Get Ready for School Board Filings

If you are following the 2015 election timeline, the next important date is July 27, when school board candidates must file by 4 p.m. at the Union County Clerk's Office.

Three three-year terms are up. Incumbents are Jackie Coley and Keisha Edwards. Mahogany Hall, formerly Mahogany Hendricks, was the third winner in 2012, but resigned in April. The board appointed President Wilma Campbell's husband, John Campbell, to fill the vacancy.

Although the election is considered to be nonpartisan, in recent history there have been slates backed by Assemblyman Jerry Green and John Campbell, the latter's candidates winning more often than not.

School board meetings are seldom covered by bloggers or the press, despite the board being perhaps the largest employer in the city (see the June agenda where 2015-16 hires are named). The district's budget at $179,216,507 for 2014-15 dwarfs the 2015 city budget by $100 million. Eighty percent of the district funding comes from the state, 17 percent from local school taxes and 3 percent from the federal government. The board thus has perhaps the most fiscal authority of any public entity in Plainfield. Click to see the 2014-15 budget proposal as an indication of where the money goes. Forty-five percent went just for salaries, and while there is no residency requirement, obviously many a city household relies on district salaries to stay afloat.

So board decisions are important not only for the 7,500 children in the district, but also for the local economy. All of Union County's charter schools are currently in Plainfield and received 10 percent of district funds in 2014-15.

All in all,  a board seat is very important. The New Jersey School Boards Association offers an information packet for candidates and those elected are required to take state training on their responsibilities. Board members must adhere to a state code of ethics. Although slates have become the norm in Plainfield, individuals can file to run independently. See filing for school board instructions here.

Good luck to all who decide to run for the school board. The candidates will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot for the general election and winners will take office on Jan. 1, 2016 to serve for three years.

--Bernice