New Jersey school board elections, 2016

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Elections

General elections for New Jersey school boards were held on April 19 or November 8 in 2016. Special elections for unexpired board terms were held in conjunction with the general election cycle. Eighteen of the 22 New Jersey school districts among America's largest school districts by enrollment had elections for 54 seats in 2016.

Here are several quick facts about New Jersey's school board elections in 2016:

• The largest school district by enrollment with an election in 2016 was Newark Public Schools with 34,976 K-12 students.
• The smallest New Jersey school district among the nation's top 1,000 largest with an election in 2016 was Brick Township Public Schools with 9,456 K-12 students.
• Sixteen of the largest districts had three seats up for election each.
• The Bayonne School District had the most seats on the ballot among New Jersey's largest districts with four seats up for election.
• Brick Township Public Schools had the fewest seats on the ballot among New Jersey's largest districts with two seats up for election.

The districts listed below served 274,540 K-12 students during the 2013-2014 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Click on the district name for more information on the district and its school board elections.

2016 New Jersey School Board Elections
District	General date	Regular term (years)	Seats up for election	Total board seats	Student enrollment
Newark Public Schools	4/19/2016	3	3	9	34,976
Passaic Public Schools	4/19/2016	3	3	9	13,926
Brick Township Public Schools	11/8/2016	3	2	7	9,456
Cherry Hill Public Schools	11/8/2016	3	3	9	11,266
Clifton Public Schools	11/8/2016	3	3	9	10,853
Edison Township Public Schools	11/8/2016	3	3	9	14,521
Elizabeth Public Schools	11/8/2016	3	3	9	24,875
Freehold Regional High School District	11/8/2016	3	3	9	11,420
Hamilton Township School District	11/8/2016	3	3	9	12,114
Jersey City Public Schools	11/8/2016	3	3	9	27,571
Middletown Township School District	11/8/2016	3	3	9	9,807
Paterson Public Schools	11/8/2016	3	3	9	24,598
Perth Amboy Public Schools	11/8/2016	3	3	9	9,988
Toms River Regional Schools	11/8/2016	3	3	9	16,324
Vineland Public Schools	11/8/2016	3	3	9	9,975
West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District	11/8/2016	3	3	9	9,724
Woodbridge Township School District	11/8/2016	3	3	9	13,455
Bayonne School District	11/8/2016	3	4	9	9,691

Issues

Gov. Christie proposes “Fairness Formula” plan

See also: Education reform: State funding battles and local responses (2016)

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) unveiled a new education funding plan for the state on June 21, 2016. He proposed a "Fairness Formula" that would equalize per-pupil funding statewide. Rather than continue funding districts at different levels, Christie called for a flat rate of $6,599 per pupil per school year to fix a system he called "broken." If the proposal were approved, Christie said 75 percent of towns would receive more state aid and see their property taxes decrease.

The rate of $6,599 per pupil was calculated by dividing the $9.1 billion the state spent on education funding in 2016 by the number of students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Christie said a disproportionate amount of funding had gone to underperforming schools in the state, beginning in the 1980s.

Gov. Chris Christie (R) proposes a new education funding formula.

“	No child in this state is worth more state aid than another. No family in this state should have to disproportionately pay — you’ve got a bigger house, you’re going to pay more in property taxes, you’ve got more land, you’re going to pay more in property taxes — that’s not what I’m talking about...We’re talking about 546 districts having to divide $88 billion over the last 30 years and 31 districts dividing $97 billion. Where did the money go? And what did you get in return for it? But an even more important question than what did you get in return for it — what did those children and their families get in return for it?	”
—Gov. Chris Christie (June 21, 2016)

The New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) called Christie's funding proposal “despicable” and said it would "set the state’s progress in education back decades," according to the Newark Patch. NJEA President Wendell Steinhauer also called the plan a distraction from Christie's record on education policy. “Having never once funded the state’s existing formula, he has no basis for assessing its effectiveness," said Steinhauer.

The proposal entailed up to a 1,714 percent increase in state aid, in the case of North Caldwell Public Schools, or as much as a 78 percent decrease, in the case of the Camden City School District, according to a study by NJ.com.

