Collingswood board swears in three members; leadership votes deadlock, meeting rescheduled

The Collingswood Public School District Board of Education swore in three newly elected members and adjourned after failing to elect a president or vice president.

At the start of the special reorganization meeting, an unnamed board official read the certified election results into the record: Stacy DeMarco received 3,720 votes, Kelly Maia received 3,517 votes and Megan Michalski received 3,500 votes. The official then administered the oath of office; Stacy DeMarco recited the oath and signed her certificate. Superintendent Dr. McDowell read the statutory code of ethics for board members into the record.

Nominations for board president produced competing candidates. One board member nominated Kelly (nominated as “Meyer” in the on-the-record nomination), and an unnamed colleague nominated Roger Chu. The unnamed nominator praised Chu’s leadership and said he had ‘‘shown up in the community’’ despite ‘‘charged slander and at times overt racist rhetoric.’’ The board conducted written paper-ballot votes and, with one member absent, produced an even split. A required second vote also resulted in a tie, creating an impasse under the board’s bylaws and New Jersey statute governing school reorganization.

The presiding official explained statutory options if leadership positions remain unfilled—continuing votes, declaring an impasse and moving on to vice president votes, or referring the matter to the county superintendent if a vacancy remains after allowed time. The board proceeded to nominate candidates for vice president (Sarah Sherman and Megan Michalski) and again produced a 50-50 split.

Because both leadership elections were deadlocked, a member moved to adjourn and reconvene. Board members agreed to meet Thursday, Jan. 8 at 6:30 p.m. in the school library (LMC) to try the leadership votes again; the presiding official said she would coordinate notice and a location with staff member John Longo. The board then conducted a roll call and the adjournment motion to reconvene on Thursday carried; the presiding official noted one board member remained absent.

What happens next: If the board cannot break the ties at the reconvened meeting and the vacancy remains unfilled within the statutory timeframe, the county superintendent may be asked to appoint or otherwise resolve the vacancy per state law. The board’s scheduled next step is the reconvened session on Thursday evening to conduct additional votes for president and vice president.

The meeting opened with the required public-meeting notice and concluded without filling the leadership posts. The swearing-in of newly elected members and the board’s decision to reconvene are reflected in the meeting record.