Deadline to file for Lawrence school board approaches

Time is running out for candidates to file a nominating petition to serve on the Lawrence Township Public Schools Board of Education.

The deadline to file a nominating petition is at 4 p.m. July 25. The petition, which must be signed by at least 10 registered voters who live in Lawrence, must be handed over to the Mercer County Clerk’s Office in Trenton.

The school board election is Nov. 8. The term is for three years.

At stake are the seats held by Pepper Evans, Michelle King and Amanda Santos. All are running for re-election.

Evans has served on the school board since 2013.

Evans chairs the school board’s Finance Committee and sits on the Community Relations & Legislative Affairs Committee, the Negotiations Committee and the Guidance & Mental Health Committee.

Evans has two daughters who are graduates of Lawrence High School. She is the assistant to the president of the Silver Century Foundation.

King has served on the school board since 2016.

She chairs the Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment and Professional Development Committee and serves on the Finance, Equity, and Guidance & Mental Health committees.

King has five daughters. She is an adjunct faculty member in the School of Education at The College of New Jersey.

Santos joined the school board in 2021.

Santos chairs the Equity Committee and serves on the Community Relations & Legislative Affairs Committee and the Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment and Professional Development Committee.

She has three children. She is a private voice and piano instructor.

Candidates for school board must be at least 18 years old, be able to read and write and hold U.S. citizenship.

They must have lived in the school district for at least one year and be registered to vote in the town which they seek to represent on the school board.

They may not have an interest in, or hold a claim, against the school board. They may not serve on the municipal governing body, and they may be disqualified from holding office because of conviction of certain crimes.

Nominating petitions and the school board packet are available through the Mercer County Clerk’s Office under the “Elections” tab at www.mercercounty.org.