Jersey City Public Schools, New Jersey

In 2016, Jersey City Public Schools received approximately three-quarters of its funding from the state and had a per-pupil funding rate of $15,235. Christie's proposal entailed that the funding rate for the district would drop by roughly $8,600 per student—an almost 57 percent decrease from the 2016 funding levels. The Jersey City Schools Board of Education had three seats up for general election in November 2016. All of the candidates expressed disdain for Christie's funding plan, though Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop (D) and district superintendent Marcia Lyles declined to comment on either proposal.

“By sending equal dollar amounts per pupil to each district, regardless of need, his plan would subsidize those who have the most at the expense of those who have the least. That is the opposite of fair; it’s despicable,” said Steinhauer. Christie's administration said that money was not the solution to education. “More money does not guarantee better academic performance, and the Christie Administration is determined to forge a new path that provides equal funding for the education of each student,” said a spokesman for the governor's office.

Local control returns to school board

See also: Battles over school governance (2016)

Full local control will gradually return to the Newark Board of Education. A 2015 agreement between Gov. Chris Christie (R), city Mayor Ras Baraka (D), and an appointed board planned to remove the "advisory status" of the Newark school board and started a plan to return full local control to the district for the first time in two decades. A full report on this plan is expected in August 2016. The state originally took over in 1995, "citing a district it said had failed a generation of students, mired by corruption, crumbling facilities and questionable expenditures of public funds, amid high dropout rates and low test scores."

The agreement created the Newark Educational Success Board, a nine-member panel appointed jointly by Christie and Baraka. The panel focused on easing the board's transition from state-controlled to fully independent. Newark community members expressed concern that the lack of local control has made the school board less responsive to citizen wishes. The panel is sketching a future plan aimed at long-term district stability and a timeline for the full transition of power.

Over the two decades of state control, the dissatisfaction surrounding state-appointed district leaders, such as former Superintendent Cami Anderson, fostered resistance from community members and local politicians. In 2013, the Newark Students Union led two mass boycotts against state control of the district in April and November, with the April walkout reportedly drawing about 1,000 students. Anderson, who was nominated by Gov. Chris Christie (R) and appointed by the State Board of Education in 2011, had put forward a controversial district reform plan called One Newark that included school closures, teacher layoffs, Teach for America hirings, and changes to the district's enrollment system for both traditional and charter schools.

Anderson moved forward with One Newark despite the resistance, facing a steady stream of criticism into 2015 regarding the plan and its effectiveness. In January 2015, Anderson appeared before the New Jersey Joint Committee on Public Schools to explain the intentions and progress of the program since it was first discussed. Members of the committee were highly critical of Anderson and the program, emphasizing the alienation residents of the district had felt and a lack of transparency in the plan's implementation.

Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor Marin (D-29)

Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor Marin (D-29), a former Newark Advisory Board member, questioned Anderson's school board meeting attendance record. Anderson stated that she could not remember when she last attended a meeting and that it had been "quite some time," but added, "I listen to people who disagree with me. It’s part of my job.” Pintor Marin responded, “It is part of your job to attend board meetings. That’s the main problem. There is no sell factor for the Newark Public Schools [about the One Newark plan] when you don’t attend.”

Although Anderson's contract was renewed for another year in February 2015, she resigned in June and was replaced by Christopher Cerf. Consequently, stakes were higher than ever for the election on April 19, 2016. The candidates who won joined the most powerful board in 20 years. Additionally, incumbents Ariagna Perello, Rashon Hasan, and Khalil Sabu Rashidi did not file for re-election, guaranteeing three newcomers to the board.

Election trends

Trends in New Jersey school board elections

See also: School boards in session: 2015 in brief

The 2015 school board elections in New Jersey's largest school districts had a similar average number of candidates run per seat as the average number who ran per seat in the state's 2014 school board elections. The 2015 elections had a slightly higher percentage of unopposed seats, compared to the percentage that were unopposed in 2014. Newcomers fared better in 2015 than in 2014. They won 50 percent of the seats up for election in 2015; in 2014, they won 41.38 percent of the seats on the ballot.

The following sections analyze competitiveness and incumbency advantage in New Jersey's school board elections. These districts did not utilize primary or runoff elections. Winners only had to receive a plurality, or relative majority, of votes to secure a seat. All of the school board elections held in the state in 2014 and 2015 were nonpartisan.

Details of the data discussed here can be found in the table below.

Competitiveness

In 2015, school board elections held in New Jersey's largest school districts attracted an average of 1.97 candidates per seat on the ballot. The 2014 elections had an average of two candidates run per seat up for election. In 2015, 10 of the 58 seats on the ballot were unopposed, a total of 17.24 percent. The 2014 elections had nine of the 58 seats go unopposed, a total of 15.52 percent.

