By ROBERT LINNEHAN
A new member to the Board of Education was chosen last week, as Carol Matlack will serve out the remaining few months of the seat. The seat was vacated when former Board Member Lynette Howard resigned from her position while facing legal issues.
Matlack’s position on the board will run until April 2011.
“We look forward to welcoming Mrs. Matlack to the board table and working with her in the coming months,” Board President Seth Klukoff said. “As a regular attendee of board meetings and an active volunteer in the district, she will be well positioned to hit the ground running as we begin deliberations about the 2011–2012 budget and interviews for the new district superintendent.”
Matlack was one of four finalists selected by the board from among 14 Cherry Hill residents who formally indicated their interest in filling the vacant seat. Tom Baldwin, Andrew Behrend, and Robert Russo were the other finalists considered for the seat.
The four finalists were interviewed in public session on Dec. 14. The candidates gave opening and closing statements in front of the board last week and responded to questions regarding the superintendent search, the upcoming budget process, and decision-making as a possible board member.
“On behalf of the entire board, I want thank all of the applicants who came forward with a willingness to serve the children of Cherry Hill,” Klukoff added.
According to the district Matlack pledged to be an “ambassador of information,” helping to advance communication through her attendance at budget coffees and meetings throughout the community.
Matlack is currently the vice president of Cherry Hill Zone PTA, treasurer of the Cherry Hill High School West PTA, and the Camden County PTA Bylaws and Procedures chair. She served for four years as the West PTA president and has also been a participant on district committees and focus groups, according to the district.
Matlack has a bachelor of science in Elementary Early Childhood Education. She and her husband have four children; three are West graduates and the youngest is a West freshman. She resides in the Barclay Farm section of Cherry Hill and has been a resident of the township since 1988.
In the next school election, scheduled for Wed., April 27, voters will elect three board members to three-year terms and one to the unexpired two-year term.
