File in March for April School Board Election

UPDATE: If you are one of the 37 people who read this story so far, please note the state Department of Education has moved the date of the school board election to April 25, as the prior date conflicts with a religious observance.


While some are having visions of sugar plums right now, school board member David Rutherford had an upcoming election date dancing in his head.

"BOE election in under four months," he reminded FB friends.

Each year, voters pick three board members for thee-year terms. Rutherford was the top vote-getter in November 2014, but because the board changed back to April elections in a controversial November 2015 vote, Rutherford and other 2014 winners Terrence Bellamy Sr. and Carletta Jeffers will have to file on Feb. 27 if they want to seek re-election on April 18
.Filing is March 6, election is April 25
Most school boards formerly  held April elections, but in 2012 new legislation allowed either the governing body or the school board to combine them with the November general election. In Plainfield, the City Council moved the BOE election despite outcry from the school board.

No sooner had the Nov. 3, 2015 election taken place than the BOE quietly voted to move the date back to April. The Nov. 10 vote was on a "walk-on" item that was not on the posted agenda, and the general public's first news of it appeared on Rutherford's blog in December 2015. While the council had to notify the board of intent to change the school board election from April to November, the board did not have to inform the council when moving it back to April.

Just as the move from April to November added about eight months to 2012 incumbents' tenure, reversing it reduced terms of the 2014 and 2015 winners by a similar amount.

So if you want to run for the school board or support an incumbent from 2014, enjoy the holidays and then get those`campaigns going!