Incumbency advantage

See also: School board incumbency analysis: 2015 in brief

A total of 70.73 percent of school board incumbents who ran for re-election in 2015 retained their seats. Forty-one of the 58 incumbents whose terms were on the ballot ran to keep their seats, and 29 of them won. Eight of those winners ran unopposed; the other 21 defeated challengers to win additional terms.

In 2014, 79.07 percent of incumbents who ran to retain their seats won re-election. A total of 43 of the 58 incumbents whose seats were on the ballot ran to keep their seats, and 34 of them won. Six of those winners ran unopposed; the others had to defeat challengers to win re-election.

The map below details the success rates for incumbents who ran in the 2015 school board elections that were held in the largest school districts by enrollment in the U.S.

The map above details the success rates of incumbent who ran to retain their school board seats in the largest school districts in each state. States depicted in gray did not hold school board elections.

Data table

New Jersey school board elections, 2014 - 2015
	2014	2015
All candidates
Seats up	58	58
Candidates	116	114
Candidates/seat	2.00	1.97
Unopposed seats	9	10
% unopposed	15.52%	17.24%
% seats won by newcomers	41.38%	50.00%
Incumbents
Sought re-election	43	41
Unopposed	6	8
Retained	34	29
% retained	79.07%	70.73%

Academic performance

See also: Public education in New Jersey

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Education terms
For more information on education policy terms, see this article.
School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

NAEP scores

See also: NAEP scores by state

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The chart below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013. Compared to three neighboring states (Delaware, New York, and Pennsylvania), New Jersey had the highest percentage of students scoring at or above proficient in all categories.

Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013
	Math - Grade 4	Math - Grade 8	Reading - Grade 4	Reading - Grade 8
New Jersey	49%	49%	42%	46%
Delaware	42%	33%	38%	33%
New York	40%	32%	37%	35%
Pennsylvania	44%	42%	40%	42%
United States	41%	34%	34%	34%
Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables"

Graduation, ACT and SAT scores

See also: Graduation rates by groups in state and ACT and SAT scores in the United States

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for New Jersey and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.

In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT, and 1498 out of a possible 2400 for the SAT.

New Jersey schools reported a graduation rate of 87.5 percent during the 2012-2013 school year, highest among its neighboring states.

In New Jersey, more students took the SAT than the ACT in 2013, earning an average SAT score of 1521.

Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores, 2012-2013
State	Graduation rate, 2013		Average ACT composite, 2013		Average SAT composite, 2013
	Percent	Quintile ranking**	Score	Participation rate	Score	Participation rate
New Jersey	87.5%	First	23	23%	1521	78%
Delaware	80.4%	Fourth	22.9	15%	1351	100%
New York	76.8%	Fourth	23.4	26%	1463	76%
Pennsylvania	85.5%	Second	22.7	18%	1480	71%
United States	81.4%		20.9	54%	1498	50%
**Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally. Sources: United States Department of Education, "ED Data Express" ACT.org, "2013 ACT National and State Scores" The Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT scores by state, 2013"

Dropout rate

See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states

The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for New Jersey was lower than the national average at 1.4 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 1.4 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.

State profile

State profile

Demographic data for New Jersey
	New Jersey	U.S.
Total population:	8,935,421	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	7,354	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	68.3%	73.6%
Black/African American:	13.5%	12.6%
Asian:	9%	5.1%
Native American:	0.2%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0%	0.2%
Two or more:	2.5%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	19%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	88.6%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	36.8%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$72,093	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	12.7%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in New Jersey. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in New Jersey

New Jersey voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, two are located in New Jersey, accounting for 0.97 percent of the total pivot counties.

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. New Jersey had one Retained Pivot County and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 0.55 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.

More New Jersey coverage on Ballotpedia

• Elections in New Jersey
• United States congressional delegations from New Jersey
• Public policy in New Jersey
• Endorsers in New Jersey
• New Jersey fact checks
• More...

See also

New Jersey	School Boards	News and Analysis
Public education in New Jersey List of school districts in New Jersey	School board elections, 2016 New Jersey school board elections, 2015 New Jersey school board elections, 2014	Education reform at the state and local levels (2016) School boards in session: 2015 in brief Analysis of spending in America's largest school districts Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey