Morris District board votes tonight, Feb. 13, on moving school elections to November
Posted by Kevin Coughlin on February 13, 2012 · Leave a Comment
The Morris School District board is scheduled to vote tonight, Feb. 13, on whether to move its annual election from April to the general election in November.
Morris District Superintendent Thomas Ficarra explains new law that allows moving school elections to November, during special school board meeting in Morristown last week. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Under a law signed last month by Gov. Chris Christie, school budgets no longer would be subject to voter approval if school board elections are moved to November– and if the budgets are within the state-imposed 2 percent cap.
Moving school elections to the fall is expected to increase voter turnout while reducing the costs of holding the elections. School board candidates would file their petitions to run in June under this scenario.
Some 277 districts across the state already have opted to make the switch, according to the New Jersey School Boards Association.
Monday’s meeting starts at 7:30 pm in the auditorium of the Lafayette Learning Center, at 31 Hazel St. in Morristown. The regional district serves children from Morristown, Morris Township and Morris Plains.
READ MORE:
Morris District residents air views on proposed election switch
NJ Spotlight: The implications of moving school elections
Fact sheet from the state Department of Education
FAQ from the state School Boards Association
