Hillsborough Board Of Education General Election 2025: Joel E. Davis

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — Hillsborough's general election on Nov. 4 has six candidates running for three open seats on the Township Board of Education.

Board members Jean Trujillo, Joel Davis, and Danny Lee are all running for re-election to the board.

The candidate field includes three challengers: John Fluet, N. Jannah Hameed, and Marc Ehrenkrantz.

Are you running for office in Hillsborough? Contact Alexis Tarrazi at alexis.tarrazi@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Bridgewater Patch.

Joel E. Davis

Age: 76

Town of residence: Hillsborough

Position sought: Hillsborough Bd of Ed

Family: Married, 5 children, 11 grandchildren (2 adopted), 2 great-grandchildren

Education: BA English/Education, MA Christian Counseling

Occupation: Retired & part-time ordained minister

Previous or current elected appointed office: Currently serving Hillsborough Bd of Ed, previous Commissioner Hillsborough Youth Services Commission

Campaign website: None

Why are you seeking election for the Hillsborough Township Board of Education?

If not me, who? There are many issues at play in the State of NJ having to do with education, such issues as taxation, parent’s rights, curriculum and the State funding formula to cite a few. Although I cannot change anything at the State level where the changes need to occur, I can at least “hold the line” as best I am able here in Hillsborough. If nothing else I may serve as a “voice of reason” from time to time, even if out-voted (such as when I opposed the recent tax increases that were implemented without a referendum, which I believe ought to have been required).

School finances have been continuously discussed in the district. The district recently took advantage of the state's tax Incentive Aid program which increases the tax levy. What did you think of this decision?

As alluded to above, I opposed the tax increase. That does not necessarily mean I completely disagree with the budget (although at some point we must consider restraining spending). My principle objection is that the authority to issue such a tax increase was unprecedented, and afforded the Board unilateral power to impose a genuinely painful tax increase upon the people of Hillsborough. There ought to have been a public referendum: It’s that simple. There are many citizens who approve of the tax increase as a way to support the schools, but there are also many who have protested the heavy financial burden such tax increases place upon the residents of Hillsborough. A referendum is the only way to fairly and openly resolve that conflict: Raising taxes by fiat is not acceptable, in my view.

Do you have any comments or suggestions on how the district could handle its budget?

Most people have no idea of how “messed up” the school funding in New Jersey really is.

Hillsborough, on the losing end of the funding equation, has lost millions of dollars in State aid over just the last few years, whereas certain other districts have received more money than they can spend. One district was even reprimanded for profligate spending on indulgences including trips and parties. Besides the gross inequity of the state funding, the local school district is forced to develop a budget while having no idea what funding they might receive in the coming school year. School Business Administrators might have to wait until March or April to find out what the State funding (or cuts) will be, and yet the budget building process begins months before that. It is a sad scenario of best-guesses and dire-projections. This is simply one more example of how the essence of the problem really must be resolved in Trenton, which is a by-product of who the townspeople vote for.

Along related lines, some current Board members have asked about cutting the budget over the next couple of years, to give the residents at least a breather. Yet, we appear to be trapped again. An element of the State funding formula is based upon whether the State believes the residents of Hillsborough are paying their “fair share” in taxes. If the school district does not raise taxes every year according to the so-called 2% cap, the town ends up falling below the “fair share” contribution, which may lead to more cuts in State funding down the road. Keep in mind, Hillsborough must keep heaping up its “fair share” of taxes while some other districts receive more money than they can spend. Very disturbing to me.

The district is preparing to move forward with redistricting of students due to rising student enrollment. What do you think about this?

The process of redistricting can be, in and of itself, a healthy exercise in evaluating the use of resources. In the current case, a driving factor in the need to examine this right now is the movement toward all-day kindergarten. To offer all-day kindergarten there are numerous construction codes that must be met, and the administration is looking into which facilities should be upgraded, which are OK as is, and what the distribution of children is expected to be.

Hence, the redistricting exercise is actually just a demographic study to determine the adequacy of existing facilities.

What other issues do you feel need to be tackled in the school district?

As combustible as it may be to mention, the over-arching issue of “parental rights” will have to be resolved at some point. Sadly, it has become a “political” issue which, again, ultimately must be resolved in Trenton. Nevertheless, there are other school districts around the state that have established policies to establish or defend the rights of parents to be informed of what is happening with their child at school. It is my personal view that it is a dangerous practice to afford school officials the liberty to elect to not inform parents and legal guardians of situations at school that have deep psychological implications. There are policies that allow school staff to inform parents, while not requiring such notification. Some argue that the relationship between a student and the parents may be so dysfunctional as to make such notification dangerous for the student: In my view, in such cases there must be a referral for professional, disinterested family counseling, or the like. This is obviously a much deeper problem than can be adequately described here, in a short response, but I see this is a fundamental philosophical issue that must be remedied.

What sets you apart from the challenging candidates?

Some have described me as bringing a “voice of reason” to the Board. That is something about which I feel quite honored, but our current Board in Hillsborough is generally professional and respectful with one another, even when in disagreement. I hope to continue in that light. As noted earlier I am older than most other candidates and Board members, and that means I do have decades of experience in leadership positions throughout my career. From having my own software development and consulting firm, to serving as Executive Director at a Christian retreat center, to Assistant VP of Finance at a college, the accumulated experience has served me well so far, and shall going forward.

Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself or your campaign?

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