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P.O. Box 909 ● Trenton, NJ 08605-0909 ● Phone: 609.695.7600 ● Fax: 609.695.0413 ● Web: www.njsba.org/PI |
NEWS RELEASE CONTACT: Frank Belluscio (fbelluscio@njsba.org) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NJSBA: 60 Percent Voting Requirement is No Solution at All Trenton, November 9, 2007 - The legislation that created the 4-percent cap on local districts' tax levies, which was enacted last spring, also placed a supermajority requirement on the approval of second ballot questions, starting in 2008. Therefore, in April 2008, second questions will have to receive affirmative votes by 60 percent of the voters who participate in the school election. Second ballot questions are proposals for specific items or services that, in most cases, involve expenditures above cap. In addition to imposing a supermajority approval requirement on second questions, the new law also eliminates the authority of municipal governing bodies to review defeated second questions and allow the levying of taxes for all or part of the proposals. Supermajority Impact The new supermajority requirement could have a significant impact on school districts in the 2008-2009 budget cycle. Statistics compiled by New Jersey School Boards Association show that, in the April 2007 school budget elections, 87 second ballot questions were proposed by 65 school districts. Voters approved 46 percent of these questions. However, if the 60-percent requirement had been in place, the percentage of approved second questions would have decreased to 25 percent, according to an analysis by the state school business officials association. New Jersey School Boards Association data indicate that over 30 percent of the second questions on last spring's ballot addressed maintaining existing staff or programs. When broken down according to the type of program or service, nearly two-thirds of the second questions were found to address the hiring or continued employment of certificated staff. Over 42 percent involved curricular programs or equipment, including computers, textbooks and full-day kindergarten. Close to a fourth addressed safety improvements or security personnel. (The percentages add up to more than 100 because many second questions incorporate several types of expenditures.) Tax Cap Impact The 4-percent levy cap went into effect for 2007-2008, but its impact was muted somewhat by the additional $300 million allocated by the state to school districts for this year. Without another increase in state funding for 2008-2009, however, more school districts might need to propose second ballot questions in April 2008, according to NJSBA. Given the historically low voter turnout in school elections, the 60-percent supermajority could result in situations where a small number of votes would have a dramatic impact on local public education programs. What's Being Done NJSBA is mounting a campaign with other educational groups to inform legislators that the supermajority requirement can pose real harm to New Jersey's public education system. NJSBA has posted online a sample resolution, which has already been adopted by many boards. The resolution asks the governor and the Legislature to take immediate action to rescind the supermajority requirement in favor of the simple majority that is now required for all other referendums. NJSBA strongly encourages boards to adopt the resolution so school officials can communicate their mutual concerns to lawmakers.
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