Time is running out for school board candidates to file a nominating petition to serve on the Lawrence Township Public Schools Board of Education.
The deadline to file a nominating petition is July 29 at 4 p.m. It must be handed in to the Mercer County Clerk’s Office in Trenton. Petitions are not accepted by email or FAX.
The school board election is Nov. 5. The term is for three years.
At stake are the seats held by JoAnn Groeger, Robert Pluta and Kevin Van Hise.
Groeger, who has served on the school board since 2011, chairs the school board’s Community Relations and Legislative Affairs Committee and also serves on the Personnel Committee.
Groeger is the school board’s liaison to the Lawrence Township Education Foundation and the New Jersey School Boards Association. She is president of the Mercer County school board.
Pluta has served on the school board since 2022. He sits on the Community Relations and Legislative Affairs Committee and the Curriculum, Instruction, Assessments and Professional Development Committee. He serves on the ad hoc Guidance and Mental Health Committee.
Van Hise has been a school board member since 2011. He chairs the Negotiations Committee and also sits on the Finance and Facilities Committee and the Personnel Committee.
The nominating petition must be signed by at least 10 registered voters who live in Lawrence Township. One of the 10 signers may be the candidate.
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 Lawrence Township.
They may not have an interest in any contract with the school board or hold a claim against it.
They may not serve on the municipal governing body, and they 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 – Election-Related Links” tab at www.mercercounty.org.
