Mehta Decides Not To Resign As President Of South Brunswick BOE

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — South Brunswick School Board President Joyce Mehta, under fire over refusing to answer direct questions on her communication with the board attorney, on Tuesday night refused to resign from her position on the board.

Mehta, who requested Tuesday's special meeting, said she is being subjected to a smear campaign. “This process is highly prejudicial and discriminatory. Taxpayers are paying the price for this kangaroo court," she said, reading from a prepared statement

“I will not be bullied by anyone including the Superintendent who is our employee and not our boss. This bullying, intimidation and harassment has continued for some time but it is time for it to end today.”

Mehta spoke to the board attorney in January about a letter written to her by Superintendent Scott Feder. When board members questioned her use of the attorney, Mehta refused to answer direct questions. Read More: South Brunswick BOE President Faces Community Pressure To Resign

This created controversy because Mehta's denial of the conversation invalidated the hours billed by the board attorney to the school district.

The evening saw one of the most disruptive Board of Education meetings, with members of the public heckling, booing and shouting at various times.

Transparency, Accountability, Honesty

At the outset, Feder clarified that the matter was never about Mehta’s personal use of the board attorney or any ethics violation. Instead, it was about “transparency, accountability and honesty.”

During the March 3 meeting, it was suggested that Mehta tried to remove a member of the school start time committee in an effort to install her own advocate. Feder sent a letter to Mehta addressing her attempts and said it weakened the board's bargaining power with the teacher's union. He said "time" was the most valuable asset in a negotiation, and a later school start time would result in lower instructional time. He asked Mehta to look at how her actions were "perceived."

Although Mehta had the right to speak with legal counsel, board members can ask for details about the communication, as the attorney’s ethical responsibility is towards the board and “the privilege belongs to the board.”

At Tuesday's meeting, Mehta said she did not have the opportunity to learn from the board attorney if their communications would be confidential. She said she was not forthright with her colleagues because she felt they were “intruding on a confidential communication.”

“I truly regret the handling of the situation for which I have publicly apologized for my lack of transparency,” Mehta said.

During the meeting, Feder represented the board and was asked to gather and share factual findings. In an attempt to set the record straight, Feder read communications with the attorney and played a recorded Zoom meeting with Mehta.

According to the attorney’s communications, Mehta was concerned that the board would ask about the invoice and their communications.

“I told her that she had done nothing wrong in communicating with legal counsel as the board president is permitted to do so. I further advised her to own it, with regard to communicating with our office and to be truthful to the board,” the attorney said in a letter, read out by Feder.

The Board Should “Come Together”

The public comment section of the meeting saw a number of people come up to speak in favor of Mehta.

Two members of the Edison Board of Education, Mohin Patel and Jerry Shi, joined a group of people speaking out on behalf of the South Brunswick school board president Tuesday night.

Patel accused the board of “bullying” Mehta. “What I saw was despicable. This is not how you treat your other board members,” Patel said. “You put her on trial in front of the public.”

Shi went on to accuse Feder of orchestrating the past three meetings. “I have known Joyce for six to seven years. She is respectable and professional,” Shi said. “All this shows, the three meetings, it’s orchestrated by the Superintendent.”

It's a rare occurrence for a board member in one district to address issues in an unrelated school district. Although rare, there's nothing barring board members from doing it.

"There is nothing in statute or code that would prohibit board of education members from attending the meeting of a different board and speaking during the public comment period," said Janet Bamford, Chief Public Affairs Officer, New Jersey School Boards Association.

Many residents were surprised and taken aback. One resident who wasn’t registered to speak said she felt compelled after hearing some public comment.

“A lot of members of the community have overlooked the fact that it’s been proven tonight that there is no honesty happening here,” the resident said. "Multiple people have come up here and talked about bullying. Bullying is a very specific term, with a legal definition to it. That’s not what’s happening here. I don’t know why we are throwing this term around.”

But a majority of speakers urged the board to put their differences aside to “come together” and move forward.

The meeting ended with the board going executive session at the end of three and a half-hour.

To watch the entire Board of Education Meeting, click here.

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