Voters Approve 23 of 25 School Budgets

Voters approved 23 of 25 budgets in New Jersey school districts that held elections on April 23. Two separate “second questions,” which asked for approval to continue or expand certain school programs, also passed.

Budget votes took place in 25 school districts, where voters also went to the polls to select school board candidates. In one additional district, Newark, voters selected school advisory board members, but did not vote on the budget because the district is state-controlled.

The April school elections were a far smaller event than in past years, because most New Jersey school districts shifted board member elections to November, under legislation enacted in 2012.

The budgets that were approved were:

Bergen County – Cliffside Park; Emerson; Fairview; Hackensack; Midland Park; Oakland; Palisades Park; and Ramsey.

Cumberland County – Bridgeton

Essex County – Irvington

Hudson County – Secaucus and Weehawken

Middlesex County – Edison and New Brunswick

Monmouth County – Neptune

Morris County – School District of the Chathams; Mountain Lakes; Pequannock; Riverdale; and Rockaway Borough

Passaic County – Passaic and Totowa

Warren County – Greenwich Township

Two budgets were defeated by voters, in Garfield, Bergen County; and North Bergen, Hudson County.

In addition, “second questions” were approved in the School District of the Chathams, in Morris County; and in Greenwich Township, Warren County.

• In the Chathams, voters approved an additional $460,000 to augment the District Technology Education Program.
• In Greenwich, Warren County, voters approved a proposal to raise an additional $1.1 million to maintain a number of staff positions, including ten classroom teachers; a music teacher; an art teacher; two guidance counselors; a media specialist and a reading specialist.