Deadline for applicants is Dec. 13
By John Tredrea, Staff Writer
The school board plans to appoint someone on Dec. 17 to fill the vacancy created by the resignation last week of Carl Swanson, one of the longest serving members of the Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education, who said he was stepping down due to health reasons.
Dr. Swanson, one of Hopewell Township’s seven members on the nine-member board — Pennington and Hopewell Borough have one member apiece — submitted his written resignation to school board President Linda Mitchell on Nov 28. The resignation was effective immediately.
Dr. Swanson, 78, said he had made the decision to resign “with great reluctance.”
Under state law, the board has 65 days to appoint a replacement for Dr. Swanson. The interim board member would serve until the next regular election, set by state law for April 15.
Ms. Mitchell said she intends to expedite the process of selecting a replacement, “given the importance of numerous pending issues before the board, most notably the development of the 2008-2009 budget.”
Therefore, the board intends to appoint a qualified resident to this vacancy according to the following time schedule:
— A letter of application, which includes the candidates qualifications, resume, and reasons for wanting to become a board member, should be received by Robert Colavita, board secretary, no later than noon on Dec. 13 at the Administration Building, 425 S. Main St., Pennington, 08534.
— The board will interview qualified candidates at the regular board meeting on Dec. 17. Following deliberations, the board will appoint and seat the replacement board member at that meeting.
According to Mr. Colavita, the law requires interested candidates to be a registered voter in Hopewell Township and a U.S. citizen at least 18 years of age who can read and write. The law also requires the candidate to have been a resident of Hopewell Township for at least one year and not be directly or indirectly interested in any contract with or claim against the board. The candidate must also fulfill the requirements of the New Jersey Ethics Act.
Interested residents may contact Mr. Colavita at 737-4000, ext. 2201.
Dr. Swanson won his first term on the board in 1999 and was in the final year of his third consecutive term when he stepped down Nov. 28.
”During the past year my participation on the Board of Education has been interrupted by bouts of illness which have resulted in less involvement by me on board matters than I feel either the board or the community deserves,” Dr. Swanson said in his resignation letter.
”Most recently I have concluded that for the remainder of my current term, which ends next April, my participation will continue to be less than I wish it to be. Therefore, with great reluctance I write to inform you that I resign my position as a member of the Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education to take place immediately,” he said.
Dr. Swanson already was retired from a long career in education when he joined the board in 1999. A former college and K-12 art teacher, he spent the majority of his 30-year career with the New Jersey Department of Education. He served in a variety of capacities, including evaluating high schools, supervising high school curricula and evaluating research proposals.
For a time, he worked as the department’s lobbyist, promoting education bills in the Legislature. These included family life education and amendments to the Thorough and Efficient (T&E) clause of the state constitution. At the time of his retirement, he was serving as a deputy assistant commissioner for curriculum and instruction.
For several years following his retirement, Dr. Swanson worked in employee and management training for a Hightstown-based importer of scientific balances and scales. He also worked as a freelance cartoonist and book illustrator.
During his years on the local board, Dr. Swanson served on all district subcommittees, particularly the one most familiar to him professionally — curriculum and instruction.
”My eight plus years as a member of the Board of Education have been some of the most gratifying of my life,” Dr. Swanson wrote. “It has been a privilege to serve with the intelligent and devoted board members who volunteer so much of their lives, and the excellent administration and staff, who together make this such a fine public school system, one of which we can all be very proud.”
Last May, the Hopewell Valley Education Foundation honored Dr. Swanson with an E-Squared Award (individual). At the awards event at the Hopewell Valley Golf Club, former school board President Bill Hills presented Dr. Swanson — “longtime supporter and friend of the schools and member of the Hopewell Valley Board of Education, which he has served for over eight years” — with his award.

