Bill Koch Leaves After 11 Years on School Board

Bernards Board of Education member William Koch has attended a lot of school board meetings in the past 11 years, and this week's was his last.

Koch, who said both of his children have graduated, declined to seek re-election for another three-year term this November.

The retiring board member said it was the high quality of education his daughters had received Bernards Township schools "that induced me to get on the board, and to stay here for 11 years."

But before leaving, he said he hopes the board and administration in the future will consider some form of random drug testing within the school district, since he said he doesn't want to read more accounts of residents in the township who have died at a young age.

Koch's seat on the board expires at the end of 2013 and he will be replaced by a new board member Christopher Viereck.

Koch recalled that earlier during his time on the board, a responsibility he notes takes many hours of time, he was part of the effort of carrying out a 2005 referendum project that resulted in a major expansion at Ridge High School and renovations or maintenance improvements at most of the district's other school buildings.

He added on Monday he is proud of a project to enlarge and transform the weight room at Ridge High School into a "wellness center" that is due to be accomplished next summer.

He offered his appreciation for his fellow board members, although he added, "I think I have argued with just about everyone here," and also the "regulars" who attend meetings, whom he said had been instrumental in obtaining public approval for the 2005 referendum vote.

But Koch added that he still feels "attendance at meetings never has been that strong." He noted that perhaps televising meetings — a topic long discussed — would invite more of the public to view what the school board is doing.

Koch said he also appreciates that Township Committee liasion appointees — most recently Township Mayor Carolyn Gaziano — have been attending Board of Education meetings on a regular basis. He said he felt that the relationship with the township has improved.

Koch said he hopes that the new membership on the board will revive a discussion that ended in no action a few years ago — whether to institute random drug testing of students at Ridge High School.

At that time, a majority of board members declined to approve the program unless it included a clause for parents to sign up to have their students "opt out" of participation. Koch recalled that the school administration then declined to recommend the program with such a clause.

More recently, he said, the new administration seems more willing to accept an "opt out" clause, but the board support has not been there. 

"I would hope that somewhere down the road, the board does get back on it," Koch said of the topic of random drug testing.