Princeton Public Schools Board of Education President Patrick Sullivan, the longest tenured member of the board at nearly six years, will not seek re-election to a third term.
Sullivan announced his decision on June 25, more than a month before candidates have to officially file petitions to get into the school board race in November.
“Lots of people have an interest in the public school system and they should have their voices heard,” Sullivan said in a phone interview on June 26.
Sullivan was elected in 2012 and re-elected in 2015. He said that over the past few months, he decided to forgo trying for another term. He said he did not waver in the decision.
“I believe in term limits,” said Sullivan, who has been the board president since 2017. “It’s time to move on and let other people do this.”
Aside from Sullivan, board members Dafna Kendal and Besty Baglio are the other incumbents whose terms will be ending this year. Kendal declined this week to say what her plans are and Baglio could not be reached for comment.
Candidates have until 4 p.m. July 30 to file a nominating petition to run for the board.
With this decision behind him, Sullivan was looking to the rest of his term – a time when the district is putting the finishing touches on a $129.6 million referendum that is due to be on the ballot on Oct.2.
Sullivan’s departure will represent a continuing turnover that has been happening on the board in the past four years. Sullivan and Cranbury representative Evelyn Spann are the only members left from the time when Superintendent of School Stephen C. Cochrane began his tenure in the district in 2014.
In assessing his two terms, Sullivan called it “worthwhile doing public service.” He touched on balancing the school budget, hiring Cochrane to replace Judith Wilson as superintendent, fighting the enrollment expansion of the Princeton Charter School, extending the district’s send-receive relationship with Cranbury through June 2030, among other accomplishments in and out of the classroom.
“When people serve the public, generally you can get more out of it than you put into it,” he said. “I think in terms of where the district is going over the last five years, it’s really about taking an excellent system and improving it even further. I’m really happy with the progress over the last five years.”
In terms of taking any next political steps, Sullivan said he has no intention of running for higher office.
