EDITORIAL: Filing deadline for board hopefuls is just days away

By Ruth Luse, Managing Editor
   Fourteen area school board seats will be filled April 21.
   Those elected that day will have a say in the future operation of one of the four local school districts involved.
   Those who hold them will help oversee the use of the individual district’s money and the manner in which education is delivered to the young people of that district.
   The deadline for filing nominating petitions is just days away: March 2 at 4 p.m.
   Board positions will be filled, as follows:
   • Lambertville Public School — three open seats, each for a term of three years. A one-year unexpired term also is available.
   • West Amwell Township Elementary School — three three-year terms and one unexpired term (until 2010).
   • Stockton Public School — two seats (three-year terms).,
   • South Hunterdon Regional High School — four seats. Two three-year terms are open for representatives from Lambertville. One three-year term each is available to represent West Amwell Township and Stockton Borough.
   An individual interested in filing should obtain a nominating petition from his/her local school board office. A candidate must get the signatures of at least 10 qualified voters living within the district he/she wants to represent. One of the signatures may be the would-be candidate’s own.
   An individual interested in filing: must be an American citizen; must be at least 18 years old; must be able to read and write; must have been a resident for at least one year of the municipality he/she wants to represent on the board; cannot be directly or indirectly interested in any contract with, or claim against, the school board; and cannot be disqualified as a voter under state law. These are the legal requirements.
   But, there are other qualifications — in our opinion and in that of the New Jersey School Boards Association —would-be candidates should consider. A board member’s job is not to administer the schools, but to work with other members to see that schools are well run. The board member also should be able to listen to opposing views and be able to defend the board’s philosophy and goals. A board member should be able to invest the time necessary to meet his/her responsibilities. A board member should be motivated, not by a need for personal glory or to carry out personal objectives, but by a sincere desire to benefit the community.
   A school board member is a state official and has just one constituency — the children of New Jersey.
   Unlike those elected to political office, school board members do not represent the townspeople who elect them.
   By late Monday afternoon, we’ll know who has decided to take up the challenge of board candidacy, and, possibly, of future board membership.