Board of Ed. Becoming a Board Member Board Member Responsibilities Information for New Board Members Write to the Board of Education Signed e-mails sent using this link will be considered official correspondence to the Board of Education and will be placed on the Board's public meeting agenda under "Letters to the Board." The Board will not consider e-mails when the sender is anonymous. The Board president will respond to correspondence on behalf of the Board. .       HOME	Scotch Plains-Fanwood Public Schools	Board Members
	Board of Education Members 2008 - 2009
	President - Norman "Trip" Whitehouse Vice President - Sasha Slocum
	SCOTCH PLAINS (908) 10 Nancy Bauer 789-8636 baucons35@comcast.net 10 Jane Costello 928-1125 pcostello2044@comcast.net 08 Warren McFall 754-5688 wmcfall@lucent.com 09 Linda Nelson 889-5329 lnelsonboe@comcast.net 08 Donald Parisi 889-7692 bdjbparisi@comcast.net 09 Norman "Trip" Whitehouse 889-9547 nwhitehouse@comcast.net 09 Betty Anne Woerner 654-5325 bawoerner@yahoo.com . FANWOOD 10 Rob O'Connor 889-4883 roconnorboe@comcast.net 08 Sasha Slocum 322-2463 sasha@sashaslocum.com Note: The public may send e-mails to individual Board members, but as individuals, they have no authority to respond on the Board's behalf. Board members are not required to acknowledge receipt of such e-mails nor are they obliged to respond to e-mail correspondents. Members of the public seeking information about the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Public Schools or Board of Education policies are advised to contact the district's webmaster. Board Committee Assignments 2007-2008 (chairperson in bold): Finance, Budget D. Parisi, N. Bauer, B. Woerner Policy W. McFall, S. Slocum, J. Costello Curriculum S. Slocum, N. Bauer, D. Parisi, R. O'Connor Community Relations L. Nelson, B. Woerner, J. Costello, S. Slocum Facilities R. O'Connor, D. Parisi, W. McFall Negotiations: SPFEA/Board Relations L. Nelson, D. Parisi, B. Woerner, N. Bauer Teamsters No negotiations scheduled at this time Supervisors, Administrators R. O'Connor, J. Costello, T. Whitehouse Superintendent's Evaluation L. Nelson, N. Whitehouse, S. Slocum Liaisons: Garden State Coalition L. Nelson, N. Bauer, Alt. NJ School Boards Association N. Bauer Union Co.School Boards Assoc. R. O'Connor Union Co.Educational Services Commission J. Costello PTA Council T. Whitehouse, L. Nelson, Alt. Municipal Alliance (MAC) J. Costello Community School W. McFall High School Diversity Council B. Woerner, T. Whitehouse, Alt. SP-F Shared Services: T. Whitehouse, L. Nelson Grievance Committees Committee A Committee B Committee C T. Whitehouse, S. Slocum, J. Costello B. Woerner, D. Parisi, R. O'Connor L. Nelson, W. McFall, N. Bauer How to Become a School Board Member Legal Requirements To become a member of a local board of education in New Jersey, you must: • Be able to read and write. • Hold citizenship and one year's residency in the school district. • Have no interest in any contract with, or claim against, the board. • Not hold office as mayor or member of the municipal governing body. • Be registered to vote in the district. Membership By Election Board members living in a Type II school district (such as Scotch Plains-Fanwood) are elected by the district's voters at the annual school election for terms of three years. To be included on the ballot, you must: • Obtain the signatures of at least 10 qualified voters living within the district, one of which may be your own. • File a petition at least 50 days prior to the election in your district. You can gather support for your candidacy by communicating your goals and aims for the schools to the electorate. Campaigning for Election Nominating petitions Each candidate for election, including an incumbent, must be nominated directly by petition, signed by at least ten persons (one of whom may be the candidate). Each nominating petition, addressed to the secretary of the board, must state the following: • That the signers are qualified district voters • The name, residence and post office address of the candidate and the office for which the candidate is endorsed • That the signers endorse the candidate and ask that his or her name be printed on the ballot • That the candidate is legally qualified to be a school board member One of the signers must make a sworn statement that the petition is prepared in good faith, that he or she saw all of the signatures included in the petition and that he or she believes that the signers are duly qualified voters. With the nominating petition, the candidate must include a signed statement certifying that he or she is qualified to be a school board member, consents to be a candidate, and will accept the office if elected. In 2008, nominating petitions must be filed with the Mr. Del Sordi, Board Secretary, at the Administrative Offices before 4:00 p.m., Monday, February 25. Reporting of Expenditures All candidates are required by law to comply with the provisions of The New Jersey Campaign Contributions and Expenditures Reporting Act. For further information, call the Election Law Enforcement Commission at (609) 292-8700, or visit its website, www.elec.state.nj.us Deadlines for filing campaign contribution forms are listed in the flier, "Important 2008 School Election Dates." The flier is part of the NJSBA's School Board Candidate Kit. Campaign Materials Candidates and committees subject to the New Jersey Campaign Contributions and Expenditures Reporting Act are required to include "Paid for by" language in all campaign materials. "Paid for by" language must include the name and address of the committee, individual or group, and clearly state that the entity financed the communication. Examples of "Paid for by" language may be found in ELEC's Compliance Manual. Serving on a School Board As a member of the board of education, you will be expected to fulfill certain responsibilities, including: 1. Establishing goals for the public schools based on student educational needs, parent and community aspirations, state and federal standards and district financial resources. 2. Developing a philosophy of education that will become the basis for sound decisions that affect the governance of your community's schools. 3. Developing policies to guide the administration in managing the schools; developing bylaws to direct the board in carrying out its governance responsibilities. 4. Developing a community understanding of educational issues and school policies through the maintenance of effective communications systems. 5. Providing adequate financing for the district's present and future needs. 6. Ensuring quality education by providing adequate facilities and equipment. 7. Establishing conditions that enable the administration to recruit and effectively evaluate professional staff. 8. Engaging in board self-evaluation and inservice training programs for the purpose of providing well-informed leadership and sound decision-making. 9. Establishing a process for the board to negotiate in good faith with its employees, while representing community educational goals and financial interests. You should also: 1. Understand that your responsibility is not to administer the schools, but to work with the board to see that the schools are well run. 2. Understand that education today is extremely complex. 3. Listen to opposing views and be able to defend the board's philosophy and goals. 4. Be willing to invest the many hours necessary to meet your responsibilities. 5. Serve out of a sincere desire to benefit the community rather than for personal glory or to carry out personal objectives. 6. Bear in mind that, as a state official, you have a responsibility to all the children in the state, not only to those in the local district. For New Board Members Orientation Conferences New Jersey law requires all first-year school board members to attend a New Jersey School Boards Association training program on the roles and responsibilities of school board members. The NJSBA Board Member Academy offers programs to help new members meet this requirement. For example, NJSBA's New Board Member Orientation is an intensive weekend conference addressing all areas of school board responsibility. A nationwide model in board member training, the Orientation program is tailored to develop knowledge and skills that will help new members function effectively as part of a local board of education. The Academy also provides one-day programs covering the basic areas of school board responsibility. Information about all these programs is provided through School Board Notes and direct mailings to members. In addition to new board member programs, the NJSBA Board Member Academy offers a full curriculum leading to basic and advanced certificates. Programs address such topics as labor relations, leadership skills, effective decision-making, policymaking, budgeting, community relations, school law and legislation. For information on NJSBA services and training, visit the Association's website at www.njsba.org. TOP OF PAGE