New Jersey breaking tradition with November school board elections

Laura Waters:

Many of us are preoccupied with behind-the-scenes election questions this week. Does the panicky Obama campaign really think that Big Bird is the President's best surrogate? Is the Sesame Street reference meant as a subliminal reminder of the Romney Campaign's gaffe comparing the candidate's platform to an Etch-a-Sketch? What's with the toy theme? Never mind. School boards in New Jersey are concerned with more substantive election questions, specifically how our new system of voting for school board members will fly during its inaugural avigation on November 6.

The Garden State has always had school board member and school board budgets on the third Tuesday in April, but on Jan 12, a new law gave communities the option of moving elections to November. This can be done in three ways: a school board resolution, municipal governing body vote, or by a petition signed by 15 percent of the voting public.
Different versions of this bill, introduced in 2008 by state Senator Shirley Turner, had died multiple deaths in committee. However, during the lame duck session last winter the bill passed with broad bipartisan support.

I hope many others, including Wisconsin, move to November elections.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at October 12, 2012 2:29 AM
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