DIEGNAN, BARNES: JEWISH RESIDENTS CANNOT LOSE VOICE IN SEPTEMBER SCHOOL BOND REFERENDUMS

DIEGNAN, BARNES: JEWISH RESIDENTS CANNOT LOSE VOICE IN SEPTEMBER SCHOOL BOND REFERENDUMS
Lawmakers Urge Officials to Give Districts Ability to Reschedule Votes

(EDISON) - Assemblyman Patrick J. Diegnan Jr. and Peter Barnes III today called upon administration officials to come to a final determination whether the date of next month's school bond referendums could be changed to ensure Jewish residents are not disenfranchised by the coincidence of the elections falling on the same day as Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year and one of the holiest days on the Hebrew calendar.

The bond votes currently are scheduled for Tuesday, September 30 - one of only three statutorily allowed days for such special elections. The assemblymen noted that one of the more contentious bond questions statewide is being posed in Edison Township, which they represent.

"School bond referendums are among the most critical elections facing property taxpayers," said Diegnan (D-Middlesex). "However, because of the calendar, Jewish residents are in danger of having their voices all but silenced from this important debate. We simply cannot allow an entire segment of our society to be shut-out from casting their votes."

"The state already can reschedule April's school board election if it conflicts with Passover," said Barnes (D-Middlesex), a former member of the Edison Township Council. "We would hope one of the holiest days in Judaism could be afforded the same primacy. No resident should ever have to put aside their religious obligations."

Diegnan and Barnes said they first alerted the Governor's office to the conflict in late July.

The assemblymen said the administrative needs of county clerks to prepare for an election - printing ballots, informing voters, training poll staff - do not leave ample time for legislative action at an undetermined date. They added that the additional pressures on county clerks in a presidential election year only compound those managerial tasks.

The lawmakers have urged Corzine administration officials to allow districts like Edison to postpone the September votes, if even by one week. They noted that many school districts are relying on the fall referendums to be able to spend the winter planning for construction. If the referendum were to be delayed until December, school officials could lose valuable building time over next spring and summer.

The Edison referendum would seek voter approval for $52 million to expand the township's Woodbrook, Benjamin Franklin, and James Madison elementary schools as well as construct a new school building. The projects would increase the district's elementary school capacity by nearly 1,200 students.

Edison is one of New Jersey's most diverse communities. According to the Web site Sperling's Best Places - which compiles population data from numerous government and other sources - approximately 6 percent of Edison's residents are Jewish.

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