So Far, Two Have Filed For Three School Board Seats

Interested township residents have until 4 p.m. on March 8 to file to be included on the April school ballot to seek election to one of three available seats on the Board of Education. The positions up for election this spring are three-year terms.

As of Friday, two of the three current board members whose terms expire in April had filed a petition seeking re-election, said Nick Markarian, board secretary and business administrator.

Board member Bev Darvin Cwerner filed first, and incumbent Susan McGowan last Thursday filed to be included on the ballot for the school election, currently scheduled for April 27, he said. Board member Ken Wilke, whose term also expires this year, had not yet filed, he said.

As of this time, the deadline for filing a petition in person at the remains the end of the day on March 8, according to Markarian and the school website. The board office is near the Cedar Hill elementary school at 101 Peachtree Road.

However, the website noted that the state had not yet issued an official election calendar. Possible legislative action under discussion at the state level could change the election calendar, school officials said. 

Besides picking up petitions at the board office, prospective school board candidates can obtain a “School Board Candidate Kit” online.

Published by the New Jersey School Boards Association, the School Board Candidate Kit includes a nominating petition, information about legal qualifications for school board candidacy and the role of the school board member. Information about the New Jersey School Ethics Act and important dates in the school election process are also included in the kit.

Wilke could not be reached by Patch as of Saturday afternoon.