Incumbents Tuck-Ponder, Behrend, and newcomer Durbin officially elected to Princeton Board of Education

Incumbent members Michele L. Tuck-Ponder and Beth A. Behrend as well as newcomer Jean Y. Durbin have won the Nov. 3 election for the Princeton Board of Education, according to a Nov. 20 update from the Mercer County Board of Elections. They ran for three open seats on the 10-member board and were elected for three-year terms.

Tuck-Ponder, the current board vice president, earned 5,697 votes. Board president Behrend came in second with 5,490 votes, and newcomer Durbin came in third with 4,522 votes. Outside of the top three, Adam Bierman received 3,280 votes, Paul M. Johnson received 3,129 votes, and Karen Lemon received 2,887 votes.

“I am honored that Princeton’s voters have chosen me to represent them for another term on the Board of Education,” Behrend wrote in an email statement to The Daily Princetonian.

Behrend expressed hopes of continued collaboration with the other board members, as well as with the next Superintendent of Schools, to support student learning, wellness, and futures.

“Campaigns are a great opportunity to engage with the community about the role of the Board, what’s been accomplished, what we can do better for our kids and the challenges ahead,” Behrend added. “Now I’m eager to get back to work, focusing on how we best meet the needs of all of our students during the pandemic and beyond.”

In an interview with the ‘Prince,’ Tuck-Ponder expressed gratitude for voters’ continued support, and underlined the continued challenges of managing the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I am gratified that that message [of addressing long-standing inequity] resonated with the voters in Princeton, and they’ve given me the privilege of serving for another three years to try to address this long-standing challenge,” Tuck-Ponder said. “I’m excited about it. I’m humbled by the challenges, but I’m inspired by our kids in our community and everybody’s passion and interest and commitment to seeing that happen.”

Tuck-Ponder highlighted the board’s priority heading into 2021: balancing Princeton schools’ management while ensuring safety for their students and staff. She also identified the need to hire a new superintendent familiar with the town’s culture as well as the challenge of addressing long-standing inequity in the school system — a central message, Tuck-Ponder claims, of her time on the Board, as well as of her campaign.

Durbin likewise stressed the importance of hiring a new superintendent with a demonstrated record in advancing the principles of equity, access, and inclusion. She underlined the team-oriented nature of her new job and expressed hope that the Board could ensure that the district’s students are able to get the best education possible.

“I'm pleased to have been elected and look forward to working hard for our schools and our community,” Durbin wrote in an email to the ‘Prince.’ “I'd like to thank all of the candidates for running and elevating the profile of the office. Public schools really matter, and it is important to elect officials who understand the vital role our schools play for our children's future and in making our community a desirable place to live.”

All three member-elects gave high marks to the Board’s COVID-19 response, though they emphasized the importance of remaining vigilant in the lead-up to the next semester.

“I think that, based on the information we had [at the start of the pandemic], I would give us a pretty good grade, especially our foresight to provide all of our students with computers,” Tuck-Ponder said. “We had a level playing field that ensured, come what may, our students would at least have the equipment to successfully connect with their education.”

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Tuck-Ponder also spoke to the importance of the town’s work in providing internet access.

“Even in a town as wired as Princeton, believe it or not, there are a lot of kids who did not have [internet] access,” she explained.

In July, the Board voted unanimously to purchase 430 Chromebooks for students, and 6–4 to provide iPads to pre-kindergarden through first-grade students and MacBook laptop computers to sixth- to 12th-grade students.

“It was expensive, and it was a tough decision, but I’m proud of that, and I think it took courage and foresight for us to do that,” Tuck-Ponder said. “I think that this puts us in good standing to weather whatever is going to come.”

Durbin echoed Tuck-Ponder’s remarks, noting the collective efforts to accommodate students and schools over the course of the pandemic.

“None of this has been ideal, but our teachers, staff, parents and students have been patient, compassionate and flexible,” Durbin wrote. “Our teachers have put enormous time and effort into developing lessons and connecting with hybrid and remote students. I’m hoping we can improve how we ‘do school’ in the future with lessons learned about the benefits of technology as a tool and, most importantly, how essential in-person connection is for student well-being and growth.”

In addition, Durbin highlighted the work of interim superintendent Barry Galasso during the pandemic.

“The Board has supported the recommendations of the interim superintendent, including funding for PPE and other safety measures for our teachers, staff and students,” Durbin wrote. “Many school districts across the state are not even providing PPE for their school personnel. I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a district in New Jersey that is doing as much for its staff and faculty and students as Princeton Public Schools.”

“The only piece that I think could be stronger is if we had the capability to do some form of regular testing that would not be cost prohibitive,” Durbin noted.

In response to the recent University decision to invite back all undergraduate students, Tuck-Ponder expressed cautious optimism.

“I look at the University as part of our larger community, and so I don’t really look at it as a school issue — I look at it as a community challenge,” Tuck-Ponder told the ‘Prince.’ “I think [the students] lend an energy and a vibrancy to the town and I’ve missed them … but that’s not without some concern about how we’re going to manage introducing the thousands of undergraduate students back into our midst and continuing to monitor the spread of COVID-19 in our community.”

Despite her concerns, Tuck-Ponder emphasized her faith in the University’s handling of the situation.

“I have confidence that the University will be all over this in terms of testing and management,” Tuck-Ponder said. “My hope is that students return with the spirit of keeping the situation as contained as they possibly can, while successfully pursuing their studies.”

Mercer County Clerk Paula Sollami Covello commended the county’s handling of the election in light of complications arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, underlining that the election was certified well ahead of the New Jersey deadline.

“It was very busy and a bit stressful, but at the end of the day, our staff and our county election officials did a great job in making sure that every ballot was issued and that every ballot counted,” Covello said.

A series of laws played a crucial role in the Board’s handling of the election. One law ensured that the Board sent out letters to all voters who had their mail-in ballots rejected to inform them about the possibility of “curing” the signatures on their ballots. Another bill, sponsored by N.J. Senator Shirley Turner, allowed the Board to begin counting early ballots 10 days before the election, which meant that a large number of the votes were posted on election night.

Covello also highlighted some challenges, namely issues with the state voter registration system and voter registration rolls. The county had issues with duplicate registrations and also had to follow state laws regarding the removal of deceased persons from voter registration rolls, thus having to spend more time on verifying votes.