School Board Election May Shift To April In Westfield

WESTFIELD, NJ — In an effort to allow residents to vote on the district's budget for the coming year, Westfield's school board is considering pushing the Board elections from November to April.

Board President Brendan Galligan sent a letter to families and staff Wednesday night, announcing that the board will vote on a resolution to move the election to April at the next meeting on Tuesday, June 21.

Moving this election would allow taxpayers to vote on raising the tax levy, which could ultimately allow the district to make less staff reductions in the future.

The approval of the most recent 2022-2023 school budget came with a lot of controversy, as the board decided to cut several teachers and staff members — many from the arts department — due to a $2.3 million budget shortcoming.

Read more: Westfield Schools Layoff Arts Educators Amidst Budget Cuts

This shortcoming was partly due to the state's 2 percent tax levy cap. Under state law, the district is only allowed to increase the levy by a maximum of 2 percent.

Since May, the Board of Education has discussed moving the Board election from November to April to allow taxpayers to vote on raising the tax levy. In turn, this could help the board retain teachers' positions, as they would have more money in the budget.

According to Galligan's letter, before 2010, the district budget was voted on annually by the Westfield community in April. At the time, the average tax levy increase was 4.9 percent.

Then in 2011 and 2012, the state reduced the amount of aid it provides school districts by 65 percent, which resulted in reductions in excess of $4 million made to the Westfield Public Schools operating budget.

The state also placed a 2 percent cap on tax levy increases for districts opting out of a community vote on the district budget.

According to Galligan, until this year, the district has been able to submit budgets at cap with "minimal reductions."

However, two years of a global pandemic, supply chain shortages, rising costs in health benefits and transportation, as well as other expenditures, has severely impacted the district's overall revenue.

"Moving the Board election from November to April would simultaneously lift the district out from under the state mandated 2% tax levy cap and afford the taxpayers the opportunity to directly vote on a school budget that not only supports the staff who provide a high quality education for our students, but enables the district to move forward with enhanced programs and initiatives to further that education," Galligan's letter states.

Galligan wrote that the decision to return to requiring the voters of Westfield to make another trip to the polls every April is "not one [the board] takes lightly."

"However, if we have learned anything from this past budget cycle, it is that the current funding formula with a 2% tax levy cap is unsustainable if the district is to continue offering our students the quality education that Westfield parents and residents have come to expect of the Westfield Public Schools," Galligan wrote.

While the district has been able to maintain its programs over the years, Galligan said it has not been able to grow these programs or expand its academic offerings.

If the resolution to move the election date is approved, the board will notify the Union County Clerk, as required by statute. The board and district will then begin planning for and communicating about the budget for the following school year.

The letter also states that if Westfield residents do not vote to approve the school budget, it becomes the responsibility of the Town Council to make decisions on where to make cuts to the school budget.

You can read more about the district's previous budget issues here: Westfield Schools To Make Staff Cuts Due To Budget Gap