HOWELL — There will not be a special election held in the Howell School District on March 10.
Members of the Board of Education voted 9-0 on Feb. 18 to cancel a special election that had been tentatively scheduled for that date.
The vote could have given the board an indication of where residents stand on the possibility of closing one or more public schools as a cost-cutting measure. The board has been discussing that option in recent months.
According to district administrators, the unanimous vote to cancel the special election was cast after the board members determined that the final decision to close a school (or schools) is solely their responsibility.
The board was asked by some residents to consider putting the question of closing one or more public schools in Howell on the ballot to gauge community input on the issue. Because of enrollment and budget issues, administrators have been contemplating closing one or more of Howell’s 13 public schools.
The issue of holding a March 10 referendum emerged from pending state legislation that proposes eliminating the public vote on a school budget that is under state spending limits and moving the April school board member elections to the November general election. The proposal would move a public vote on second ballot questions to exceed school spending limits to the November general election.
A spokeswoman in the office of state Sen. Jennifer Beck (R-Monmouth and Mercer) said last week that the 2009 school election will be held as scheduled on April 21. Residents will vote to elect school board members and on their local school budget at that time.
According to Beck’s spokeswoman, the effective date of the legislation to move the school election — if it passes the Legislature and is signed into law by the governor — is Jan. 1, 2010.
Administrators said that with no information from the state regarding aid figures, the status of a waiver to exceed the spending limits, or the potential impact of the federal stimulus package, final numbers on what kind of spending package the Howell School District plans to present to the public will be hard to pinpoint.
The board is continuing to develop a budget for the 2009-10 school year. The budget will be introduced in March and a public hearing on that spending plan will be conducted. Residents will vote on the tax levy for the 2009-10 school year in the April 21 school election.
Howell TRUTH, a community group that is seeking alternatives to closing a school and seeking cuts that least impact students, supported the board’s decision to not to proceed with the March 10 vote.
According to Amy Fankhauser, a member of the group, “An additional tax levy was never sought by Howell TRUTH or the community. Spending $25,000 to $30,000 to hold a referendum was not something we supported.”
Howell TRUTH member Nicole Boyce said, “It has always been a Howell TRUTH goal that the board cuts, cuts, cuts, and then closes (a school) if necessary.”
The board will meet at 8 p.m. March 4 at Howell Middle School North, Squankum- Yellowbrook Road.
Contact Toynett Hall
at [email protected].

