Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • February 1, 2012 Mahwah Trustees vote to move board elections to November by Frank J. McMahon The Mahwah Board of Education has passed a resolution to move the annual school board election to the day of the November general election. The opportunity for school boards to move their elections to November was contained in a newly enacted state law that also eliminates the requirement that school districts hold a public vote on their budget, as long as the associated increase to the tax levy is within the statutory cap imposed by the state, which is currently two percent. Under the state law, passage of the resolution commits the board to holding its election in November and keeping its budget tax levy increase at or below two percent for the next four years. Additional funds above the tax levy cap would have to be presented to the voters in a special vote in the general election. During the discussion at the board’s public meeting last week, the board was in favor of changing the date of the election with one exception. Board member Peter Wendrychowicz expressed the opinion that he did not favor “disenfranchising” the voters. “Taxpayers have the right to vote for the budget,” Wendrychowicz said. The other trustees and Edward Deptula, the school district’s business administrator, all voiced the opinion that the district has operated in a fiscally responsible manner ‘I am confident that the people who elected us feel comfortable with what we do with the budget,’ -- Mahwah School Board President Patricia Shada in the past. They said the benefits of not having to hold a vote on the school district’s budget each year outweighed the potential detriment of taking away the public’s right to vote on the budgets and the requirement that the tax levy be kept within the cap. School Board President Patricia Shada explained her vote for the resolution, saying, “We are elected individuals who are not compensated and we are charged with making sure the school district is well run. I am confident that the people who elected us feel comfortable with what we do with the budget.” Shada pointed out that last year’s budget was under the two percent cap. Deptula emphasized that holding a public vote on the budget constricts the district’s planning process until the budget is approved each year and, when the budget is not approved, it is often for economic reasons that are not related to the budget. But he pointed out that, when a budget is defeated, the school board may have to deal with a reduction in the budget that is determined by the township’s governing body. Trustee Charles Saldarini voted for the change, pointing out that holding a public vote on the budget is subject to the vagaries of the political attitudes and it is painful when a budget is defeated. “I’ll support (the changes),” he said. “We are good stewards and careful planners.” Board member John Dolan, chairman of the school board’s Finance Committee, also supported the change, saying the vote on the budget could be eliminated because the district is run well and has been fiscally responsible. In the resolution, the school board claims the statutory restrictions on the tax levy for annual school appropriations is appropriate and sufficient to control and maintain a thorough and efficient education for the children of Mahwah, and that dispensing with annual school budget votes will save taxpayers’ dollars. The resolution notes that the board believes that holding the election of trustees in November will attract a far greater number of voters than typically vote in the April elections, and states that the changes are best interest of the community. The move to a November election of trustees became effective immediately. This change will affect the school board members whose terms are expiring this year by extending their terms to the end of the year instead of April. Nominating petitions for that election will be due by the primary election in June. The public vote on the 2012-13 school budget, which was scheduled for April, will now be eliminated because the tax levy increase will be within the two percent cap.