Apr 21, 2010

Tax-weary N.J. voters reject record 59% of school budgets

04:48 PM
By Mel Evans, AP

New Jersey voters rejected a record 59% of school budgets yesterday, heeding Gov. Chris Christie's call to vote down property-tax hikes and spending plans that did not include a wage freeze for teachers. Though turnout also set a record, overall only about one-fifth of registered voters went to the polls statewide.

Districts on the losing end must now work with municipal officials to craft a funding solution by May 19. Layoffs and other cuts are likely.

The state has the highest property tax rates in the nation. Last year, voters approved 73% of school budgets, which included new levies.

Voters rejected 314 of 537 budgets. Here are the official results from the New Jersey School Boards Association.

Christie, a freshman Republican, called yesterday's vote "a seismic change that reflects, I believe, a changed attitude in New Jersey."

"They've had enough. They want real, fundamental change," Christie said at a press conference this afternoon.

Christie wants to slash $820 million in aid to school districts to help close an $11 billion state deficit. He urged voters to reject budgets that did not require that teachers take a one-year wage freeze and help pay for health insurance. He said that in districts that included those proposals, 80% of budgets passed.

Citing a legislative analysis, the state's biggest teachers union said such conditions would not prevent layoffs or property-tax increases.

"Clearly, the voters sent a message yesterday to the governor and the Legislature," said Barbara Keshishian, president of the New Jersey Education Association. "They need to go back to the drawing board and come up with a new budget plan, because this one is killing public education and driving property taxes even higher, neither of which is on the public's wish list.

"The governor should start by reinstituting the 'millionaire's tax,' which would restore $800 million in revenues."

The last time New Jersey voters rejected a majority of school budgets was in 1976, when 56% were turned down.

Over the past three decades, according to the school boards group, the highest statewide turnout for any school budget election was 18.6%. Last year it was 13.4%. This year, several counties reported record voter turnout — between 20% and 25%.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities ... -budgets/1