Montclair School Board Candidate Forum Set For Milestone Election

MONTCLAIR, NJ — The march to an elected school board has begun in Montclair. And one of the first tests of the district’s new modus operandi will take place on Thursday, Feb. 17, when the League of Women Voters of the Montclair Area holds a candidate forum.

The forum will take place virtually from 7 to 9 p.m. It will be broadcast live on Channel 34, YouTube and Radio Free Montclair. Questions to the candidates can be submitted when registration is confirmed; register here.

According to a statement from the League of Women Voters of the Montclair Area, the candidates will include:

• Yvonne Bouknight
• Melanie Deysher
• Phaedra Dunn
• Jerold Frier
• Noah Gale
• Lauren Q. Griffin
• Holly Shaw
• George C. Simpson
• Jennette L. Williams

Montclair voters passed a history-making school referendum in the 2021 general election. The town was one of the last few in New Jersey where mayors appoint members of the local board of education, as opposed to voters electing them.

But as a result of last November’s referendum, Montclair will now make the switch to an elected school board.

Montclair will hold a special election on March 8 to choose the two new members needed to reach the nine members required for an elected board. Eventually, annual contests for three seats will take place every November.

• See related article: Montclair School Proposal Passes; See Election Results
• See related article: Montclair School Board Referendum: What Comes Next?

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