Editor's note:  For those who may not know, Elizabeth Volz is President of NOW-NJ.

GLASSBORO -- Prompted by a move to reduce art and music programs at a local elementary school, three borough residents are mounting a write-in campaign to challenge three incumbent school board members who are running unopposed on Tuesday's ballot.

The three residents --Bryan Appleby-Wineberg, Frank Mitcho and Elizabeth Volz -- are hoping to unseat candidates Hector Cabezas, Peter Calvo and Joy Lundahl, who have each served on the school board six years.

Concerned by the district's proposed budget --which eliminated two art and music positions at Dorothy L. Bullock School, along with other posts -- a group of residents plan to hand out palm cards, urging voters to write in new candidates.

They are also asking voters to approve a second ballot question asking for local funding for the two elementary arts positions.

"I think it's an act of conscience," Appleby-Wineberg said. "I couldn't look the other way, and I couldn't pass the buck. I want the buck to stop with me."

The three board members running on the ballot said they welcomed the interest in the board's activities, but said they had hoped the write-in candidates could have gotten their names on the ballot and would have attended a candidate's training session.

"The big concern is that there are a lot of other issues other than music and art, and we hope that people are maintaining focus on providing a well-rounded education to the students," said Calvo, who has been the board president for five years.

Calvo pointed to board efforts to rebuild the district's buildings and reallocate teachers in math and language arts literacy to boost academic performance.

Volz said the write-in candidates are hoping to offer voters a way to make positive change by voting for new board members, rather than a negative vote to defeat the district's budget.

"We need the money for our children in our schools, but we need for board members to be responsible, to watch the money and work for our children at the same time," Volz said.

Cabezas said the board members responded to community concerns about the tight budget by placing the art and music question on the ballot, giving residents a chance to choose.

"It's just nice to see the community actually came out to support the art and music program over at the elementary school," Cabezas said. "You have a board that listened to the community and put art and music on the second question."

Mitcho said the write-in campaign had started with the art and music issue, but had grown beyond it.

"I just want to give back," Mitcho said. "At the present time, it seems to me that the board members there seem to be making cuts in areas I don't think they should be making them."

The three current board members said they would like to continue to serve on the board to see the completion of district construction projects that are currently underway.

"We started it. We got the money together. We got the construction going, and I sort of want to see the process finished," said Lundahl, who said board members have opened up and encouraged more community involvement in the school board process during the last six years.