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.
