School Board Elections to be Held Today

On Wednesday, April 27 voters in Howell will have the chance to vote to fill three seats on the board of education as well as the proposed budget for the upcoming school year. 

Just a year removed from the district being hit hard by state cuts, which led to programs and positions being eliminated or changed, the administration has put forward a budget with a flat tax levy. The general fund levy proposed for this year is $64,464,148 according to the district's website, the same number as last year. 

Unlike last year, this year's budget calls for the restoration of some cut positions, the elimination of the pay-to-play structure for middle school sports and co-curricular activities. New school vehicles will also be able to be purchased without adding any additional debt to the district's books. 

The district's website also points to more than one million dollars in additional state funding and another million dollars from the federal government's jobs fund as reasons for being able to keep the flat tax levy.

While the tax levy is flat for this year, because of a change in the property assessments in the town, some residents might see slight increases in their school taxes for the upcoming school year. The proposed tax rate proposed is $1.038 per $100 of assessed value. That is an increase of less than a penny from last year. 

With the slight change in the tax rate and a change in the assessments, residents could see a change of one or two dollars a month more or less for the coming year. More answers to questions about the budget can be found on the district's website.

In addition to the budget, the three board seats are also up for grabs with two incumbents running to keep their spots. and  are the two incumbents. They are running against , ,  and . Current member David G. Flaherty opted not to seek another term on the board.

The full list of voting districts throughout the town can be found in the attached document. Polling will be open from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and some of the schools will be having special events as part of the evening.

The School will have a gallery of student work from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., School will have an Ice Cream Social from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and School will be having a PTO vendor fair from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. as well as a math parent workshop from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Also holding events are , which will have a poetry night starting at 6 p.m. Newbury School will be holding a Zumba Autism Fundraiser from 4 p.m. to  7 p.m. and will also welcome Rutgers University wrestling coach Scott Goodale to town for a talk from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. 

Rounding out the events will be a "Empty Bowl Family Dinner," at the Ramtown School from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Faculty members at the school will be serving the meal with proceeds going to the Howell Food Pantry.