SCHOOL VOTES: Budgets OKd in Princeton, Montgomery, WW-Plainsboro

By Kristine Snodgrass & Greg Forest, Staff Writers
   Voters rewarded the efforts of area school boards to stabilize local tax levies by supporting school budgets in Tuesday’s election.
   Voters also endorsed newcomers on the boards, and voted off one area incumbent.
   An $80.8 million 2009-2010 Princeton Regional Schools budget passed muster Tuesday in both Princeton Borough and Princeton Township, where residents endorsed two incumbents and a newcomer for seats on the regional school board.
   The 2009-2010 budget’s $57.9 million tax levy, which means a $28 tax increase for the average township homeowner and a $269 increase for the average borough homeowner, was the subject of the budget vote.
   In Princeton Township, the budget ballot question received 1,071 yes votes and 361 no votes.
   In the borough, the ballot question received 381 yes votes and 253 no votes, in early unofficial tallies.
   District officials said the outcome of the election was a function of the Board of Education’s work in producing an austere budget — it represented a 1.68 percent increase in the tax levy over last year’s taxes — and the quality of Princeton’s public schools.
   ”Our community spoke on behalf of the strength of the public schools,” said Superintendent Judy Wilson.
   The borough margin may have been closer than that of the township, but it was still better than last year’s margin of around 353 to 259, according to Ms. Wilson, who said the borough vote is traditionally tighter than the township’s.
   In the Princeton school board election, a single township seat on the board and two borough seats were up for grabs.
   Princeton Township resident and incumbent Mia Cahill received 1,131 votes while running unopposed for the township seat, while borough voters endorsed incumbent Rebecca Cox with 397 votes and newcomer Charles Kalmbach with 338 votes. Borough resident Dudley Sipprelle received 284 votes while running for one of two borough seats.
   Board member Joshua Leinsdorf opted not the run in this election. He has held his seat for more than nine years and will step down before the new school board takes over in July.
   Voters also gave their stamp of approval to the West-Windsor Plainsboro School District’s 2009-10 budget. Tallying both townships, the budget passed 1,639-1,125, according to district spokeswoman Gerri Hutner.
   Among West Windsor voters, the budget passed 1,053-801, while among Plainsboro voters it passed 586-324.
   The $156 million budget was adopted by the Board of Education last month, representing an increase of 1.6 percent over the current spending plan. The tax levy in the budget is $134.8 million.
   In West Windsor, the tax rate will increase by 5 cents per $100 of assessed value. This will bring the total tax rate to $1.304. For the average assessed home of $549,345, it will represent an increase of $274.67.
   In Plainsboro, the tax rate increase is larger at 9 cents per $100 of assessed value, bringing the total tax rate to $1.446. For the average assessed home of $395,000, this represents an increase of $355.50.
   In the school board election, incumbent John Farrell, of Millbrook Drive, ran unopposed for the only West Windsor seat on the ballot. He received 1,362 votes.
   Four candidates ran for the two Plainsboro seats on the ballot. One incumbent, Tony Fleres, of Mifflin Court, held his seat with 577 votes. Todd Hochman, of Daisy Court, won the other seat with 378 votes, narrowly defeating incumbent Anjani Gharpure, of Blossom Hill Drive, who received 368 votes. A fourth candidate, Shipra Mitra, of Mahogany Court, received 171 votes.
   Voters overwhelmingly approved the Montgomery Township School District’s 2009-10 budget.
   In Tuesday’s election, the budget passed 1,027-690, according to district business administrator Tom Venanzi.
   The Board of Education last adopted the $76.7 million budget, an increase of 1 percent over the current spending plan. It includes a total tax levy of $60.6 million, an increase of 2.8 percent.
   The tax rate will increase by 3.9 cents to $1.775 per $100 of assessed value. For the average assessed home of about $510,000, this will translate into an increase of $199.
   In the school board election, three candidates were running for three seats. Incumbents Christine Ross, of Skillman, and Adelle Kirt, of Belle Mead, received 1,179 and 1,126 votes, respectively. Humberto Goldoni, of Skillman, won his first term with 1,098 votes.
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