By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
One of three incumbent school board members whose terms are expiring is definitely signing up to run for another term in the April 21 annual school board election, but the other two school board members are still weighing their options.
Thomas Patrick said he plans to seek a second term on the Lawrence Township Board of Education, but Kevin Pollock said he has not decided whether to run again. Michael Brindle said he is leaning toward seeking re-election, but he is not committing to it. The terms are for three years.
The deadline to file an application is March 2 at 4 p.m. Nominating petitions are available at the school district office at 2565 Princeton Pike, next door to Lawrence High School. The office is open weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. — but it will be closed Friday, Feb. 13, and Monday, Feb. 16, for Presidents’ Day.
The school board candidates’ kit, which contains a sample nominating petition, also is available on the New Jersey School Boards Association Web site at www.njsba.org.
A candidate for school board must be able to read and write, be a U.S. citizen who is registered to vote, and have lived in the school district for at least one year. A candidate may not have an interest in any contract — or a claim against — the school board. He or she may not serve on the municipal governing body.
Mr. Patrick, 62, lives on Van Kirk Road and teaches finance at The College of New Jersey. He is married and has three grown children who graduated from Lawrence High School.
Mr. Pollock, 35, lives on Gallo Court. He is an attorney in private practice in Pennington. He is married and has two children — a 7-year-old who attends the Lawrenceville Elementary School and a 3-year-old.
Mr. Brindle, 63, of Puritan Avenue, is a retired music teacher. He taught in the Hopewell Valley Regional School District. He is married and has one grown daughter who graduated from Lawrence High School.
Mr. Patrick said that while he is “always there for the kids,” there are other aspects of serving on the school board that he enjoys. He pointed to the district’s solar energy initiative, which calls for installing solar energy panels on the roofs of the seven school buildings. The measure is expected to save money.
“These are tough financial times and I want to be involved in working on the budget,” he said. “It’s a challenge. How are we going to keep the budget flat so taxes won’t go up?”
“We have to find ways to make (spending) cuts that make sense and generate money (other than property taxes). It’s spending money more efficiently,” he said, adding that the solar initiative is one example of spending money wisely.
Mr. Pollock said he has not made up his mind whether to seek a second term. Serving on the school board is a “big time commitment” and he needs to examine his options, he said.
But Mr. Brindle said he is “leaning toward” seeking his seventh term on the school board. He said he has taken out a nominating petition, but has not yet turned it in. He said he may file the petition in the next week or two.
“I will probably run, but I am not committing to it,” he said. “I am impressed with this school board and administration. There are a lot of people on the school board who are doing the right thing for the right reasons.”
“This district is moving forward. The test scores and the quality of education are improving. We are closing the (minority) achievement gap. The district is on the right track and I want to stay on the train for awhile.”
Mr. Brindle said he is also interested in school district finances. He said that in the 18 years he has served on the school board, this is the first time that the school district budget may not go up.

