By Ruth Luse, Managing Editor
On Jan. 17, Gov. Chris Christie signed into law Senate Bill 3148, which gave communities the option of moving school elections from April to the November general election.
With the exception of the Readington Township school district, all Hunterdon County school board member candidates seeking election will appear on Nov. 6, 2012 ballots.
The filing deadline for nominating petitions is June 5 — also primary election day — at 4 p.m. Residents of Lambertville, West Amwell and Stockton who intend to run for these seats are required to obtain 10 signatures of qualified registers voters in the district they are seeking to represent. These petitions must be filed with the Hunterdon County clerk’s office, 71 Main St., Hall Of Records Building, P.O. Box 2900, Flemington, 08822-2900.
Thirteen seats are up for grabs in the Nov. 6 election.
• For South Hunterdon Regional High School, four seats are involved. Three are for three-year terms and are held now by Robert Campbell (Lambertville), Laurie Weinstein (Lambertville) and Boyd Hartpence (West Amwell). The fourth is a one-year term and is held by Gregg Rackin (Stockton).
• For Lambertville Public School’s board, three seats (three-year terms) are open. Those holding those seats are Derek Roseman, Grant Miller and John Woznicki
• For West Amwell Township Elementary School’s board, four seats are open. Three are for three-year terms and are held now by Peter Gasparro, John Dupuis and Andrea Little. The fourth, now held by Leila Rice, is for a two-year unexpired term. Ms. Rice replaced Christine Baker, who resigned in January.
• For Stockton Public School’s board, two seats (three-year terms) are open. They are held now by Jim Gallagher and Diane Walker-Torkelson.
Candidates must be: American citizens; at least 18 years old; able to read and write; have been a resident for at least one year of the municipality he/she wants to represent on the board; and cannot be directly or indirectly interested in any contract with, or claim against the school board. These are legal requirements.
But, there are other things — in our opinion and in that of the New Jersey School Boards Association — would-be candidates should consider.
School board members are volunteers. They also are state officials (unlike those elected to political office, school board members do not represent the townspeople who elect them). They derive whatever power they have from the state, which is responsible for public education. Those who get it in their heads to run for school board seats because they want to represent a specific community group or interest should “forget it,” according to “Basic Boardsmanship,” a publication of the NJSBA.
A school board member’s job is difficult and time-consuming. It involves dealing with innumerable pressures arising from the need to conserve costs in a state whose leaders continue to face mounting debt and a sluggish economy. In facing such fiscal challenges, which always trickle down to the local level, school board members often must make hard choices that can adversely affect what some in their communities might see as essential offerings.
The job of school board member is for sincere volunteers, whose only remuneration will be the satisfaction of doing a job should be done well.
We urge those who understand the role board members play and those who sincerely want to serve to come forth as candidates this year. Your communities need you!

