Twp. Committee: We Don't Want Change in School Tax Formula

The Washington Township Committee made a decision on the situation with the Citizens for Better Schools Initiative: it will recommend that the West Morris Regional School District rejects the group’s proposal for a referendum to be included on the April 27 ballot.

Citizens for Better Schools, or CBS, is a self-described “grassroots organization” comprised of citizens from the Chesters and Mendhams. Their aim, according to representative Charlene Arrington, is to provide a district-wide educational product that offers “excellence in education, efficiently delivered and fairly funded.”

This initiative, if successful, would restructure the funding formula for the West Morris Regional High School District. In the state of New Jersey, school district funding is comprised mostly of property taxes.

The restructuring proposed by CBS would lower the property tax contribution—and the taxes themselves—for education for residents of four municipalities—Chester Borough, Chester Township, Mendham Borough, and Mendham Township—while increasing the property tax contribution of Washington Township by about $1,000 annually, per home.

Currently, Mendham Township’s property taxes are the highest of the five municipalities under the West Morris Regional School District, while Washington Township’s are the lowest.

The Citizens for Better Schools Initiative met criticism and backlash from both Washington Township residents and committee members alike, as the notion of paying an additional $1,000 in property taxes proved to be unpopular.

Washington Township Mayor Ken Short particularly questioned the idea that the initiative would better the educational experience of students within the district. Short noted that, if the referendum were to be included on the school district’s April 27 ballot, the cost to the township could mean the rejection of the district’s budget. If that were to happen, more cuts would likely have to be made from the educational system.

“(If this is brought to a vote,) we’re going to be in a situation like we’ve been the past couple years where we’re trying to rectify school budgets, which I don’t enjoy doing,” said Mayor Short. “If this goes on the ballot, we’re going to lose a valuable part of our education because we’re going to have to make cuts.”

Residents of Washington Township also chimed in on the matter, claiming that enough of their property taxes already go toward education.

“I see that, at age 72, my property tax is 71 percent education and I haven’t had a kid in either school system for over 15 years,” said Washington Township resident Tracy Tobin. “You’re just shuffling chairs around on the Titanic by trying to fool around with formulas.”

Despite the reaction from the residents and committee members of Washington Township likely preventing the inclusion of the referendum on the April 27 ballot, Arrington is confident that the issue of the disparity is now in the open, and that the groups goals won’t be disappearing anytime soon.

“People have knowledge of this cost disparity, of the inequity, whether it’s on the ballot or not,” said Arrington.

While the Township Committee’s decision is only a recommendation, it does not bode well for the CBS initiative, which has to gain approval Tuesday night at the West Morris Regional High School Board of Education meeting.

All members of the public are encouraged to attend the meeting and offer public input regarding the proposed referendum. The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at .