Submitted Content
To the editor:
I am a member of the Hillsborough Township School Board. The opinions expressed here are my own; they are neither authorized by nor do they express the views or opinions of the Hillsborough Township School Board.
The school board’s role is to make sure the schools are well run, but the board does not run the schools. This distinction is important: the school board sets the “what” through policy and the administration does the “how” in day-to-day management.
School board members are the largest group of elected officials in New Jersey and also the most regulated. Serving on the school board is a time commitment, but you won’t be learning alone. Training is provided through New Jersey School Boards Association (www.njsba.org) and these are my main take-aways:
1) All children can be successful; it’s our job to figure out what that is and how to help them achieve it.
2) At the end of the day, it’s about what’s in the best interest of the kids.
The school board is comprised of nine residents from Hillsborough and Millstone. Each board member serves for a three-year term and each year, three seats are open for election. The school board election is non-partisan and the nominating petition needs ten signatures plus a notary signature. Residents must file their nominating petition with the Somerset County Clerk by 4 p.m., Monday, July 31 for their names to appear on the November 7th General Election ballot.
In the recent school board vacancy, I was impressed with the interest and qualifications of all ten candidates. With time, I felt each one could be an effective school board member. However, this was an expired five-month term, and one candidate – Lorraine Soisson, a member of a previous board – had already completed training and would be effective immediately. In the spirit of discourse and working together for the best interest of Hillsborough’s children, I hope these candidates and others will consider running in the November election.
Jean Trujillo
Hillsborough Board of Education member
