3 BOE Members Unsure About Seeking Re-election

The three Bernards Township Board of Education members whose terms expire at the end of this year each said following Monday's meeting they had not yet decided whether they would file with the county by June to seek re-election to additional three-year terms.

But board member Michael Byrne, most likely to vote out of line with the other eight members on the board, responded to a question of whether he would run again with, "Do you think I offer a different opinion once in a while?"

Because of that reason, Byrne said he is "leaning" toward seeking re-election.

Byrne is a longtime member of the Bernards Township Board of Education, reportedly serving from 1985 to 1997 and then from 2001 to the present time.

Board member Elaine Kusel, who is just completing one term, said on Monday, "I have not yet made a final decision."

Neither had he, said board member William Koch, who has served on several board committees during his 11 years on the school board for Bernards' pre-K to grade 12 school district.

The current deadline to submit the nominating petition is 4 p.m. June 4, the board announced on its website. The nine-member board will have three, three-year vacancies available in the annual school board election, now scheduled to be part of the general election on Nov. 5.

Petitions should be delivered by the deadline to the Somerset County Clerk, 20 Grove St. P.O. Box 3000, Somerville, 08876-1262.

Prospective school board candidates can obtain a School Board Candidate Kit online at http://www.njsba.org/candidacy/. Published by the New Jersey School Boards Association, the 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.

Candidates who have filed a petition with the Somerset County Clerk should also contact Christina Patton at the Board of Education Office at cpatton@bernardsboe.com to receive a board basics packet. More information is online on the school website.