Weeks prior to yesterday’s Board of Education meeting talks were in the air of imitating other school districts in different cities and moving the school elections to November. Those who are for the measure aver that lumping school elections with Senate and Presidential elections will save the city 150,000-dollars in election costs. The same individuals also assert that voter participation will increase. But the increase will not be worthwhile for most voters will be more focused on national election and less so on the local ballot names.
Opponents of the measure rightly say two things will happen: school board elections will become more partisan and the folks voting in November are less likely to truly consider the Board of Education candidates, in other words it goes back to the original first point: voters will simply cast their ballot along party lines.
Yesterday’s meeting decided not to go ahead with the move, and so the Paterson school elections will remain where it was, April. It also allows the city to watch other school districts who have their school elections taking place this November to see how it negatively and positively impacts the outcomes. It is a smart move on the part of Board of Education.