Who Will Be Elected as Montgomery/Rocky Hill School Board President for 2024?

By Barbara A. Preston | Posted January 1, 2024 (Updated January 3)

The Montgomery Board of Education has rescheduled its organization meeting. The meeting was originally scheduled to meet on Tuesday. It has been rescheduled to meet on Friday, January 5 at 5 pm at Orchard Hill Elementary School Cafeteria in Skillman

At this meeting, the Montgomery/Rocky Hill school board will elect its 2024 president and two vice presidents, and swear-in the three incumbents who were re-elected for another three years. The special meeting had been canceled on January 2, due to lack of a quorum.

Incumbents Zelda Spence-Wallace, Cookie Franco-Herman, and Christina Harris will be sworn in.

From left: 2023 School Board Presidents—Cookie Franco-Herman, first vice president; Patrick Todd, second vice president; and Zelda Spence-Wallace, president.

The nine members of the school board are elected by the residents of Montgomery and Rocky Hill, and serve without pay for three-year terms.

Incumbent Christina Harris will be sworn-in for three more years, along with Spence-Wallace and Franco-Herman.

The board’s responsibilities include: Setting and evaluating policy, establishing goals, overseeing that the district and the schools are well run by the administrators they have hired, and adopting a fiscally sound operating budget for the school district. Board members act on the superintendent’s recommendations, meet with civic groups, and receive input from parents, students, and community members.

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Other Important Upcoming Meetings

The Montgomery Board of Education (BOE) is inviting community members to participate in its final two strategic planning meetings, to take place on January 31 and February 22.

“Working collaboratively with your fellow community members, your involvement will be crucial in crafting a shared vision as our district continues to evolve,” according to a joint statement issued by the BOE.

“During these meetings, you will have the valuable opportunity to share your insights on the district’s present strengths while providing input on the direction we should take moving forward.

“We value your perspective, and your participation in these upcoming meetings would be immensely appreciated.”

The meetings will run from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm in the Montgomery Lower Middle School cafeteria.

The first meeting took place on December 12, and covered the topic, “Where are we now?”

The final two meetings are as follows:

Where Do We Want to Be in Three to Five Years?

Montgomery School District educators will join members of the school board and the community in a visioning exercise. The purpose will be to begin work towards shaping the direction the school district should take moving forward.

Wednesday, January 31

5:30 pm to 7:30 pm

Lower Middle School

How Are We Going to Get There?

Developing a roadmap on how to achieve a collective vision for the Montgomery School District. The session will include writing goal statements.

Thursday, February 22

5:30 pm to 7:30 pm

Lower Middle School 

Meetings start promptly. ■