When the WW-P Board of Education meets again on Tuesday, January 15, members will vote whether to move the school election date from April to November, at the same time as the general election.
In 2012, 468 school districts in New Jersey made the move, while 73 opted to keep the April date. Among those 73 districts, WW-P and Princeton are the only ones in Mercer County.
In December, 2012, the Princeton school board voted again, by a 6 to 1 margin, to make the change, one that reversed a decision made earlier this year to keep elections in April. WW-P will be the last district to decide the school election date.
Cost savings and larger voters turnout are the main reasons for moving school election to November. For the exact savings, I checked several sources, including The Times of Trenton, Princeton Packet, Town Topics, and WW-P News. It is said that Princeton would save about $40,000, while WW-P would spend $35,000 less.
It is also obvious that general elections in November bring more voters than school elections in April. This is particularly true in presidential election years. In Plainsboro, only 998 voters turned out for the school election on April 17, 2012. With 11,102 registered voters, the turnout rate was 9 percent. On the other hand, the general election on November 6 saw 6,561 voters, with 12,074 registered voters, for a turnout rate of 54.34 percent. For the 2013 general election we can again expect higher turnout as Governor Christie is running for re-election.
However, some new problems will be introduced if the school election is moved to November.
1. Voters may not be able to voice their concerns about the school budget. A November election would not require voting on the school budget if the tax levy increase is capped at 2 percent. There will be few public discussions on the school budget. Consequently, residents will not be kept updated on the school budget issue and spending.
2. School election not in-line with the school calendar, which starts in September. An April election can decide the next school year’s budget. Now if the district tax levy increase is more than 2 percent and the election is in November, what will the district do all summer with an undecided budget? Should the district pre-allocate funds and plan for new programs? What if the budget proposal gets defeated?
3. School issues will be overshadowed by state-level elections. In 2013, Governor Christie will run for re-election; state senators and assemblymen are all up for (re)election as well. The greater Princeton area is divided into three legislative districts, District 14, 15, and 16. Even the WW-P region is divided into two legislative districts, with Plainsboro in D-14 and West Windsor in D-15. The state and local media in 2013 will have more coverage of candidates for the governor and state legislators. With school board candidates’ names on the same ballot, it’s likely that a voter may not recognize the BOE candidates at all and might make random choices. I faced a similar situation in the 2012 general election. I went to vote for president and U.S. Senate, but the ballot also asked me to vote for Middlesex County-level officials. I did not recognize any of those names. So I picked one randomly. For the same reason, a November election in 2013 can be unpredictable for a BOE candidate and the school budget. The school district and BOE candidates will probably need to make an extra effort to be heard by the voters.
4. WW-P school board voting on the school election date is in the backdrop of the tragedy in Connecticut. School safety is an ever more important issue. Residents might be more willing to discuss the school budget in light of this tragedy. We should give residents some time to discuss this topic.
Voting on an election date will be the BOE’s first decision of 2013. I hope members consider all these factors before deciding.
Taylor Yu Zhong
Plainsboro
Note: the writer is a candidate for WW-P BOE member, representing Plainsboro Township.
