The ill-conceived $40+ million
Millburn school bond was decisively defeated.
After months of debate,
Millburn voters
made their voices heard and demanded options.
MILLBURN, NJ December 13, 2005 — What
started months ago, but seems like even longer,
ended at 9pm Tuesday night at the polls.
The residents against the bond referendum,
with major support from the grassroots organization
WeLoveMillburn.com, won their case as the
Millburn school bond referendum was defeated.
By 10:00 pm, without needing the results
of several hundred absentee ballots, the
results were in. Millburn residents turned
out in record, or near record, numbers and
defeated the bond by close to 1,000 votes. "No" votes
out numbered "yes" votes by more
than 40%.
With the loss in hand, the sitting elected
Millburn School Board and the Superintendent
have the obligation to go back to the drawing
board and respond in a timely manner with
a responsible plan that the community will
agree to and pass in the near future. The
Board will take its responsibility seriously
and will certainly do the right thing now
that the community at large has responded.
Mike Becker, of WeLoveMillburn.com, said
at a gathering of supporters after the polls
closed: "This was never a question about
the schools needing work or refurbishing
or even some construction for added classrooms.
The issue was always the enormity of the
bond, the unnecessarily disruptive construction,
items in the plan that did not add educational
value and a refusal to hire an independent
architect."
David Dwyer, of WeLoveMillburn.com added: "Three
School Board members should be highlighted
for having the courage to take a stand against
other Board members and the ill-conceived,
massive, possibly risky building plan. They
are: Brenda White, Board Member elected in
2004, Josh Scharf, elected 2004 and Scott
Kamber, elected 2005".
Dwyer went on further to say, "We have
been asking for options for nine months.
This vote finally opens the door for those
options".
The three Board Members, at a gathering
that lasted late into the evening, promised
to work with the total board to design and
build a more refined program for the High
School and an overhaul of the Middle School.
This means plans with a new emphasis on renovation
of existing space and adding class rooms
but done in a more cost-effective manner
and in a way that will not so severely disrupt
the Middle School experience for the next
three years.
All three Board Members made it clear, throughout
the months of debate, that Millburn can get
more educational value, sooner, with less
disruption, and at a far lesser cost to the
taxpayer.
There are 12,828 registered voters in the
township of Millburn. Because of the controversy,
it appears that turnout was strong on both
sides. Voting took place at seven locations
in the community and weather turned out not
to be a factor. Since 1979, the highest voter
turnout in the town's history for either
a board member seat or bond referendum, was
5,456 in 1994. The final count, including
absentee ballots, could well exceed that
amount from 1994.
Becker also had this to say about future
efforts of this new organization, WeLoveMillburn.com. "Regardless
of the outcome today, the mission of our
grassroots informational organization is
clear. We will continue to research and inform
residents about issues involving our educational
system, town government, local business district,
property taxes and the community as a whole.
We will do this in a positive spirit of informing
one another about what is happening, what
is not happening and what is possible. We
are all neighbors and this is our town." www.WeLoveMillburn.com.
