Camden’s school board plans to fill 2 vacant board positions next week. Parents allege lack of transparency

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The Camden City School District School Advisory Board scheduled a special meeting on Thursday to fill two vacant board seats.

Former board president Wasim Muhammad resigned in September after the district settled a civil suit that stemmed from allegations that Muhammad fostered a sexually hostile learning environment, when he was a middle school teacher in the mid 1990s.

Nyemah Gillespie, a long-time board member, also stepped down in September citing “the actions of [Muhammad]” as a factor.

Interested candidates had until the end of October to apply for the open seats.

The district declined to release the names of those being evaluated for the positions and did not release the number of candidates under consideration.

“This approach allows the board members to consider each candidate based on the full interview process without any external influence,” said district spokeswoman Sheena Yera. “Once the interviews are complete, the board will make their decision in the best interest of the community.”

Yera said public comment will be heard during the meeting as the board makes its selection. But Faheem Lea, a long-time city resident and parent of a child in the district, said he is concerned about the lack of transparency.

“This has been something that’s been ongoing with that administration; not having consistent meetings [and] not having us privy to information,” he said. “The current school board doesn’t really seem to represent the interests of the people of Camden.”

Amirah Kane, another parent with two kids attending district schools, said the board has been doing “the minimum” to keep the public informed about the process of filling vacancies.

“​​Given the recent heightened media attention, they have to make sure that they’re covering themselves from a liability aspect, and then they also have to make sure they are protecting and respecting the interview process like any other job,” she said.

According to state law, the board had 65 days to fill any board vacancy from when it becomes available. A majority of the remaining board members are needed to appoint a new member.

Of the current seven board members, five were on the ballot during last week’s general election. N’Namdee Nelson and Jeanette Alvarez, the board’s current president and vice president, respectively, were reelected to full three-year terms, as was Cameron Hudson. Wanda Garcia and Maria Perez were elected to finish unexpired terms.

The school board has served in an advisory capacity since the state took over the district in 2013. Residents have directly elected board members since 2018, following a lawsuit.

Once the board is at full capacity, Lea and Kane hope the body can concentrate on ensuring students are educated.

“I feel like it is the best to carry on business as usual and focus on lifting the QSAC off of our school district so that we can thrive and flourish, and our students can be better educated,”  Kane said.

Lea said the focus has been “about business and numbers and funding” since the state took over the Camden City School District, adding “the children are losing out.”

“I would like to see … a new board that’s going to be committed to education again,” he said.