is lucky to have the two men they elected," he said.
   Mr. Tucker and Mr. Kaye will attend their first meeting as members of the board Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., following a 6:30 p.m. reception for outgoing board members Stephen Smith and Linda Geevers. The meeting will take place at Community Middle School.