Andrew Martins, Managing Editor
A deadline for applicants to become the latest member of the Hillsborough Township Board of Education has been extended by district officials more than a week after one member vacated his seat.
Steven Cohen, who had originally been elected to a three-year term on the school board in November 2014, officially resigned on June 19. A resolution accepting his resignation, along with the resignation of other unrelated district officials, was unanimously accepted by the board.
Details surrounding Cohen’s departure from the board have yet to come out and he could not be reached for comment.
Though other board members could not be reached for a comment on the nature of Cohen’s resignation, board member Jean Trujillo said she was “sorry to see him go.”
“I didn’t get a chance to work closely with Steve, but I sat in on one of his committee meetings. Steve is passionate about the school board’s work,” she said. “I had been looking forward to learning from him.”
Prior to the June 19 meeting, of which Cohen only attended the executive session, the former board member had not attended a meeting since May 8.
According to the district, whomever is chosen to serve out the remainder of Cohen’s term will do so until it was to end on Jan. 7, 2018. Since it is an expired term, the selected individual will be able to run for a full three-year term this November.
In order to be considered, all applicants must be an United States citizen, must be a Hillsborough resident for at least a year, must be literate, must be registered and legally able to vote and must not concurrently hold office as a member of the township’s governing body.
All applications must arrive at the Board of Education office by 3 p.m. on July 13. Applications must be submitted to Hillsborough Township Board of Education, c/o Mr. Aiman Mahmoud, Board Secretary, 379 South Branch Road, Hillsborough, NJ 08844.
The board will hold a public meeting on Monday, July 17 at the Auten Road Intermediate School Cafeteria to interview all qualified candidates.
