BAYONNE – School Board members voted 4-4 on a motion to adopt a $129 million budget on Thursday. The budget included a 2.78 percent school tax increase, an average of around $100 per resident, according to city officials. The board’s tie vote came after a hearing during which the public criticized the board, charging that it was expanding the school staff without paying teachers adequately. Board Member Ava Finnerty said before her vote, “I have to vote what I think is right for the city of Bayonne and for the teachers, so I have to vote no.” Board Member Christopher Munoz also voted no. “I think this budget still has a lot of redundancy in it and wasteful spending,” he said. “And I think it does not address the pending contracts that are before the board of education this time. So I vote no.”
Brian Buckley, acting business administrator for the board, said after the surprise tie, “It’s uncharted waters. Between me being here for five years and another district for three years, I’ve never encountered this.”
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