N.J. Voters Asked to Pay More for Less at Schools
Ozier Muhammad/The New York Times
Shelly Bordon, a paralegal, with her daughter, Rachel. Her son, James, attends Washington Elementary School in Edison. She plans to vote yes.
By WINNIE HU
Published: April 19, 2010
Enlarge This ImageEDISON, N.J. — School budget talks have become so contentious in this township that 700 people recently packed a school board meeting — and 100 of them stayed more than nine hours, until 4 a.m.
Ozier Muhammad/The New York Times
“I’m going to vote yes, but I’m probably going to regret it,” said Robert Gray, a retail manager who lives in Edison and is expecting his first child in July.
At stake is Edison’s $204.8 million school budget for next year, which calls for increasing the local property tax levy by 8.6 percent. Even with such an increase — which required a waiver to the state’s 4 percent cap — Edison plans to lay off 92 teachers, cancel summer school, cut kindergarten to a half day and eliminate middle school athletic teams.
But first voters have to approve the budget, which is on the ballot Tuesday, as are budgets in most of New Jersey’s 600 school districts. Many school officials are expecting the toughest elections in years, as districts seek not only to raise property taxes but also to slash popular programs to offset the unusually large reductions in school aid proposed by Gov. Christopher J. Christie, who is trying to close an $11 billion state deficit.
“I’m getting a hundred e-mail
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