Time is running out for would-be candidates to file nominating petitions to serve on the Lawrence Township Public Schools Board of Education.
The deadline to file a nominating petition for one of three seats on the school board is July 26 at 4 p.m. The nominating petition, which has to be signed by 10 registered voters who live in Lawrence Township, must be turned in to the Mercer County Clerk’s Office in Trenton.
The school board election is Nov. 2. The term is for three years.
At stake are the seats held by Jo Ann Groeger, Joyce Scott and Kevin Van Hise.
Groeger said she is undecided whether to seek another term on the school board. She has served since 2011.
“I enjoy the community, district and statewide committees that I serve on. My focus has always been on the students and staff, due to my many years of teaching in the district and living in our wonderful community,” Groeger said.
It is difficult not to run for another term, Groeger said, but her decision will be made once the state-level events in which she is involved have wrapped up.
Groeger is the president of the Mercer County New Jersey School Board Association and the school board’s liaison to the New Jersey School Boards Association and the Lawrence Township Education Foundation.
She is the chairman of the school board’s Community Relations and Legislative Affairs Committee and also sits on the school board’s Personnel Committee.
Groeger, who is married and has three adult children, is a retired physical education and health instructor in the Lawrence Township Public Schools.
Scott, who could not be reached for comment, has served on the school board since 2015. She is an administrative assistant at the New Jersey Department of Education and an executive board member of Communications Workers of America Local 1033.
She has two children who attended the Lawrence Township Public Schools.
Van Hise, who could not be reached for comment, has served on the school board since 2011. He is an attorney with the law firm of Mason Griffin & Pierson in Princeton.
Van Hise is the school board president. He is the chairman of the school board’s Negotiations Committee, and also sits on the Finance & Facilities Committee and the Personnel Committee.
He is married and has two children who are enrolled in the Lawrence Township Public Schools.
Candidates for school board must be at least 18 years old, be able to read and write, and hold U.S. citizenship. They must have lived in the school district for at least one year, and be registered to vote in the town for which they seek to represent on the school board.
They may not have an interest in, or hold a claim against, the school board. They may not serve on the municipal governing body, and may be disqualified from holding office because of conviction of certain crimes.
Nominating petitions and the school board packet are available through the Mercer County Clerk’s Office, under the “Elections” tab, at www.mercercounty.org.
