Writer Judson Van Dervort questions the motivations behind the Moorestown Board of Education’s decisions.
I am back again about prejudice being exhibited by a majority of our Board of Education. I am not sure if it is age discrimination or political-view discrimination. It may be some of both. The board will not say, while, for the second time in six months, they declined to promote their long-serving vice president in his bid to become the board’s president, in a 5–4 vote at their reorganization meeting on Jan. 2. Whatever they are holding against Brandon Pugh, it is blatant prejudice, as it is not his actual qualifications nor his ability to serve the families and taxpayers of Moorestown very well as the head of this board.
What they do say publicly, almost to a member, is that Brandon Pugh is eminently qualified, knowledgeable, communicates well, exhibits leadership qualities, is the hardest working member on the board, is the only member to have state school board member certification and has represented Moorestown schools well as the president of the county-wide Board of Education and in his position in the state school boards association. They fail to make as strong a case for the president whom they went ahead and elected and who has been on the board for a little over a year, except to say that she is a professional educator.
The district employs professional educators for their expertise. This should not be the primary criteria for representing the families and tax payer owners of the school district on the board. In short, the majority on this board, which is running our $65,000,000/year schools operation, is not making any sense! So we are left to suspect the worst about biases and agenda. Fellow Moorestownians, please pay attention here!
Judson Van Dervort
