School Polls Open Today in Nutley 2:30-9 PM
• $58.2 Million Budget Approval Also on Election Ballot
Apr 20, 2010 – School election polls will be open in Nutley today between 2:30 and 9 p.m. as voters decide the fate of the proposed $58.2 million school budget and select three among five candidates for the Board of Education.
A higher that usual voter turnout is expected today, not only because of Trenton's funding cutbacks forcing teacher layoffs, but because of the Nutley Board of Education's current and unusual authority of being able to set pay raises for educators who are relatives.
That authority from Trenton comes as the result of Nutley's having a majority of board members who are themselves, or have close relatives who belong to the teachers union. Unable to disqualify the board majority with a blanket conflict, the state ruled that all nine members may continue to vote even if that meant close relatives might benefit by such decisions as a pay increase or job promotion.
In an effort to prevent teacher layoffs, a minority of school districts in New Jersey has agreed to maintain present salary levels for another year. The Nutley teachers union (the "EAN" for Educational Association of Nutley) rejected a proposal to trim or freeze salaries for the coming year.
No one has charged or even suggested that the present Nutley Board of Education has abused its authority, but the two challengers in today's election are campaigning for major change. Dr. Robert Reid, a professor at Montclair State University, and Charles Kucinski, a former Nutley Board of Education president, have both called for major changes.
The board's fiscal expert, trustee James Kuchta, is also on today's ballot for reelection. Although Kuchta has been been included as part of Reid and Kucinski's campaign, Kuchta also has enjoyed support from his fellow incumbents, Dr. Phil Casale, current board president, and Angelo Frannicola, Nutley High's former athletic director who is completing his first three-year-term.
As president, Dr. Casale has expanded the format of board meetings to invite presentations by students and faculty members as well as permitting citizens to speak often and sometimes for several minutes. One critic last night spoke more than six times during a long evening that also included the presentation of student awards, a film and discussion led by four members of the Coast Guard, a detailed power-point presentation of music curriculum changes. The meeting lasted nearly three hours.
Dr. Casale's intention always has been to better inform the public and invite citizen involvement. But the fact that he is a full-time health teacher often has been cited by his opponents in this election campaign as a prime reason for greater distance between educators and the rest of the taxpaying public.
Election returns tonight will be counted at Nutley High School with vote tabulations posted as they arrive on the Board of Education's web site as well as here on NJHometown.
