Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • January 25, 2012 Midland Park Board sets discussion on change of election date To change or not to change the school election date. That is the question the Midland Park Board of Education explored last week and will decide upon at its next meeting. Following legislation signed by Governor Christie on Jan. 17, boards of education now have the option of changing the date of the school election to coincide with the general election in November. If the change were made, voter approval for school budgets that are within the state-mandated cap would no longer be required. This year’s cap is 2 percent. Board President Robert Schiffer brought the issue up for discussion during last week’s board meeting and said further discussion and a vote would be taken on Feb. 7. “Taxpayers have been supportive of responsible budgets. If we keep it at 2 percent, we’ll get supported,” Schiffer said. “But if we stay with the April vote, we have to work for it, sweat it out,” he added. “We’ve had overwhelming budget approvals,” said trustee and former board President Ray Moraski. The school budget was approved in eight of the past 10 years, and a $12 million referendum was also approved in 2003. The school budget was defeated only in 2004 and 2006, when taxes would have increased more than $300 on the average home. “It’s best for our kids to be locked at the cap and not have to worry about the budget being voted down,” said trustee James Canellas, taking an opposite view. Schiffer pointed out that a change to November would also signify that each board candidate would have to attract a much larger number of voters to get elected, “from the 400 or so we sometimes need now to more than 1,000 in a general election,” he said. Historically in Midland Park, from 15-24 percent of registered voters turn out at school elections. General elections attract between 40 and 75 per- cent of the borough’s 4,740 registered voters. The borough council could weigh in on the issue if it so desires depending on the board’s decision, but Mayor Bud O’Hagan said he feels it should be a board decision. He commented, however, that board members have a better opportunity to state their case in April, when no one else is on the ballot, than in November, when voters have so many other candidates to consider. “I would be concerned that the public would be confused as to who is running for local government and who is running for the school board. There would be large amounts of literature going around as various candidates espouse their (continued on page 8) Three seats are up for election this year on the Midland Park Board of Education. Interested candidates have until 4 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 27 to file a nominating petition. The annual election is set for Tuesday, April 17 barring any formal changes. Current board President Robert Schiffer and current Vice President William Sullivan said last week that they will seek re-election to three-year terms. Trustee Timothy Thomas, who was appointed to the board in June to fill an unexpired term, said he had not yet decided if he will run for a full term. Schiffer said he is seeking another term after 24 years on the board because he wants to “finish things on the plate at this time.” He explained that when state aid was reduced by $1,150,000 for the 2010-11 school year, many programs had been cut which he would like to see restored. “We have made great strides in returning items to the curriculum, but I’d like to get back to all of them and not be a burden on the taxpayers,” he said, singling out middle- School board vacancies announced school sports as one of those programs. “It seems like only yesterday, but it was six years ago when I first decided to run for the school board,” said Sullivan when asked why he was seeking re-election to a third term. “The district has seen a tremendous amount of change in those six years with almost a complete overhaul of the administration along with a plethora of new laws and mandates handed down from the State of New Jersey. I feel I have the experience and knowledge of the district to help the board make important decisions moving forward in this time of change,” he added. Prospective school board candidates can obtain a “School Board Candidate Kit” online at www.njsba.org. Published by the New Jersey School Boards Association, the kit includes a nominating petition, information about legal qualification for school board candidacy, and the role of the school board member. Information about the New Jersey School Ethics Act and important dates in the school election process are also included in the kit.