Visit www.lawrenceledger.com Tuesday night for the results.
By: Lea Kahn
Township voters will go to the polls Tuesday to choose three school board members and vote on a tax levy to support the school district’s proposed $63.7 million operating budget for 2007-08.
The six polling places will be open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Four candidates including three incumbents are seeking three seats on the Lawrence Township Board of Education. The terms are for three years.
School board members Leon Kaplan, Bill Michaelson and Laura Waters are seeking re-election to their second terms. Newcomer John Gregg is seeking one of the open seats.
Mr. Gregg, 44, is executive director of commercial operations for AkaRx, a cancer medicine development company. He is divorced and lives on Rosedale Road. He has two children enrolled in Lawrence schools a daughter who attends Lawrence Intermediate School and a son who attends the Lawrenceville Elementary School.
Dr. Kaplan, 64, is the chief executive officer of Princeton Research and Consulting Center, a survey and research firm in West Windsor Township. He lives on Van Kirk Road, is married and has three children, two of whom are graduates of Lawrence High School. His youngest child is presently enrolled at LHS.
Mr. Michaelson, 49, is a self-employed software developer. He lives on Huron Way, is married and has one son who attends the Slackwood Elementary School.
Dr. Waters, 47, is a stay-at-home mother. She is married and lives on Ivy Glen Lane. She has four children, two of whom are enrolled in college.
Voters also will be asked to approve the $59 million tax levy to support the school district’s $63.7 million operating budget for 2007-08. State aid of $4.6 million makes up the rest of the revenue.
If township voters approve the proposed tax levy, the school district property tax would increase 8 cents from $2.05 per $100 of assessed value to $2.13. The owner of a house assessed at the township average of $164,117 would pay $3,495 in school taxes, or $131 more than the current tax bill of $3,364.
Two cents of the 8-cent property tax increase is the result of the December bond referendum, where voters approved a $9.8 million bond to pay for new roofs and windows, and to replace asbestos floor tiles in the schools.
Until Washington Township ended its sending-receiving relationship with Lawrence Township for its high school students, Lawrence property owners picked up an average of 84 percent of the cost of the budget. The rest of the revenue came from Washington Township tuition for its students, plus state aid.
But starting with the 2007-08 budget, Lawrence property owners will fund 93 percent of the budget because Washington Township won’t be sending its high school students to LHS. Washington Township recently opened its own high school. The remaining 7 percent will come from state aid.
Voters in general election districts 1, 4, 7, 15 and 20 will vote in Polling District 1 at the Lawrenceville Fire House at 64 Phillips Ave.
Voters in general election districts 2,5, 9 and 10 will vote in Polling District 2 at the Slackwood Elementary School at 2060 Princeton Pike.
Voters in general election districts 3 and 6 will vote at Polling District 3 at the Eldridge Park Elementary School at 55 Lawn Park Ave.
Voters in general election districts 8, 12 and 16 will vote in Polling District 4 at Lawrence High School at 2525 Princeton Pike.
Voters in general election districts 11 and 14 will vote in Polling District 5 at the Ben Franklin Elementary School at 2939 Princeton Pike.
Voters in general election districts 13, 17, 18, 19 and 21 will vote in Polling District 6 at the Lawrenceville Elementary School at 40 Craven Lane.

