From The South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education:
Due to the resignation of a board member, the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education has a vacancy. The vacancy will be filled by an appointment made by the remaining members of the Board at a public meeting on March 30, 2023 beginning at 7:30 p.m.
The process for filling a vacancy differs from a typical school board election. The person appointed by the Board will become a full member of the Board and serve in that position until the next reorganization meeting in January 2024.
In order to be considered for this appointment, any interested party must submit a letter of interest, resume and any other available information indicating their qualifications. This information should be presented in a form that will assist the Board of Education in making an appointment. Please include reasons your selection to the school board would be of value to the district and the students.
These materials can be mailed to the attention of Eric Burnside, School Business Administrator/ Board Secretary, c/o South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education, 525 Academy Street, Maplewood, New Jersey 07040, or emailed to boardvacancy@somsd.k12.nj.us with “Board Vacancy Application” in the subject line.
The deadline for receiving materials is 5:00 p.m. March 21, 2023.
Interviews with candidates for the board vacancy will be conducted in public on Thursday, March 30, 2023 beginning at 7:30 p.m. All applicants will be provided the opportunity to make a five-minute statement that elaborates on the letter and resume; reasons for wanting to serve, qualifications, and areas of priority. The board will follow-up with any questions. After all statements and questions are concluded, the board will adjourn to executive session to deliberate. After returning from executive session, the board will make nominations to fill the position and then vote to appoint one of the candidates. The candidate with a majority vote of the remaining members of the Board will immediately take the oath of office and be seated.
The person selected to fill the vacancy will have to undergo a full criminal background check within 30 days of appointment. However, candidates should be notified/advised to undergo the criminal history review when they submit their application to prevent a delay in their ability to serve if appointed by the Board.
Qualifications:
Each member of any board of education shall, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:12-1:
- Be a United States citizen;
- Be a resident of the district for at least one year at the time of election or appointment;
- Be able to read and write;
- Be a registered voter in the district where the person is submitting the nomination petition (or being appointed);
- Not be disqualified as a voter pursuant to N.J.S.A. 19:4-1;
- Not have been convicted of any of the crimes or offenses enumerated in N.J.S.A. 18A;12-1 or conspiracy to commit or attempt to commit any of said crimes;
- Not be the mayor or a member of the governing body of the municipality;
- Not have a direct or indirect contract with or claim against the board.
Additional information can be obtained from the New Jersey School Boards Association at https://www.njsba.org/about/membership/school-board-candidacy/ or by contacting Board Secretary Eric Burnside.
