Board of education member Patricia Blome tells colleagues they should focus on the education of children and not board politics.
It was about an hour of chaos at the beginning of the Washington Township Board of Education reorganization meeting on Jan. 7.
Board member Scott Laliberte motioned to go into executive session prior to a vote for board president, citing a potential conflict in a memo from an attorney sent to board members by email shortly before the meeting. Member Carol Chila, 2023’s board president, and newcomer Julie Kozempel had been nominated.
Board attorney Ari Schneider stopped the conversation on the dais.
“There’s absolutely no way (the board) can discuss that right now,” he said, noting he had received the memo while driving to the meeting.
The initial motion to go into executive session did not have enough votes, but a second motion did. It was not clear who or what the memo was about, but board members were visibly upset.
“I feel threatened,” board member Patricia Blome acknowledged, noting that someone in the community was allegedly taking names and numbers of anyone who voted for Kozempel or Steven Serrano for board president.
Blome went on to say that the vote for board presidents was a hard one.
“I have nothing against Julie, I have nothing against Carol, I have nothing against the superintendent or anybody sitting up here,” she said. “… This group is a mess. All of you can see it tonight that it’s a mess … I dread coming to the board meetings because of exactly what’s going on right now. This has to stop. This is embarrassing. This is not the way it should be.”
Blome said her message for the board was to “knock it off.”
“Let’s do what we need to do for our children, for our staff, for our community,” she argued. “We have such a big problem with finances coming by the end of February, we’re going to find that out. Between now and then, we have to come up with goals, goals that can be measured, goals for the district.
“This nonsense has got to stop,” Blome added. “I’m hoping with new board members up here, maybe you’ll be the key to making that happen.”
During the reorganization meeting, incumbents Elayne Clancy and Serrano, former member Kozempel and newcomer Linda Hartong were sworn in as board members.
Clancy, Serrano and Hartong are beginning three-year terms and Kozempel, who served on the board from 2016 to 2021, is filling a one-year unexpired term. She beat incumbent Sean Lindsay – who was serving the unexpired term – in the November election.
In the end, the motion for Kozempel as board president carried with a 5-4 vote and a motion for Serrano as board vice president was approved with a vote of 5-4.
Kozempel said she is “filled with immense gratitude and a deep sense of responsibility.”
“I want to thank each and every one of you as an incoming board member and board of education president,” she noted. “Our mission to provide every child with an education inspires me to remain focused on this important work, and I know it inspires all of you.
“In both my personal and professional life, I rely on the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, who said, ‘Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events and small minds discuss people.’
“When we discuss ideas, we honor voices within our community,” Kozempel continued. “We’re not just the board, we are a collective of educators, parents, students and community members each bringing unique perspectives. By engaging in thoughtful dialogue, we can identify the needs of our children, ensuring that we provide a future where every student can thrive.”
Kozempel urged her fellow board members to not add to an already “complex world filled with a lot of noise and a lot of distractions” for students.
“Instead of getting caught up in over-complicated discussions or stressing about every little detail,” she said. “Let’s try to focus on what really matters: the children’s well-being and their education. So as we embark on this year together, I invite you all to embrace the spirit of great minds.
“A productive school board focuses its discussions on ideas that can transform our educational landscape and empower our students and teachers.”
Kozempel said she has created a living planning document for the board that will keep members focused in the months ahead.
The next board of education meeting is a work session scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 7:30 p.m.
Incumbents Elayne Clancy and Steven Serrano, former member Julie Kozempel and newcomer Linda Hartong were sworn in as board members at the Jan. 7 reorganization meeting. Clancy, Serrano and Hartong are beginning three-year terms and Kozempel, who served on the board from 2016 to 2021, is filling a one-year unexpired term to which she was elected in November.
