Board of Education Candidates Forum to be Held Wednesday

Got  a question for Board of Education candidates? Here's your opportunity to get answers before the April 27 elections.

The League of Women Voters for the Chatham-Madison Area will sponsor a Candidate Forum tonight from 7 - 8:30 p.m. at the Alice Perlaw Library Media Center at , 170 Ridgedale Ave. in Madison.

The forum will be moderated by Marylea Schmidt of the League of Women Voters of Somerset Hills.

Candidates vying for three seats with three-year terms on the board are incumbents David Arthur and Shade Grahling; and Brenda Catalanello, Thomas Haralampoudis, Carmen Pico and Karin Szotak.

The agenda for the forum calls for candidates to make short introductory statements, then answer written and oral questions submitted by the audience. Members of the audience will also have the opportunity to pose questions directly to the candidates.

The Board of Education has been dealing with a number of contentious issues, including loss of state aid, budget cuts, tenure, and the hiring of a new superintendent, Dr. Michael Rossi.

Voters on April 27 will also approve or reject a revised district budget which includes $32,527,319 in taxes, or an annual increase of $118.12
on the average home valued at $410,600. Voters last year rejected the proposed district budget for the first time in 12 years.