Voters in the handful of Bergen and Passaic County districts that hold April school elections were largely supportive of their spending plans on Tuesday, with at least seven budgets passing muster with voters.
Passaic, Cliffside Park, Fairview, Clifton, Oakland, Ridgewood and Totowa residents all approved the tax levies that were presented to them. Garfield, however, rejected the budget for the third year in a row.
In addition to operating budgets for the 2019-20 school year, voters elected school trustees in eight districts. In Ridgewood, which this year returned to a spring school election, no trustees were elected because of a court ruling that let incumbents retain their seats.
Clifton opted to bring some new faces onto the dias by voting out incumbents in two of the three open seats. Incumbents retained their seats in Garfield, Passaic and Cliffside Park. The school board races in Fairview and Totowa were uncontested.
The vast majority of school districts in New Jersey hold board of education elections in November, and budgets are not put up for voter approval. Under that system, annual tax levy increases must be kept under 2 percent.
Bergen County
Cliffside Park
The proposed $35.2 million tax levy was approved.
Three three-year terms:
Neville C. Raincourt* – 339
Lisa Frato* – 478
Tanja Grandov – 255
Kleidon Ndreu – 233
Letizia Pantoliano – 404
Two-year unexpired term:
Joseph Capano.- 505
Fairview
The proposed $16.2 million tax levy was approved.
Three three-year terms:
Louis Aveta* – 202
Francisco Martinez* – 198
Diane Testa* – 210
Garfield
The proposed $29.8 million tax levy was rejected.
Three three-year terms:
Allan B. Focarino* – 498
Everett E. Garnto Jr.* – 521
Gioacchino Jack Mazzola* – 451
Ms. Sun Mellawa – 391
Hackensack
No results yet provided.
Oakland
The proposed $29.7 million tax levy was approved.
One three-year term:
Carita Schelkin* – 305
Ridgewood
The proposed $111.7 million budget was approved, according to early results provided by the school district.
Passaic County
Clifton
The proposed $134.2 million tax levy was approved.
Three three-year terms:
Tafari Anderson* – 688
Dana Beltran – 1,039
Joseph Canova – 1,436
James Daley* – 1,002
Lawrence Grasso* – 826
Two one-year, unexpired terms:
Franklin Montero 1,113
City of Passaic
The proposed $16.8 million tax levy was approved.
Three three-year terms:
Maryann Capursi* – 1,751
Kenia Flores – 1,568
Craig Miller* – 1,747
Nicole Washington – 1,372
One two-year unexpired term:
Judith Sanchez – 1,820
Totowa
The $15.8 million tax levy was approved.
Three three-year terms:
Gary Bierach* – 601
Rosemary Carr* – 561
Brian Tangora* – 567
