Deadline for filing school board candidacy on July 28

Students in local schools are used to being asked to hand their homework in on time, but now those adults looking to serve on their local board of education must do the same.

July 28 marks the deadline for school board hopefuls to file their board of education candidacies with the Burlington County Clerk’s Office to have their name officially placed on the ballot in November.

Nominating petitions are due to the Burlington County Clerk’s Office, Courts Facility,1st Floor, 49 Rancocas Road, Mount Holly by 4 p.m. on July 28.

Legal requirements to become a board of education member include:

• Holding U.S. citizenship and being a resident of the school district for at least one year

• Being a registered voter in the school district before filing a nominating petition

• Being able to read and write

• Have no claim against, or interest in contract with, the board.

• Not holding another office in the municipal or county governing body.

• Not holding two elective offices simultaneously.

• Not be disqualified from membership for the conviction of certain crimes. (Within 30 days of election or appointment to the board, the Department of Education will conduct a criminal history background investigation on board members.)

Successful nominating petitions are the documents that allow candidates to have their names officially placed on the election ballot in November.

To nominate a candidate, the signatures of at least 10 qualified voters living within the district are required, one of which may belong to the candidate.

Candidates must also abide by all New Jersey requirements regarding the filing of campaign expense reports with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission.

If elected to the board in November, a candidate’s three-year term will begin in January 2015.

Those looking for more information about filing a candidacy for the board, including other important dates and requirements, can visit www.njsba.org/candidacy.

The nominating petition for school boards within Burlington County can be retrieved at the Burlington County Clerk’s office or digitally at http://www.co.burlington.nj.us/DocumentCenter/View/1247.