NJSBA Urges Citizens to Vote on April 18

TRENTON, April 4, 2006—The president of the New Jersey School Boards Association today urged voters to take part in the 2006 Annual School Election on Tuesday, April 18.

“The Annual School Election provides voters with a strong voice in deciding the future of their local public schools,” said Patti J. Pawling, NJSBA president. “New Jersey is one of the few states that allows voters the opportunity to not only select school board members, but also to act on the operating budget for their public schools.

“But citizens can not be heard of they don’t exercise their right to vote,” she added.

Statewide, voters in more than 550 communities will select men and women to service in more than 1,600 school board positions. The board of education sets the policies under which the district operates, and it establishes the educational goals for the district.

Voters will also approve or reject proposed operating budgets in most of those school districts.

“2006 marks the fifth consecutive year that schools have seen little or no increases in state aid, which is an important component in paying for public education,” Pawling explained. “Throughout this period, schools have contended with rising expenses in areas such as utilities, fuel and health-insurance costs.”

“We hope citizens appreciate that the school budget proposals on the April 18 ballot are as much a product of financial decisions at the state level, as they are the result of local education goals.”