With No Candidates Filed, Write-Ins Key To Wall School Board Election

WALL, NJ — The Wall Township Board of Education has three terms expiring this December, but no one has filed petitions to run for the spots in the November election, according to county records.

So the school board election is in sort of a wait-and-see mode, pending write-in candidates entered on Election Day, observers of the board say. Write-in candidates just need to be registered voters, they say.

According to the Monmouth County clerk of elections office at the MonmouthCountyVotes.com site, no one has filed petitions for the board positions as of the July 31 deadline. "No petition filed" was cited as of Aug. 10 for the three spots on the Wall school board on the county website.

Current members Kristen Hodnett, Christopher San Filippo and Kenneth Wondrack are all members of the board with terms ending at the end of 2023, according to the district website.

San Filippo, who will have served two terms over six years as of December, was able to be reached Thursday. He said he has many other obligations with coaching and his family. But he "fulfilled his obligation" to the board, having completed his terms, he said.

He said he hopes write-ins will step up, and said some might prefer that sort of campaign compared with collecting the many signatures needed for a petition. He said campaigns might also develop through social media sites.

The New Jersey School Boards Association, a nonpartisan organization that serves its school board membership, provided guidance on state law on the general situation in which no candidates file for office.

The NJSBA is a state-created federation of boards of education. It provides mandated governance training to the board members, its website states.

The following laws would apply, according to Thomas Parmalee, manager of communications/publications for the New Jersey School Boards Association:

1. Write-in votes would be counted, and the individual with the highest number of write-in votes would be offered the position as long as that person is a qualified candidate. If the person elected does not wish to serve, the most recent available opinion from election officials is that there has been an absence of candidates and the county superintendent would appoint someone to serve. According to N.J.S.A. 19:3-4. 2, the seat does not go to the next highest vote getter.
2. If there is a tie among the write-in candidates, even with as little as one vote apiece, a special election would be called among the write-in candidates if more than one of them is eligible and wishes to hold the position. (N.J.S.A. 18A:12-15, N.J.S.A. 19:3-4. 3.)
3. If there is a vacancy resulting from an absence of candidates to the school board, then the county superintendent shall make an appointment to fill the vacancy. (N.J.S.A. 18A:12-15.)

The school boards association provided more explanation of the write-in process.

Regarding potential write-in candidates, Parmalee said that some write-in candidates may be known, and some others may not. There is no obligation for a write-in candidate to campaign.

"It is possible for a write-in candidate to promote they are running by writing letters to the editor, posting signs or otherwise letting citizens know they would like their name to be written in for an elected office," he said.

He said the county clerk would, as usual, have to certify the results of the election. Assuming the results are certified, and if the write in candidate(s) accept the position – and as long as they meet the statutory requirements to serve on a board of education – they would be elected to the board, he said.

In 2022, candidates filed for all the open terms, but there was no contest in the election.

Being a board member hasn't been easy here - or in many other districts with many national issues played out in Board of Education meetings.

In Wall, the district experienced controversy with a hazing incident disclosed in September and October of 2021, a matter investigated by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office. There were certain suspensions and re-instatements and realignments of administrative staff in connection to that and, separately, in connection to a senior class trip to Disneyworld, as you can see summarized in a past Patch article.

But there were accomplishments by the board, as well.

It saw a major referendum approved by voters for improvements to the district's schools. The board also filled the Wall High School principal spot with an acting principal who is an experienced administrator. (The principal is still on paid leave in the Disneyworld issue.)

The December referendum had two questions:

Question 1 proposed $53 million in bonds. This question passed by 1,915 votes to 1,039 votes, in unofficial results. This measure would fund widespread roof and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) repairs, electrical and mechanical system upgrades, and restroom modernizations. It also includes renovations to several instructional classrooms and the Wall High School auditorium.

Question 2 proposed $13.5 million in bonds. This question passed by 1,715 votes to 1,225 votes, in unofficial results. This bond will fund more specifically located HVAC, electrical, and site upgrades; window replacements; art room renovations; and upgrades to expand use of Wall High School’s athletic facilities, the district has said.

Passage of the referendum also brought in millions of state aid to the district.

You can read about the referendum in a past Patch article: Wall School Bonding Questions Are Approved In Unofficial Results.

The district also, on its website, has photos of work being done this summer as a result of the referendum on the roof of Wall High School and other projects at Allenwood School. You can read financial summaries there, too. The site does not provide a written progress report as yet.