Montgomery School Board Member Charged With Theft, Resigns

MONTGOMERY, NJ — Montgomery Board of Education member Zelda Spence Wallace has resigned after being charged with theft.

"Spence Wallace decided to resign from the Board effective immediately" on Thursday, according to the Montgomery Township Board of Education(BOE) in a letter to the community.

Spence Wallace's name has since been removed from the Township's school district website.

Spence Wallace of Montgomery was charged with third-degree theft by deception and third-degree theft of movable property on March 29 for stealing $13,086 from the Plainfield School District, where she has been employed as an administrator, according to themontynews.org.

A spokeswoman with Plainfield confirmed that about two weeks ago Spence Wallace was booked and processed at the Plainfield Police.

The Montgomery Township BOE said they were notified of the pending charge against Spence Wallace on April 1.

However, since Spence Wallace has been charged, but not convicted of a disqualifying crime or offense, the BOE said they could not take any action regarding her continued service on the Board.

Spence Wallace initially told the Board that she did not intend to resign from the Board while she defended herself against these charges, according to the BOE's letter.

The District then notified the New Jersey Department of Education on April 5 about the situation and that Spence Wallace "was not in a position as a Board member to have access to any public district funds or to take any unilateral action that could negatively impact the District."

Spence Wallace ultimately decided to resign from the Board on Thursday.

"The pending charges against Ms. Spence Wallace relate to her employment in another school district and do not involve the Montgomery Township School District, its public funds, or its students in any way," according to the BOE's letter. "Board members do not have access to public funds and can only be reimbursed for legitimate expenses that are verified by the Business Administrator and approved by the Board at a public meeting."

"The Board recognizes that an event such as this can cause the community to question their confidence in their elected officials. Please know that the Board values the respect and confidence of the Montgomery Township community and wants to reassure you that we remain committed to ensuring that we fulfill our role as Board members for the proper governance of the District in order to provide the best education and support for our students, families and staff members," continued the letter.

Spence Wallace's vacancy on the Board will be advertised in accordance with Board Policy 0143. Public Notice of the vacancy will be posted within the next several days to invite qualified persons to apply for the vacancy along with the procedures and timelines for the Board to conduct interviews and select a candidate for appointment to the Board.

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