LAWRENCE: School board members have terms extended

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
   The four members of the Lawrence Township Board of Education whose terms would have expired in April will continue to serve until January 2013, after the school board’s decision to move the annual school board election to the November general election.
   And if school board president Laura Waters and board members Leon Kaplan, Michael Horan and Murali Aiyar want to run for re-election, they must file a nominating petition by June 4 — the date of the Democratic and Republican primary elections.
   But school board candidates will continue to run on a non-partisan basis — not as Democrats or Republicans — even though they will be listed on the same ballot as political party candidates for municipal, county, state and federal elected offices.
   School board candidates will be placed in a separate section on the ballot, away from the Democrat and Republican partisan political contests.
   Those are among the changes resulting from the school board’s vote earlier this month to move the annual school board election from April to the November general election. The move is permitted under legislation signed into law in January by Gov. Chris Christie.
   The school board’s action also cancels a public vote on the school district’s budget, unless the proposed tax levy increases by more than 2 percent. There will not be a school board election or budget vote in April — but school board members said they “remain committed” to public participation in the budgeting process. A public hearing on the proposed budget is required.
   Although voters will not act on the school district budget unless the tax levy exceeds the 2-percent cap, state law allows school districts to put a “cap over-ride referendum” — meaning the proposed tax levy will exceed 2 percent — on the November ballot. A school district also may ask voters to approve a capital spending proposal on the same ballot.
   The Board of Education considered moving the annual school board election from April to November earlier this year — immediately after Gov. Christie signed the legislation — but voted 5-4 to keep the April date.
   But at the school board’s Nov. 14 meeting, the members voted 7-1 to abandon the April election in favor of the November election. The action, however, is not permanent. State law requires the board to keep the election in November for four years before it may revert to an April election.
   At the Nov. 14 school board meeting, board vice president Kevin Van Hise outlined some of the reasons for moving the election — eliminating the distractions for school district administrators and teachers in the wake of a defeated school budget, plus increasing voter turnout.
   Administrators spend time preparing backup budget plans in case it is defeated by the voters, when they should be focusing on education issues, Mr. Van Hise said. Teachers also are distracted, because they are concerned about their jobs if budget cuts must be made.
   Moving the school board election to November and eliminating the budget vote means school district personnel can focus on their duties, and parents won’t have to worry about the impact of potential budget cuts on the classroom if the tax levy is defeated, he said.