One incumbent and one newcomer were elected to seats on the Plumsted School District Board of Education on Nov. 4.
Three candidates sought two three-year terms on the panel that oversees the operation of the school district. Board members are not paid for their service to the community.
According to the Ocean County Board of Elections, firsttime candidate Susan Potter received 961 votes to win election and board member Sandra Soles will return for her third consecutive term after receiving 884 votes.
The board’s current president, Harry Miller, received 709 votes. His term will end in December.
“I have to say honestly that I am very humbled and appreciative of the ongoing support the community has given to me over the past six years,” Soles said. “I look forward to serving the students, their parents and the citizens of Plumsted for another term, where I will continue to keep the students first in all my decisionmaking.” Soles said Miller was an asset to the board and will be missed when the panel reorganizes in January.
“Harry’s talents, hard work and dedication have definitely helped our district move forward,” she said.
Potter and Soles said the future of the district will hinge on several issues, including curriculum and administrative staffing.
Potter, who has two children enrolled at New Egypt High School, said she hopes to address what she described as a revolvingdoor policy for teachers and administrators in the district.
“When I moved to this community eight years ago, it was because of an article that talked about the New Egypt school system being so great. It’s really changed a lot since.”
Since then, Potter said, there have been a number of changes in administrative positions and in the teaching staff.
“That’s a lot of change and a lot of different directors. There has to be something going on as to why we can’t keep people here,” she said. “Teachers do not risk their tenure to go someplace else for the same amount of money.”
Potter said she hopes to address that issue by encouraging professional development and advancement within the district, rather than hiring administrators from outside the district.
“I know there are plenty of qualified teachers in the district who know our children and who we are,” she said. “I think moving teachers forward into administrative positions could only help our district. … If they are qualified, why not let our teachers move up in the ranks and make those administrative decisions?”
Soles said one issue the board has to address is finding a new superintendent.
Superintendent of Schools Karen Jones will be leaving Plumsted in December to become the assistant superintendent in the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District in Monmouth County.
“Right now I would say the most pressing issue is finding a superintendent with a true, vested interest in our students and community,” Soles said.
Both candidates said they were interested in “keeping students first,” noting that further implementation of the Common Core State Standards curriculum and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers testing will remain key concerns over the next three years.