The Princeton Board of Education agreed last week to change the annual election date for school board members from the third Tuesday in April, to the November general election, beginning in 2013.

The Board voted 6 to 1 in favor of the change. Molly Chrein cast the sole dissenting vote; two members, Dorothy Bedford and Afsheen Shamsi, were absent.

While most New Jersey school districts opted to make the change when it first became an option earlier in the year, Princeton stayed with an April election date in 2012. Among the factors for the change of heart at this point were cost savings and greater voter turnout in the November election.

In response to previously expressed concerns about the elimination of the annual vote on the proposed general fund tax level if the election is held in November, the Board was careful to note that it “believes that the financial interest of its constituents is safeguarded by the state’s [2 percent] tax levy cap and the thorough review of the proposed school budget by the Executive County superintendent and the Executive County School Business Administrator.”

The annual organizational meeting of the Board will take place in the first week of January following the November general election. As a result, the Board’s next organization meeting will take place in the first week of January 2014. Members of the Board whose terms would have expired by May 2013 will continue to serve in office until the January 2014 organization meeting.