School Elections Held Wednesday in Point Pleasant Borough and Beach

Residents in Point Pleasant Borough and Point Pleasant Beach will vote on Wednesday on school tax levies.

In the borough, they also have a choice among four candidates on the ballot for two, three-year seats.

Incumbents John MacDermant and Regina Foley are challenged by James Barber and Sue Ward. Three of the four candidates discussed some of their views in an April 23 article.

Tim Harrison's name also appears on the ballot. However, he said last week that he no longer wishes to be a board member, due to work, graduate school and family obligations, and has endorsed the incumbents.

Barber, who just got back from vacation Tuesday night, could not be reached for comment before the April 23 article was published.

However, in a phone interview Tuesday night, Barber said he is running for the first time after many of his local friends encouraged him to do so.

Barber, who has lived in the borough for 13 years, said he has never attended a board meeting. However, he said he believes he can bring to the board a helpful perspective on sports matters.

Barber said his experience working for the past 20 years as an athletic trainer at Brick High School and the father of two high school students involved in sports gives him unique perspective.

"I'm really into sports," he said. "I'm not into number-crunching and the budget. That's not really my style."

As for the school sports, he said, "We need to keep middle school and junior varsity sports as long as we have enough kids."

He said he hopes to help the board with any sports-related matters such as field use,  interviewing coaches or any other related issues.

Barber said he respects the other candidates.

"I would be happy to have a board seat and just as happy if the others won," he said.

Borough residents will also vote yes or no on a school tax levy of about $29 million to support a total budget of about $37 million.

The proposed borough budget raises the local school tax rate of 90.89 cents per $100 assessed valuation by 2.43 cents up to 93.32 cents per $100 of assessed value, district officials have said.

That increase means the owner of a borough home assessed at $375,000, which is the borough's average assessment, would pay another $91 in school taxes per year, according to district administration.

The proposed Point Pleasant Beach school tax levy of $10.6 million would raise taxes on the average assessed home by $59 per year.

Owners of homes assessed at $691,281,the average assessment in Point Pleasant Beach, would pay an additional $59 in school taxes, or $3,144 annually, if the tax levy is approved, according to the district website.

The proposed Beach school budget calls for the current school tax rate of 44.64 cents per $100 assessed valuation to increase by .85 cents to 45.49 cents per $100 assessed valuation.

Also on the ballot will be an uncontested race in which Beth Keefe, Bay Avenue, is running for one, three-year Point Beach board seat.

Board member Phyllis Thomson, who served for seven years, is not running for reelection.

Frank Belluscio, Director of Communications for the New Jersey School Boards Association, said that if a school tax levy is defeated by voters, it is then reviewed by the local municipal governing body. The municipal governing body can either leave the tax levy as is or cut it.

"It cannot add to the proposed levy," Belluscio wrote in an email. "The municipality’s authority in reviewing a defeated school budget is confined to the revenue side.

 "If the municipality reduces the proposed school tax levy, it has to back up its decision by identifying specific expenditure reductions," Belluscio said. "The board is not bound to make those specific spending cuts, but it must operate within the tax levy that is determined by the municipality after its review. The decision to restore a program or staff (an expenditure decision) belongs to the board, which must operate within its available revenue."

Ocean County mailed sample ballots for the school election to all registered voters in the county that provides information on the tax levy questions, candidates running and polling places.

If any residents did not receive a sample ballot or need more information, they can visit the state election site , the Ocean County Clerk site, the Beach district web site or the borough district web site.