Board of Ed Votes to Move Elections to November

The made it official Tuesday night, voting unanimously to move the school elections from April to November at its regular meeting at .

Members had extensively discussed the matter at the board's most recent meeting, and the move was just one of a number of agenda items passed with little fanfare.

“This is the best thing for our students,” Board President Lisa Ellis told Patch after the meeting. “The move provides greater security to our already limited funding.”

In 2010, voters rejected the schools budget for the first time in 15 years.

The move to Nov. 6, facilitated by a new state law, means the district expects to save about $10,000 on the cost of running an election, which now becomes the responsibility of the county. Similarly, candidates for the school board must now file their petitions with the county clerk.

The law's key provision, in effect for 2012, would take approval or rejection of a local school budget away from voters, as long as it meets the state-mandated 2 percent levy cap. Voters will still vote on school board candidates, proposals for funding over the cap, and capital spending proposals.