Newark's largest and costliest school district is holding a board election on April 21, with four seats in four seats on the 9-member Newark Board of Education. The election is to fill three seats with full, 3-year terms, plus a single 1-year unexpired term. The board approves policy and spending for the Newark Public Schools district, which includes about 43,000 traditional public school students and over 20,000 in publicly funded charter schools. The current board president, Hasani Council, who led the unanimous approval of a budget that will raise the annual school property tax bill by about $40 for the average Newark homeowner, has been criticized for his support of a plan to lease a privately developed elementary school in the city’s Ironbound neighborhood at an estimated cost of $498 million over 30 years. Critics include Republican lawmakers from outside of Newark who argue that the district relies on taxpayers from throughout the state to pay more than four-fifths of its costs, while some other districts are eliminating teaching jobs and programs due to state funding cuts.