Two claim board seats; Jackson budget rejected
BY DAVE BENJAMIN
Staff Writer

JACKSON - Voters have made their decision and two seats on the Board of Education dais have been filled.

Winning three-year terms on Election Day, April 17, were Sharon Dey, 1,832 votes, and Linda Lackay, who was re-elected with 1,681 votes.

Falling short in their bids for a seat on the board were Scott Sargent, 1,646 votes, board member Gus Acevedo, 1,488 votes, Sal Duscio, 1,257 votes, and Nicholas Antonoff, 871 votes.

Dey, who won her first term, said, "I am looking forward to working with the current board and definitely working to improve the education of all our children. At the same time, I would like to work to save some tax dollars. I really think that can be a goal that can be achieved."

Dey said one area she would like to examine with an eye on saving money is administrative expenses.

"I'm also concerned with the teacher retention rate, which really needs to be improved," she said. "I strongly feel that if we can retain and attract some happy and qualified teachers the students will definitely benefit from that."

Dey said that is a goal she thinks can be accomplished.

Commenting on her re-election, Lackay said, "Being elected was my goal and I'm very happy to have been re-elected. Given the number of no votes for the budget, I think it shows the amount of support that I do have as a board member for the work I have done for the past four years."

Lackay said it is unlikely that people go out in droves and say no to the budget without turning down the incumbents.

"Usually they will say no to the incumbents, too," she said, "but they did not do that for me. People think that what I have done is positive. Certainly I won't let those people down."

The results of the election had not been certified as of April 20. The closest race was Lackay's 35-vote margin of victory over Sargent, who was seeking his first term on the board.

Also on April 17, voters rejected a proposed $65.2 million tax levy to support a $132.8 million budget for the 2007-08 school year. The board's proposed budget would have raised the school district tax levy by 8.75 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, from $2.23 to $ 2.31 per $100. The owner of a home assessed at $150,000 would have paid an additional $131 in school taxes under the proposal. The owner of a home assessed at $300,000 would have paid an additional $262 in school taxes under the proposal.

Those numbers are now subject to change pending a review of the budget by the Township Council.

A total of 3,178 votes were cast against the tax levy, while 1,811 votes were cast in favor of the tax levy.

Lopsided vote totals in several of Jackson's voting districts helped to contribute to the large margin of defeat for the budget:

+ District 5, Winding Ways, 247 no votes to 12 yes votes;

+ District 22, Westlake, 355 no votes to 28 yes votes;

+ District 26, Westlake, 299 no votes to 21 yes votes;

+ District 28, Metedeconk Lakes, 229 no votes to 18 yes votes;

+ District 29, South Knolls, 146 no votes to 18 yes votes.

The board's proposed budget will now be reviewed by the Township Council, which can approve the 2007-08 spending plan as proposed or recommend an amount to be cut from the budget.

If the school board and the council agree on an amount of money to be cut from the budget, the board members and district administrators will decide where to make those reductions.

If the two sides cannot reach an agreement, the board can appeal the council's recommended cuts to the state commissioner of education.

A decision is due by the middle of May.