Princeton Board Of Education Bids Adieu To 2 Outgoing Members

PRINCETON, NJ – In the last meeting of the year, held Dec. 12, the Princeton Board of Education paid tribute to two outgoing members – Michele Tuck-Ponder and Jean Durban.

While Tuck-Ponder lost her reelection bid this November and Durban decided not to contest.

Tuck-Ponder served for six years on the Princeton BOE serving as board vice president for two years, co-chair of the negotiations committee, as a member of the equity committee and others.

Beth Behrend who came on the BOE at the same time as Tuck-Ponder said she will miss her voice on the board.

“You have brought wisdom and experience and a very helpful sense of perspective,” Behrend said. “It's been an honor to serve with you. And I wish you well, in your future endeavors.”

BOE member Brian McDonald thanked Tuck-Ponder for her more than three decades of service to the community, with a special commitment to the community's most vulnerable members.

“Michele's energy, and at times her intensity had positively impacted all of us, and has strengthened our district's commitment to equity,” McDonald said. “Her professionalism, her focus on governance, and her values have made us a better and a stronger board.”

Durban will be leaving the Princeton BOE after three years. She served on the policy committee, the long-term planning committee and the equity committee among others.

Betsy Baglio told the community that Durban joined the board at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and jumped right into work.

“You look at our work with a policy-minded focus, yet you had a great care for students at the same time. And we have all really appreciated that,” Baglio said.

Thanking Durban for her service, McDonald called the outgoing BOE member “energetic, passionate and focused.”

“She has had a clear commitment to our community's children, all of our children, but especially those with the greatest needs. This has been paired with a demonstrated commitment to our taxpayers, through her laser-like focus on the budget, and her commitment to using every dollar wisely and efficiently,” McDonald said.

“Jean is one of our community's most dedicated, effective and long-serving volunteers whose service has been both a labor of love and a gift to our town.”

Adam Bierman and Eleanor Hubbard will be replacing the two outgoing members in the new year.

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