Most N.J. school districts with elections pass budgets

Voters have adopted budgets in 63 of the 70 New Jersey school districts that held elections on their spending plans.

A new law lets school districts move their elections to November. Those that do so will no longer need an up-or-down vote on their budgets so long as they don’t propose raising taxes beyond a 2 percent cap.

Nearly 500 districts opted to move their elections, leaving just 73 with votes on Tuesday. Three of those districts elected school board members but did not have budget votes.

The New Jersey School Boards Association says the budget passage rate of 90 percent was 10 points higher than 2011.

When budgets are rejected, municipal governments make cuts.