Princeton school budget approved by vote of 830 to 631.
By: David Campbell
Caroline Mitchell, though she was defeated in Tuesday’s school election for the one contested Princeton Township seat on the Princeton Regional Board of Education by fellow newcomer Mia Cahill, said she is not discouraged from public service.
"I had a lot of support out there," said Ms. Mitchell, a Tupelo Row resident who has been active for many years in the district, including as a member of the Minority Education Committee and president and co-founder of the Princeton High School Alumni Association. She graduated from PHS in 1972 and has a son who graduated in 2004.
"I’m so involved in the district and the community, so it doesn’t feel like a loss," Ms. Mitchell, a retail manager for The Papery of Princeton on Palmer Square, said Tuesday night. "I had a good experience."
She garnered 341 township votes in the school election, while Ms. Cahill, an attorney and mediator who lives on Ridgeview Road, was elected to a three-year term on the school board with 670 votes.
"I appreciate the support of the Princeton Township voters and wish to thank my family and all of my supporters who have given so much of their time to my campaign," said Ms. Cahill, who is on the board of the Princeton Education Foundation. She has three young children, two in the Community Park School.
"I wish to thank my opponent and express the hope that she remains involved in education issues in the future," she continued. "I am looking forward to working with the board members and members of the community to address the very important issues our school district will face in the next three years."
Borough incumbent Joshua Leinsdorf, an election analyst and Forester Drive resident, ran unopposed for a third term on the board, and was elected with 244 votes. He was unavailable for comment following Tuesday’s election.
Madison Street resident Rebecca Cox, a former financial journalist and current co-president of the Community Park School PTO with two boys at the school, ran unopposed for the other of two available seats in Princeton Borough. She was elected with 274 votes.
"I’m very glad to be on the board and I look forward to helping the board manage the district’s finances while maintaining educational excellence in the schools," she said.
On Tuesday, Princeton voters also approved the district’s $72.44 million 2006-2007 school budget, by a total vote of 830-631. In the borough, 190 voted in favor and 168 were opposed. In the township, 640 voted in favor of the budget while 463 cast opposing votes.
The school budget carries a 4-cent property-tax increase in the borough and an 8-cent increase in the township. This raises the school tax rate to about $1.73 per $100 of assessed value in the borough, and to about $1.62 per $100 of assessed value in the township.
Under the budget, the owner of a house assessed at the borough average of $348,419 will pay about $6,028 in school taxes, an increase of $105 over the current year’s $5,923. The owner of a house assessed at the township average of $421,941 will pay about $6,835, a $295 increase over the current year’s $6,540 in school taxes.
The budget is at the state-mandated cap and required no second question ballot approval by residents. School budgets are subject to S-1701, the state law that limits budget growth to the Consumer Price Index. For the 2006-2007 school year, the CPI cap has been set at 4.04 percent.
The 2006-2007 budget represents a total increase of about 2.7 percent over the revised $70.56 million 2005-2006 budget. To bring it in at cap, the administration made cuts totaling about $2.3 million, including the elimination of 10 full-time positions.
Superintendent Judith A. Wilson said she was pleased voters approved the spending plan.
"It was a budget that, of course, demanded many cuts before it even got to the voters," she said. "And so I think the community has supported a very sound, a very thoroughly prepared budget that will still deliver excellent programs and opportunities to our children. But we certainly approached it with new strategies and made concessions."
Ms. Wilson commended the school board and its newly elected members, whom she described as "individuals who are dedicated to the greater good, and not single-issue agendas." She also commended Ms. Mitchell for running.
"I think it takes personal and political courage to run for any position of leadership and put yourself out in the forefront of being a public servant," the superintendent said. "I admire anyone who would put themselves in that position. It takes sacrifice and courage."
Seats on the school board in Princeton carry three-year terms. The board has nine elected Princeton members and one appointee from Cranbury, a sending district to Princeton High School.

