Filing deadline nears for those interested in running for school board

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
East Windsor Township and Hightstown Borough residents have 10 days left to file to seek one of three seats on the East Windsor Regional School District Board of Education.
The deadline to file is July 31. Nominating petitions, signed by 10 registered voters in East Windsor or Hightstown, must be turned in to the Mercer County Clerk’s Office in Trenton by 4 p.m. July 31.
The school board election is Nov. 7.
The terms of Peter Bussone, Jenna Drake and Erica DiRaimondo are expiring. Bussone and Drake are the Hightstown Borough representatives on the school board, and DiRaimondo is the East Windsor Township representative.
The seats held by Bussone and DiRaimondo are three-year terms. Drake was appointed to fill a vacancy and that seat carries a one-year term. That’s because she was appointed to fill a vacancy that occurred during the second year of the resigning member’s three-year term.
Candidates for the school board must 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.
They may not have an interest in any contract or a claim against the school board. They may not serve on the municipal governing body, and may not be disqualified from holding office because of conviction of certain crimes.