JACKSON – Voters shot down a measure that would have increased the taxes necessary to hire two dozen educators and counselors that officials said were needed in the district.
According to the vote count, the question failed 6,262 to 3,484. These numbers are still unofficial until the County Board of Elections certifies them, which takes a few weeks.
The funds would have been used to hire six guidance counselors, two student assistance counselors, eight interventionist teachers, 10 elementary teachers, 12 secondary teachers and four child study team members.
Four English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers and one nonpublic student coordinator would have also been hired.
This would have resulted in a permanent change to the tax rate. Some residents expressed concern that it could raise the property tax on an average home in Jackson as much as $600. The township is currently undergoing a revaluation process which homeowners also fear might increase their future tax bill.
School Board President Giuseppe Palmieri responded to the question’s defeat stating, “The district will continue to try and make up for the loss of $18 million and advocate for change in the funding formula.”
“The administration will continue to review and make recommendations for areas to reduce expenses. Unfortunately, it is likely going to result in more cuts to existing programs, co-curriculars and staff. Additionally, class sizes will continue to grow,” he added.
Palmieri, Superintendent Nicole Pormilli and other district staff and parents came out to events like Jackson Day to promote support for the special question. Members of the Jackson Education Association held a postcard mailing event to bring awareness to the question to Jackson voters.
In order for a school district to fund a special need, project or addition to its budget that cannot be funded through the general fund, a special question for voter approval must be put on the ballot.
The proposal was meant to close a funding shortfall caused by a decrease in state aid funding over the last five years and to hire additional staff that school administrators said would meet the needs of students in the district.
The S-2 (the State Aid funding formula that was passed into New Jersey law several years ago) has drastically reduced funding for school districts with declining student enrollment.
As Jackson’s student population has dropped around 30% from roughly 9,800 students, the school district has seen approximately 10% of its funding from the state cut, amounting to a loss of millions of dollars.
Meanwhile, the district currently has 4,400 out of district students and around 1,000 additional students are expected in the next school year. The state requires public school districts to reimburse parents of non-public school children transportation aid up to $1,022 for each private school student. This will cause costs to rise by millions of dollars.
The Board of Education proposed the special question to allow the school district to raise property taxes above the maximum 2% yearly cap permitted by state law. Jackson’s special question would have raised $4,035,000 had it passed.
The subject of the School District’s referendum question has been the subject of Board of Education meetings since its introduction last spring. It was also brought up several times during recent township council meetings.
School Board Members Retain Seats
The choice for Board of Education for two three-year-terms was pretty straightforward. There were two incumbent candidates running unopposed. Incumbent member Tara Rivera received 5,513 votes.
Brian McCarron, who ran on the slogan of Advocate Educate Elevate received 5,891 votes.
This year marks Rivera’s sixth year on the board. She is now the most senior serving member of the Board. She has been a resident of Jackson for more than 26 years and has two children. She earned her Master’s Degree and has a background in Education, Special Education and Psychology.
McCarron, a resident of Jackson for more than 20 years, was selected by the Board in December 2022 to fill a one-year unexpired term. He is married and has two sons that are enrolled in Jackson Schools. He is a retired police officer and has a strong background in school safety and security.
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