Voting helps maintain full local control of schools

GUEST OPINION

By Kim Newport
   The laws of the State of New Jersey place public schools substantially under local control. That means that residents in each school district in the state have extraordinary input into how their local public schools are run and the money that school districts are allowed to spend. Local school boards are required by state law to submit their budgets to the state for approval each year and then to present them to the public for discussion and debate, followed by an official election to approve or disapprove the proposed school district budget.
   If the budget is voted down by the public, local governing bodies are given the responsibility of determining the fate of the school budget. The local governing bodies for this school district are Hopewell Township, Hopewell Borough and Pennington Borough. This budget process is unique to the school district, and is not required for any other local governing body, underscoring the important role that citizens play in running their local school districts.
   In addition, the Hopewell Valley Regional School District is almost completely dependent on the taxpayers of this community to fund our schools. We receive very little money from the state and even less from the federal government. At the same time, state and federal government requires local districts to conform to unfunded mandates and restrictions on how finances can be managed.
   As the board and administration plan the budget for each year, we are acutely aware of the property tax burden carried by taxpayers in Hopewell Valley. We keep this in mind with every financial decision we make. Every member of the school board lives in the school district’s boundaries and pays taxes just as you do. We are fully cognizant of the severe impact of rising property taxes.
   Fiscal responsibility to you, the taxpayer, is a primary concern of the school board. At the same time, the board is responsible for providing the school children of our district with the best possible educational experience, including safe and well-maintained facilities, hiring and retaining excellent staff, and excellence in both academic and extracurricular programs.
   Our budget goals are to provide excellence in school programs, keep class size to acceptable limits, address maintenance, safety and security needs, and meet state and federal legally mandated requirements and to do all of this in the most fiscally responsible manner. We believe we have done so with the 2006-2007 budget. Currently, our total base budget proposed for the 2006-2007 school year is $68.7 million, a 6.58 percent increase over this year.
   Local control of schools is indeed a significant responsibility placed on residents of this district. It is imperative that district residents understand the proposed budget and to become aware of what it offers to the children of this community. The most important thing each resident can do to maintain local control of schools is to vote. Traditionally, voter turnout for school budget elections is low. This means that only a small number of citizens are actually determining how schools are funded and ultimately how well they will function. We urge you to become familiar with the proposed budget and to go to the polls on April 18 and vote. By not voting, you are allowing other citizens to determine the future of the schools in your district in ways that may not reflect your interests or views. In order to make your input count, and to maintain full local control of your schools, I urge you to vote on April 18.