By STEVE PRISAMENT
Staff Writer

GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP – The Galloway Township Public Schools budget calling for no increase in local taxes passed by a 23 percent margin Tuesday, April 15.

Voters approved the $58 million budget which raises $28,613,552 through local taxes by a margin of 878 to 554.

Incumbents Eileen Kasunich and George Schwenger running unopposed were the biggest vote-getters for the Board of Education.  Kasunich received 931 votes and Schwenger got 869.

The third highest vote getter appears to be John Knorr, also an incumbent who ran as a write-in candidate.

Knorr, who is retiring, said he plans to travel and was ready to pass the torch to some willing candidate who would be able to attend more meetings and functions than he. When nobody filed, he agreed to run again.

His name, in various forms, appears more than 20 times on write-in ballots.

“Now it is up to the county to decide whether John Knorr gets the votes that are written in John Knoor, John-Knorr or Knorr,” said Galloway Township Clerk Lisa Tilton. “We have a number of write-ins and it will come down to which votes are validated by the county.”

Other names written in include Steve Bonanni, Chuck Reed, David Maxwell, Suzette Cordero and a number of candidates on the ballot for the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District Board of Education.

Regarding the budget, an 18 percent increase in state aid – $3.7 million – allowed the cost to local taxpayers to remain the same as last year, according to Superintendent of Schools Doug Groff.

The owner of a home in Galloway assessed at $200,000 paid $2,974 to support the k-8 public schools this year, and will pay the same for the upcoming year.

The electorate followed the advice of school board member Rich Dase who said it was important for the powers that be in Trenton to see strong community support for the township’s education program.

“We want the governor to know that we appreciate and need the increased funding we got this year,” Dase said. “We want him to know that we need that aid again next year.”