Candidates in Washington Township outline priorities on budget, special education, and early-grade screen time

A candidates forum hosted by the Washington Township President’s Council and moderated by Sharon Suber of the League of Women Voters of Burlington County brought seven school-board hopefuls before local voters to outline their priorities for the Washington Township School District and respond to audience questions.

The forum opened with a read statement from incumbent Connie Baker, who was unable to attend in person, and proceeded through timed one-minute answers from each candidate. Candidates repeatedly placed the district’s budget shortfall and the need to restore public trust at the center of their platforms.

"We have to find a way to work it into the budget," candidate Sean Lindsey said of restoring middle-school sports that were cut, adding, "It should be funded by the school budget." Julie Kosinski, an incumbent, said bringing back middle-school sports would cost about $26,000 and noted that while that is a small portion of what she described as the district’s roughly $170,000,000 budget, every dollar is tightly constrained. Several other…