Electing Montclair’s School Board: Here Are The Pros, Cons

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Montclair is one of the few remaining New Jersey municipalities where mayors choose members of the local board of education. But that will change if voters pass a school governance proposal in the 2021 general election.

As several Essex County towns prepare to choose school board members on Nov. 2, Montclair voters will face a decision of their own: whether to start electing their board of education.

Advocates say that appointing school boards “breeds unhealthy politics,” and argue that “citizens rather than politicians” should choose who sets education policy in the township. But others counter that elected boards run the risk of having candidates “beholden to campaign contributions,” and can allow a “single-issue” candidate to win an election with very few votes.

• See related article: Montclair Voters Might Decide Future Of School Board In November
• See related article: Montclair Mayor Appoints 3 New School Board Members For 2021
• See related article: Departing Montclair School Board Member Says Reform Is Needed

THE BALLOT QUESTION

Here’s the school governance proposal as it reads on the ballot:

“Shall the Montclair Township School District be reclassified from a ‘Type I’ School District, with members of the Board of Education appointed by the mayor, to a ‘Type II’ School District, with members of the Board of Education elected by Township voters during regularly-scheduled annual November elections, with dissolution of the appointed Board of School Estimate, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:9-4?”

What does that mean? According to the interpretive statement on the ballot:

“If a majority of voters vote yes, the change from a Type I School District to a Type II School District would mean that voters would elect members to the Montclair Township Board of Education. The Board of Education would change from a seven-member Type I board appointed by the mayor to a nine-member Type II elected board. Each member would be elected to a three-year term, with elections for three members occurring during regularly-scheduled annual November elections starting the first November after passage of this referendum, and current members remaining until their terms expire. The conversion would eliminate the Board of School Estimate, have future bonding based on the credit of the district rather than the Township, and subject future bonding for capital projects and any operating budgets that exceed state caps on property tax growth to approval by public referendum. If approved, there will also be other minor technical changes required that are not set forth herein.”

SUPPORTERS: ‘WE BELIEVE THE CHOICE IS CLEAR’

One of the proposal’s biggest supporters has been Vote Montclair, a registered continuing political committee in the township.

“We believe the choice is clear,” the group says on its website. “A vote for an elected BOE is a vote for voting rights.”

According to Vote Montclair:

“Empowering citizens rather than politicians to choose who sets education policy is now a basic feature of local democracy in New Jersey. It is a right enjoyed by residents of almost 100 percent of municipalities in the state, including all eight of our surrounding communities. It is a right our voters deserve as well.”

Vote Montclair continues:

“The appointed BOE system breeds unhealthy politics. A key selling point of the appointed system is its supposed ability to insulate local education policy from politics. In reality, the appointed system fuels political intrigue and dysfunction, while failing to produce diverse boards rich in relevant skills.”

In addition, the group said that having a parallel appointed Board of School Estimate, which is in charge of approving local school district budgets, is “confusing and inefficient.”

Montclair Councilman Peter Yacobellis also recently said he’s in favor of electing school boards in the township.

“I want to be clear – from what I have seen, I take no issue with any appointments Mayor [Sean] Spiller has made to the Board of Education,” Yacobellis wrote in a blog post. “In fact, I’ve found the individuals he has appointed to be upstanding and terrific people. I’d likely vote for any of them if they were on the ballot for the school board.”

“But should any one woman or man have that much power?” the councilman questioned.

Yacobellis added:

“With the current system, you have only one chance every four years to have any say or influence over school policy with the election of the mayor. With the proposed system, you would have a say almost every year as some of the staggered terms of nine board members ended and they were re-elected or replaced.”

OPPONENTS: ‘APPOINTED IS WHAT’S BEST FOR OUR TOWN’

Not everyone thinks that a “yes” vote would be good for Montclair, however.

Last week, the League of Women Voters of the Montclair Area issued a statement pushing to keep an appointed school board in the township, which the group said is “the best avenue to continue the improvement in educational outcomes for all the children in Montclair.”

The league added that the status quo could be improved if the council forms an advisory committee of eight to ten community members to identify and nominate school board candidates for appointment by the mayor. That committee could seek nominees who “reflect the diversity and competencies needed for an effective school board,” spokespeople said.

“One of the many benefits of this committee, would be to provide greater transparency in the process of appointing BOE candidates,” the league stated.

