Letter to the Editor

As a member of the East Brunswick community for over 25 years, I am writing to share some comments related to an article published by Patch on June 20th covering the East Brunswick Board of Education’s (BOE) selection of a new board member. The selection was to fill the vacancy resulting from my resignation/retirement from the BOE in April.

The BOE voted to select Tim Cummings. While I have not met Mr. Cummings, an internet search reveals that he is a highly accomplished professional. As the Chief Operating Officer of the Center for Great Expectations, a non-profit dedicated to helping individuals break the cycle of abuse, homelessness and substance abuse, he provides leadership and administrative oversight. Prior to that, he had over a decade of experience in the field of affordable and supportive housing, working with homeless youth, and more. Clearly, Mr. Cummings has a wealth of experience that is relevant to supporting communities and has a strong service-oriented track record. I look forward to the value Mr. Cummings will provide to the BOE. I also applaud and thank all the others who sought consideration for the position.

Inferences were made at the June 15th meeting by one BOE member suggesting that some BOE members are part of a “singular voting bloc” simply because they voted “yes” to Mr. Cummings. This inference is an affront to the integrity and intelligence of those who are implied to be part of a voting bloc, as well as irreverent to Mr. Cummings’ impressive credentials. Having served as a former member of the BOE for about nine years, my experience has been that BOE members are independent individuals with their own opinions, bringing varied perspectives. Each BOE member has one vote on BOE matters, and their job is to use that vote to represent the community who elected them to serve.

Furthermore, the BOE member criticized a fellow BOE member (Vicki Becker) for attending the meeting to vote on this important matter, and leaving after the vote due to a family bereavement. The selection of a replacement for a BOE member is a crucial decision and Mrs. Becker demonstrated commitment to her role by coming to the meeting to cast her vote. With just seven BOE members voting on such an important matter, every vote counts. To imply that Mrs. Becker attended to vote as part of a “voting bloc” diminishes the importance of the BOE member voting process and the importance of the matter at hand. Mrs. Becker – your father would have been proud to see you place community service over your own personal needs.

If every BOE member created distractions every time a vote outcome didn’t align to their opinion, it would detract from the mission of the organization and the spirit of the consensus seeking process. I urge the BOE to work together and focus time on the matters that move the district forward for our community and our children – the work to help all students reach their full potential.

The opinions stated here are my own and do not represent the views of any other people or organizations that I am associated with.

Susanna Chiu