'Our Board Is Broken': Barnegat School Board President Resigns

BARNEGAT, NJ — Barnegat Board of Education President Sean O'Brien suddenly announced his resignation at the Dec. 19 meeting, citing that "the board is broken."

"I no longer feel this board is working toward a common goal," O'Brien, whose term would have ended Dec. 2025, said as he reflected on the past year.

It has been a year of controversy for the board, with arguments over the curriculum, the budget and the details of a proposed student bistro being a few of the more contentious items.

"I used to wonder why it is so difficult to get good people to run for the board of ed. In the past, I thought it was apathy," O'Brien said. "But it's not. It's sensibility."

He also emphasized that the district had trouble attracting and keeping good staff members, because of the board's reputation of being "crazy" and because they can get better pay elsewhere.

Students in the district are underperforming as well, O'Brien said, but voters care more about taxes, a decision "based on lies and fearmongering."

"This past year I spent more time blocking and defending pure nonsense against pure nonsense than adding values to our schools," O'Brien said. "I'm not here to play games and be forced to endure political theater."

"Every month was an endless loop of challenge and devaluing our community by board members and other community leaders," he said.

It was also the last meeting for Colleen Angus and Lauren Washburn, whose terms came to an end. At the board's reorganization meeting in the new year, Doreen Continanza and George Fedorczyk will be sworn in.