Beach Haven Board of Education gets new president and vice president, swears in two additional members

The Beach Haven Board of Education got a major overhaul during its official reorganization meeting, held Wednesday, Jan. 7.

Irene Hughes, an incumbent member who was elected to the board in November 2013, was unanimously elected as the new president. She is taking the place of former long-time President Mary Louise Bellingeri, who decided not to run for re-election after serving 20 years.

Photo by Liam McKenna
New member Caroline Labin is sworn in to the board
just before the new year, on Monday, Dec. 15.

“I am looking forward to working with the administration, parents and community to create the best educational opportunities for our children,” Hughes told The SandPaper.

Board member Donna Kilcommons also did not rerun. Three others resigned earlier in the school year, including former Vice President Sandra Close, a third-generation Beach Haven native who had sat on the board for the past 18 years. She cited the “nonstop conflict and negative energy” between the board and members of the public for her decision to leave in October.

Caroline Labin was appointed to the board in December after Close’s resignation.

Kathy Kelly, who was appointed to the board in October to fill the vacant seat left open by Amy Haig, who resigned in September, was unanimously elected as the board’s new vice president during Wednesday’s meeting. Kelly is president of the school’s PTA and also works as the administrative assistant to George Chidiac, superintendent of the Stafford Township School District. She said she decided to run for the open seat in September because she “felt it was time to give back to the community.” Her children formerly attended the Beach Haven School.

Student parents Jennifer Tomlinson and Meredith O’Donnell, both teachers in the Stafford School District who ran unopposed for the two open seats during November’s general election, were sworn in on Wednesday. During the election, Tomlinson received 217 votes and O’Donnell received 212 votes. They will each serve three-year terms.

“As a first-time board member, but a veteran teacher, I hope to bring fresh new curriculum ideas to our school,” O’Donnell told The SandPaper. “We are fortunate to have an excellent staff who seem to infuse new ideas into their everyday teaching, and I want to foster that through new curriculum and present curriculum. Offering teachers proper training on curriculum is certainly a propriety.

“I foresee this new board joining together to bridge the gap of communication to maintain our small community school,” she added. “Input from our parents and community members is the key to keeping our school the tight-knit district we are. It is essential we keep parents, teachers and community members involved in our school to provide our children with a true sense of community. I look forward to serving on the board.”

A board code of ethics presentation, led by Paula Clark of Machado Law Group, which Clark said is required to be shared annually at a public meeting, emphasized the fact that the board is responsible for “policy-making, planning and appraisal.” The board essentially has one employee, the superintendent, she added.

“Everyone else who works in the district works for the superintendent. So any discussions or issues or questions or comments from the board should generally go through the superintendent because that’s who works for the board,” Clark said. “Anything that gets at a lower level is really the superintendent’s responsibility.”

Beach Haven School Superintendent EvaMarie Raleigh, who was in attendance at the reorganization meeting, told The SandPaper she hopes things will go smoothly with the new board, considering the previous tension between her and some of the new members.

“I am prepared to be the best I can be and to continue to do the things I know are right for children and this school,” she said. “Knowing there are individuals out there who see the good keeps me positive.”

The next regular board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 27, at 7 p.m.

— Kelley Anne Essinger


This article was published in The SandPaper.