November BOE Elections: Township on Board

As an official show of being on board with the wish to move school elections to November, the has passed its own resolution sanctioning the switch.

The board’s own resolution was passed earlier in the month. The state deadline for passing the resolutions — to give county clerks enough time to nix April election arrangements and prepare for the combined November election — is Feb 17.

Touted by Superintendent William George as saving roughly $40,000 in separate April election costs, township officials agreed that the move is a wise one.

The board election will likely only bring schools voters to the polls for the purpose of electing new members.

The state law allowing for the November rather than April schools election staves off putting the usual schools budget vote on the ballot provided that schools stay within a 2 percent spending plan cap.

George has said that he is confident Middletown schools’ budget will fall well within the state limits.

He added that the district has been rated as having rare and stellar fiscal accountability record.

If schools exceed the cap, the budget must be voted on via a ballot question.

School and township officials have also expressed hope that moving the schools elections to November, with municipal, state and national, will increase voter turnout. Schools elections have characteristically always brought far less people to the polls.