Lawrence Township school district officials are seeking candidates to fill an unexpired term on the Lawrence Township Public Schools Board of Education that ends in January 2024.
The vacancy was created by the removal of school board member Gregory Johnson by New Jersey Acting Commissioner of Education Angelica Allen-McMillan for his alleged failure to meet the annual training mandate by Dec. 31, 2021.
Prospective school board members should mail a letter of interest to Thomas Eldridge, the school board secretary, at [email protected]. It should include information about themselves and why they want to serve on the school board.
The deadline to apply is Sept. 21.
A candidate must be a citizen of the United States and have lived in Lawrence Township for at least one year. A candidate must be at least 18 years old and be able to read and write. He or she must be registered to vote in Lawrence.
A candidate may not have any interest or contract with, or claim against, the school board. He or she may not be a member of the municipal governing body nor simultaneously hold two elective offices.
Candidates must be able to attend the Oct. 12 school board meeting, which will be held at Lawrence High School. They must be prepared to discuss their candidacy with the school board.
The school board expects to fill the vacancy at the October meeting.
Johnson was removed from office on the recommendation of the School Ethics Commission in its May 24 decision.
According to a resolution read at the Lawrence school board’s Aug. 31 meeting as required by the New Jersey Department of Education, Johnson stated that he had not received any communication from the School Ethics Commission prior to May 24 because of an incorrect email address.
Johnson was given additional time to complete the training, but “failed to do so and/or to submit proof of completion” of the mandatory training, according to the resolution.
In a decision dated Aug. 15, Allen-McMillan found that Johnson had not completed the mandatory training and ordered him to be removed from the school board, according to the resolution.