“You might wonder why an organization which supports voting rights, born out of the suffragist movement, would be in favor of an appointed BOE,” the group continued, offering the following reasons for their stance:

NARROWING THE GAP - “Boards can be effective whether they are elected or appointed, but we believe appointed is what’s best for our town, if we have an advisory committee. According to research, an appointed BOE offers a greater chance for a strong and effective school board that will narrow or eliminate the achievement/opportunity gap. (Please refer to www.lwvmontclairarea.org for more information.)”

ENSURING DIVERSITY - “An advisory committee will ensure that the diversity of the town and people with different skills (education, finance, law, construction, etc.) are represented on the BOE. It will also ensure that the individuals share a common vision for the schools and have the ability to work well together.”

BOTTOM OF THE BALLOT - “In a November election, people vote for candidates at the top of the ballot, but many do not go to the bottom of the ballot where school board candidates are listed.”

SINGLE-ISSUE CANDIDATES - “To run for an elected board, you only need 10 signatures on a petition. You may have single issue candidates whose concern may be slashing the budget, busing, charter schools, grouping, etc. With typical voter turnout at less than 10%, a single-issue candidate could win with very few votes.”

CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS - “An elected board runs the risk of BOE candidates being beholden to campaign contributions. In the May 2020 municipal election, the candidates spent between $8,000 to over $100,000 each to win a seat on the Council. Large amounts of money may come from outside sources to support a candidate. Money should not be the reason someone serves on the BOE.”

LOCKED INTO ISSUES - “Elected members often get locked into an issue during a campaign and may serve only their constituency without taking into account the broader school community.”

BECOMING POLITICAL - “An elected BOE may lose its non-partisan nature and become overtly political. With school board elections held every year in November, it may serve a BOE candidate from a financial, operational or name recognition stance to associate with the well-known and well-financed candidates at the top of the ticket. The election could become even more political with campaign money coming from outside sources.”

HELPING MINORITY STUDENTS - “The achievement/opportunity gap is a nationwide issue. Montclair made a significant step in addressing it with the Achievement Gap Task force in 2015. Montclair was a leader in integrating its schools and initiating many programs to help minority students reach higher goals. It continues to focus intensely on this issue today. Having an advisory committee to focus on nominating BOE candidates with this shared vision can return our town as an innovator in this area again.”

OPENING THE FIELD - “An appointed BOE provides for a greater field of potential candidates who would agree to serve on the board if asked. Being on the BOE is an unpaid, volunteer position. Our survey of past board members showed that the majority would not have run for elected office because of the cost of running and the time it takes for campaigning and raising funds. As an illustration, many nearby townships have few candidates running for the open BOE positions this November and as a result there is effectively no competition for these seats.”

BUDGETING - “With an appointed BOE, the budget for capital expenditures is submitted by the Board of School Estimate to the Council for approval. Thus, the Council has the final decision. This is in contrast with individual voters who may want to deny capital school funding to keep their taxes down. With an elected board, the bond referendum goes to a public vote where 31% of the bond referendums were voted down in 2020. An appointed BOE can protect the school district from voters who may not have children in the schools and want to protect their individual tax bills from increasing.”

NO GUARANTEE - “There is no guarantee that elected school boards lead to lower budgets or better education of students.”

CORONAVIRUS - “There is no guarantee that an elected board would have handled COVID problems better. Elected and appointed school boards throughout the country are facing well-publicized public anger over COVID-related decisions.”

"The appointed board in Montclair has had successes," the league stated. "For example: there is active work being done towards narrowing the achievement/opportunity gap; additional busing to the South End; appointing a racially diverse board; two student representatives participate in BOE meetings; a new position of Equity Superintendent; instituted restorative justice, among other things."

The league concluded:

“There is no guarantee that an elected school board would have handled the superintendent turnover better. When seeking a new superintendent, recommendations of a national search committee are relied upon to provide the best candidates for Montclair. An interim superintendent may be hired until a better one is available. The interim superintendent can only serve 2 years. While there has been significant turnover of superintendents, the BOE has now hired a superintendent who is committed to the district, listens to parents, and worked tirelessly to try to open our schools. The BOE waited until they found the best one for Montclair and supports Dr. Ponds and his initiatives.”

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