Three three-year terms will be on the Upper Freehold Regional School District Board of Education ballot in the annual school election on Nov. 5.
Candidate packets, which include a nominating petition, may be obtained by visiting the New Jersey School Boards Association website at njsba.org/candidacy.
The school board seats currently held by Douglas Anthony of Allentown, Patricia Hogan of Upper Freehold Township and Tia McLaughlin of Upper Freehold Township will be on the ballot. Nominating petitions must be delivered to the clerk of elections before 4 p.m. June 4.
According to the NJSBA website, the criteria to become a school board member includes the following: The candidate must be able to read and write; must hold U.S. citizenship and one year’s residency in the school district; must be registered to vote in the district before filing the nominating petition; must have no interest in any contract with, or claim against, the board; must not hold office as mayor or member of the municipal governing body or, in the case of county school districts, the county governing body; must not simultaneously hold two elective offices; must not be disqualified from membership for the conviction of certain crimes.
Each candidate for election, including incumbents, must be nominated directly by petition, signed by at least 10 people (one of whom may be the candidate), according to the NJSBA.
The NJSBA website states that “a school board member must understand that his or her responsibility is not to administer the schools, but to work with the board to see that the schools are well run; understand that education today is extremely complex; listen to opposing views and be able to defend the board’s philosophy and goals; be willing to invest the hours necessary to meet your responsibilities; serve out of a sincere desire to benefit the community rather than for personal glory or to carry out personal objectives; bear in mind that, as a state official, you have a responsibility to all the children in the state, not only to those in the local district.”
For more information, contact the NJSBA at 609-695-7600, or the Monmouth County office at 732-431-7810.
A candidate packet may be obtained at the Clerk of Elections Office, 300 Halls Mill Road, Freehold Township, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.