Ocean Township Board elects John McCarthy president, Gerard Dalton vice president; reviews ethics materials

John McCarthy was elected president of the Township of Ocean Board of Education and Gerard Dalton was elected vice president during the board's reorganization meeting, which included adoption of routine organizational motions and a review of ethics materials required by state law.

The board opened by reporting certified results from the November school election and swearing in newly elected members. After nominations, the board closed nominations and voted to elect John McCarthy as president; the motion carried. The board then nominated and elected Gerard Dalton as vice president. The board also moved and approved agenda items 4.1 through 4.4, a set of reorganizational motions noted by the administration as having been discussed at prior work sessions.

The meeting included a review of ethics obligations. Jeff Hastings, the district business administrator, told the board members they had copies of the New Jersey School Boards Association Code of Ethics acknowledgment form and an accompanying slide presentation. "You have about a 100 pages of slides that go through each of the various items in the code of ethics and discusses those and give some clarity," Hastings said, and urged members to sign the acknowledgment page so the district could keep it on file.

Hastings also flagged a recent School Ethics Committee clarification about the definition of a relative and when board members should recuse themselves; the clarification is attached to the packet. The board discussed scheduling annual ethics training and noted the district's QSAT (quality self-assessment) is coming up next month.

Public comment at the meeting was largely supportive. John Napolitani, mayor of Ocean Township, congratulated the board and said the mayor and council look forward to continuing shared-service discussions with the district. "What a breath of fresh air to see a cohesive board working together," Napolitani said.

Allison Connolly, president of the Township of Ocean Education Association, congratulated the newly elected officers and said the TOEA looks forward to continuing an "amicable and successful relationship" with the board. Other residents who addressed the board praised improvements in staff morale and urged members to "keep your eye on the mission," a former board member told the meeting.

Board President John McCarthy said he values collaboration. "I look forward very much to working with all of you," McCarthy said after his election, adding that he sees the board as "a board of the whole." Superintendent Weldon and other administrators remained available to the board for procedural questions and to support the forthcoming ethics training.

The meeting packet and remarks referenced by the administration included: the board bylaw on public participation (0167), the board organization policy (152), the New Jersey School Boards Association Code of Ethics, the School Ethics Act (effective July 26, 2001), R.S. 19:4-1 (voter qualification citations cited in the oath), and N.J.S. 18A:12-1 (disqualifying offenses referenced in the oath language). The administration noted that the ethics acknowledgment and slides were provided to help board members adhere to these requirements.

The board adjourned following public comment. The administration noted follow-up items include filing signed ethics acknowledgement forms and scheduling the required annual ethics training and QSAT preparation.