School Board Election Information

Cranbury Township Board of Education Adopts Resolution Moving School Elections to November

On October 15, 2013 the Cranbury Township Board of Education approved a resolution that moves the school elections from April to the General Election in November. On Jan. 17, Gov. Chris Christie signed into law Senate Bill 3148, which gives communities the option of moving the school elections from their current date, the third Tuesday in April, to the November general election. The move places school board candidates on the November ballot, but it eliminates the annual vote on proposed school budgets that are at or below the state’s 2-percent tax levy cap.

The change to November school elections may be made by the Board of Education, the municipal governing body, or through voter referendum. “The Cranbury School Board of Education believes that more citizens will participate in the selection of its members at the General Election than on the third Tuesday in April and that the higher level of participation will foster positive interest in our public schools,” said the resolution approved by the board.

“The Cranbury Township Board of Education believes that the financial interest of our constituents is safeguarded on multiple levels,” said Lynne Schwarz, past president of the Cranbury Township Board of Education. “Proposed school budgets will still undergo a thorough review by the state Department of Education to ensure efficiency, and they are controlled by the same 2-percent tax levy cap as are municipal and county budgets, which are not presented to voters. Any spending above the 2-percent cap must be presented to voters.”

School board races will remain non-partisan, and candidates’ names will appear on a separate section of the November ballot. With November school board member elections, candidates will be required to submit a nominating petition (the document that places their name on the ballot) to the County Clerk, not the local school board office. More information about candidacy for the November election will be posted on the New Jersey School Boards Association website, www.njsba.org/candidacy, and on the links below.

The New Jersey School Boards Association supported the law to allow communities to move to November school elections, based on the permissive nature of the bill and NJSBA’s long-standing support of eliminating the vote on proposed school budgets that are within cap.

Please refer to County Clerk of Elections website for information on Board candidacy information.