Are You Up to the BOE Challenge?

Local school Board of Education (BOE) elections are coming up and several vacancies need to be filled. A total of eleven positions are open in all three school districts in Rumson and Fair Haven. The deadline for residents to have their nominating petitions in is March 8.

According to Rumson School District Superintendent Scott Feder, there are five board seats open for that district. Feder, in an email, wrote that there are three seats open that are three-year positions, one seat is a two-year position to complete the term of the recently resigned board president, and one seat is a one-year position to complete the term of another board member who resigned.

The Fair Haven School District has three, three-year positions open, and Rumson/Fair Haven Regional High School (RFHRHS) also has three positions open for three-year terms.

There are certain requirements residents must meet, by state law, to be a BOE member: Residents must live in the school district for a minimum of one year; be able to read and write; be a registered voter; and candidates cannot have a contract with, or claim against, the school district.

While the requirements may be easy to meet, qualifications for this unpaid position can make a difference between an effective and successful board member and one who is not.

The New Jersey School Boards Association President, Raymond R. Wiss, wrote in a press release that a help-wanted ad for a school board might read: “Wanted: Citizens who are dedicated and hard-working, have a strong sense of ethics, are willing to learn and ask questions, and can communicate with and work well with others.”

And, aside from these qualifications, Wiss wrote that applicants “must be willing to represent the interests of the children and the taxpayers in their community.”

Indeed, that’s what one local BOE member for Rumson Fair Haven Regional High School echoed in an interview. “A member has to be a good listener, has to take in everything, and has to be passionate about education,” said Sarah Maris, who is now into her second year as a board member.

Maris explained that board members have to represent everyone—all the children and the taxpayers—in the community. “We create an atmosphere where children are being well-educated,” she said, adding that is a “very rewarding” position.

Being a board member carries some important responsibilities. As Maris pointed out, board members hire and fire the district’s superintendent, set policy for the schools, and provide advice for the superintendent.

There are numerous committees, as well, and each board member sits on two or three committees. These committees, according to Maris, include the finance, education, policy, building and grounds, and community relations committee. Each one directly impact the school.

The NJSBA reports that the local school boards affect operations in schools relating to instruction, personnel, community relations and facilities management, and aside from evaluating the superintendent, the board approves proposed budgets that are then submitted to the voters.

A recent survey by the NJSBA asked readers why they joined their local school board. Several members expressed a desire to serve the community and its children. Some comments from the survey of board members included, “I wanted to be sure that our children were getting the very best education that our tax dollars spend,” said one member. Another wrote of a “desire to make our school and community a better place.” Still another member commented in the survey, “The desire to be an active participant in the community prompted me to get involved in my local school board.”

Whatever the motivation for being a local school board member, there is a time commitment involved. Once a resident wins the election for BOE, there is required training by the NJSBA. This, according to Maris, can be done online or in person and takes a few hours. The board member position, however, requires an average of eight to twelve hours of time a month, Maris said. Her board meets twice a month, and each member sits on two or three committees that meet once a month.

Residents interested in running for their school board need to get a nominating petition from the board administration’s office. To run, twelve signatures of registered voters are required on the petition. Then, residents need to win the election to the board, and then their responsibilities as board members begin. New board members will find a wealth of information on their new position at the NJSBA website