HILLSBOROUGH: April school election will stay in 2012

Board of Education votes, 8-1, to forego change to November ballot

By Gene Robbins, Managing Editor
   Hillsborough will stick with an April election for board members and the local property tax levy to fund the K-12 district.
   The Hillsborough Board of Education voted, 8-1, Monday night to stick with the April 17 vote, passing up a chance to move the election to November for the next four years.
   Hillsborough-Millstone and Montgomery-Rocky Hill are the only school districts in Somerset County to forego taking advantage of a new state law that would allow the shift of the election to a time that would attract a higher percentage of turnout.
   If it had decided to move to an autumn vote, the board could have avoided a “yes” or “no” vote on the local property tax levy to fund school operations as long as the budget stayed under the 2 percent maximum tax increase.
   Christopher Pulsifer was the only member who wanted to switch to a fall vote, where the school questions would appear with local, county, state and federal candidates.
   Candidates for the three seats on the school board have until Monday, Feb. 27, to file nominating petitions, which can be picked up in the school board offices. The three-year terms held by Board President Steve Paget, Vice President Marc Rosenberg and Dana Boguszewski expire.
   Wednesday, the Somerset County clerk’s office said 17 of 19 school districts in the county had voted to switch to the fall ballot.
   Hillsborough likely will have to pay more of the costs of the county clerk and Board of Elections, said Roseann Brown in the clerk’s office. The clerk must publish a legal ad for mailed absentee and military ballots and sends a sample ballot to registered voters. Since the sample is bulk mailed, the cost per piece rises with the smaller number.
   She said if four districts remained, the office figured costs might rise 50 percent. The Hillsborough board estimated it cost about $18,000 to run the election.
   The majority of Hillsborough board members said school issues would get crowded out on a fall ballot, particularly this year when there will local, county and federal offices, including Congress, U.S. senator and president.
   ”With candidates at every level, it might not be the best year to start,” said member Judith Haas.
   She verbally shuddered at the thought of the “visual clutter” of election signs around town.
   Members also saw some wisdom in letting other districts work out any unforeseen kinks in the process.
   ”I don’t understand why we can’t sit back for a year,” board member Jennifer Haley said.
   Ms. Haas said she feared the state reducing the 2 percent maximum allowable property tax increase.
   Thomas Kinst said a vote on the budget tax levy keeps the district more accountable.
   Daymon Blevins, a teacher and officer in the Hillsborough Education Association, urged the board to move to the fall election. The board has been fiscally responsible in drafting past budgets, he said, and avoiding an expense was a wise move, he said. If people were dissatisfied with a budget, they could show that by voting for representatives to the board, he said.
   Mr. Pulsifer said “it was about time” the state allowed the board to skip a vote on a budget levy under the cap. He said the budget should be like the local, county and state governments where the only influence people have on their taxes is through their elected representatives.
   ”I don’t see what about our budget makes it different from the other scenarios,” he said.
   Marc Rosenberg added, “The township should thank its lucky stars we don’t have the opportunity to vote on that budget.”
   Board President Steve Paget said he wished the public would look at comparative numbers, like the district’s administrative-to-student costs and the cost per pupil, to see the board was doing “an extremely good job” year to year.