Ridgewood Voters To Decide On School District Budget April 16

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — Voters will head to the polls April 16 to decide on whether the school district's $111.6 million budget should be approved or not.

The budget is about one half of a percent more than the fiscal year 2019 budget of $111 million.

The tax levy, the portion of the budget funded by local taxes is $96 million, a 1.8 percent increase over the previous year's of $94.2 million. The increase means that, if the budget is approved, the school portion of the average homeowner's taxes would increase $174. The average village home is assessed at $702,225.

The budget includes $1.3 million taken from the capital reserve account for several construction projects. Four bathrooms at Benjamin Franklin and George Washington middle schools will be renovated. Parking lots throughout the district will be paved.

Two of the projects involve athletics. The turf field at Ridgewood High School will be replaced and the pole vault and javelin areas at Benjamin Franklin Middle School will be repaired.

The Village Council voted 3-2 last summer to move the Board of Education's annual election from November to April, beginning this year. School board members objected to the then-proposed change. Moving the election restored the public vote on the budget.

Click here to download a vote by mail form.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com