For kids’ sake, uphold the vote

REALITY CHECK, April 29

By: Dawn Cariello
   On April 19, there was an election that can only be considered miraculous. I speak not of the elevation of Cardinal Ratzinger to pope, which also transpired on that day, but of the school budget election in Montgomery Township. One could argue that the Orchard Hill School was just as crowded as St. Peter’s Square as voters stood in long lines to cast their ballots. And despite years of supporting school budgets, when the smoke cleared, the budget was defeated.
   The prayers of many citizens were answered by this outcome, but they would do well to keep their rosary beads handy because New Jersey school budget elections are much like Florida in 2000. That is, your vote doesn’t necessarily count.
   The next stop for the budget is the Township Committee, where one would assume the decision of the majority would be upheld. However, even if the committee does cut the budget, the vote can be overruled by the state Department of Education — thus rendering the election an exercise in sound and fury, signifying nothing.
   There are many reasons this would be unfair. Perhaps the most compelling is the same argument supporters of the school budget piously use in response to every challenge to the township’s escalating education expenses. The oft-repeated phrase "it’s for the children" is used to induce guilt in those who dare question the high cost of education in the township, and implies that those who think spending should be reined in don’t have the best interests of the children at heart.
   Yet it is for the children that the budget must be reduced. What kind of lesson are we teaching about citizenship and the importance of participation in the democratic process if we don’t honor the results of the vote? And for those who take it on faith that the future of the children is being sacrificed by the election results, there are others who devoutly believe that defying the will of the voters will be just as detrimental to our youth.
   Imagine the consequences to Montgomery Township schools if the budget vote is overturned: The results of student government elections will be meaningless as losing candidates will not accept their defeats and attempt to use outside forces (i.e. parents, lawyers, the U.S. Supreme Court) to negate the outcome. And pity the history teachers who will lack street cred when teaching students about the Constitution. How will they keep up the charade that every vote counts in a democracy if current events prove otherwise?
   These are just a few of the adverse repercussions of muting the voice of the people, which is why the sanctity of the Montgomery Township school budget vote must be respected. Not for us taxpayers, but for the sake of the children. Because allowing students to bear witness to democracy in action would be a true blessing.
Dawn Cariello’s column, "Reality Check," appears monthly in The Packet.