Ridgewood School Election: What You Need to Know

Voters in Ridgewood head to the polls on Tuesday to decide the that accounts for the bulk of their local taxes, while also choosing two candidates for the village school board.

The school board cut deep into its savings account to , which features large increases in teacher salaries, benefits and health care insurance. The budget also includes a new $340,000 K-8 science program, new textbooks across grade levels, and an expansion of the SAIL program.

Voters will say 'yea' or 'nay' to the $82,949,642 tax levy question, which represents a 1.8 percent increase over the 2011-2012 school year. The average resident with a home valued at just over $794,500 will pay an increase of $195. School taxes account for about 65 percent of local taxes in Ridgewood.

Should the budget be voted down – which happened only once in the last 15 years – the village council will set a new tax levy.

The 19 polling locations (see attached PDF) are open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. We'll have the most comprehensive election coverage here, so check back often for updates. Follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

are hoping you check their names off in the ballot box on Tuesday. In an unusual election, – a three-year term is up for grabs, as is a rare one-year term. Gina Damasco and incumbent Vince Loncto are vying for the three-year seat while Board VP Bob Hutton and Jim Morgan square off for the one-year seat.

The candidates

A 12-year member of the school board, the personal CFO is running largely on a simple platform – the trustee says voters should keep him on for so he can finish up the teacher contracts. The negotiations have soured in recent months, with . Hutton says it's too late to switch up the team given how high the stakes are – teacher salaries are the largest single taxpayer expense.

A retired CFO, RHS neighbor Jim Morgan has called into question the budgeting process, also vowing to open up the board more in terms of transparency. Morgan says the school board is a 'closed loop' and its members by and large don't ask enough tough questions on proposed budgets. Morgan, who has advocated for a larger school board, from former RHS principal Jack Lorenz.

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The education attorney and RHS graduate thinks her skill set and professional experience would be assets on the board. Damasco is a former school board attorney and currently works at the U.S. Department of Education. She's experienced handling special education issues, HIB matters, has reviewed teacher contracts, worked in mediation, and knows her way around capital project legalese.

Finance whiz Vince Loncto says he brings an analytic mind to budgeting and will ask the tough questions that need to be asked. The  has also been outspoken on the need to bring in a director of technology to the Ridgewood Public Schools system. Loncto's stated big goal is to present a budget in 2013-2014 that reduces the taxpayer burden while maintaining the top-quality education Ridgewood is known for.