Schools

Where Are All Those Purple-Lettered Signs Coming From?

Education Counts distributes the signs in an effort to get out the school budget vote.

If you've pretty much been anywhere in Chatham in the past couple of days, you've seen white lawn signs with purple lettering popping up everywhere.

"Vote Yes," the signs say in large letters. Underneath that phrase, in small writing meant to resemble a child's penmanship, is the word "Please." Some of the signs say "April 20"—the day of the budget vote—on top.

The sign effort was organized by Education Counts, a non-profit organization in the Chathams that promotes "quality education in Chatham by supporting public school funding," according to its Web site. The group works to get out the vote in anticipation of the big day on Tuesday and encourages people to vote for the budget.

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It has also ordered 600 signs, which have been placed on lawns throughout the community. An army of volunteers takes the signs and distributes them to various people. Most of the signs went up earlier this week.

"We've found that it's a good visual," Education Counts Chairwoman Michelle Clark said.

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Clark said the group was started in 2002 after the school budget barely passed.

"A group of us got concerned that we couldn't let the school budget fail," she said. "That's when it really built up."

She said that it is not only parents that are involved in Education Counts's work. Older people who live in Chatham are also supportive of its efforts, she said, and she said they "spread it to their friends and their age group."

The organization also works to encourage people to sign up for absentee ballots. As of late last week, Clark said, there have been about 163 people who have registered for the ballots.

The group has also made a YouTube video in support of the budget.

The polls will open at 2 p.m. on Tuesday and will remain open until 9 p.m. Township residents will vote at Chatham High School, while borough residents will head to Chatham Middle School to cast their ballots.


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