By Andrew Coen
Voters also approved the district's proposed $69 million budget and two other propositions.
All three school board incumbents, Robert Jay, Elyse Coleman and Stephanie Gallo, were seeking re-election to second three-year terms, facing challengers Stern, Goldberg and Witt, with the three top vote-getters winning seats in the at-large contest.
With absentee ballots yet to be counted, Witt garnered 1,739 votes, Goldberg 1,826 and Stern 1,826. Gallo received 864 votes, Coleman 866 votes and Jay 1,044 votes. This is Witt's second go-around, having served on the board from 1984 to 1996, when he lost a re-election bid. Stern and Goldberg have been PTA leaders for several years.
I think it says the community wants a responsible board working together as a team in order to meet some of the difficult challenges we're going to have over the next few years, said Witt.
Jay, Coleman and Gallo were elected to the school board together in 2000, ousting three long-time incumbents.
The budget passed by a vote of 1,807 to 1,223. As a result of a loss of $600,000 in state aid, the budget calls for an 8.1 percent tax hike and a 5.9 percent budget increase but no cuts in programming.
I'm delighted the budget passed, particularly by such a wide margin, said school board president Richard Braverman. I think it passed by so much because our community has a good deal of faith that we did the best that we could in such a difficult year.
Two other propositions passed. One authorizes the district to spend up to $350,000 for the Capital Reserve Fund to replace and update technology in the schools; it passed by a vote of 2,096 to 911. The other proposition is an authorization to claim state funding known as Rescue Aid, which would have been unavailable to the district if not approved by voters prior to July 1. The district will get $230,917 in state aid that will be used for renovation and additions to the high school and middle school. It passed by a vote of 2,220 to 755.
Joseph Kellard contributed to this story.
