Board of Education Chairman Steps Down

Michael Fenton has stepped down as Chairman of the Board of Education (BOE), notifying the board of his intent at a special meeting on February 9. Fenton intends to remain on the BOE through the end of his term, which ends this year, however he likely will not be running for reelection.

Fenton decided to dial down his involvement with the BOE as his responsibilities at work increased.

“It was completely a work-related thing,” he said of stepping down. “Either work had to suffer or the board had to suffer… And at some point it’s not just the board but the kids who suffer — I can’t let that happen.”

Fenton works for a company based in Prospect Park, NJ, called Prestige Party Rental, which organizes rental equipment for events in the tri-state area.

“I’m one of those people who loves to drive,” Fenton said, but the commute is “one and a half hours on a good day,” making it difficult for him to get to BOE meetings and other important events in town.

“It’s really important to have the board chairman be visible” and actively engaged in town government and the community, he said, which can be impossible without skipping out of work early. “This has been an issue for quite awhile.”

For the remainder of his term, Fenton plans to “stay vocal and look to make every meeting,” he said, adding that he asked his fellow board members, “If my absence becomes detrimental, tell me.”

Come November, he said there is a “90 percent chance as of now” that he will not seek another term. His relation to the job has changed, he said, as his son graduated from Brookfield High School last spring and he no longer has children in the district.

“It has changed a bit now that I no longer have a kid in the district,” Fenton said. “I’m still motivated but for different reasons.”

Those reasons may motivate him to run for a different elected board in town.

“It’s not something I haven’t thought of,” he said of serving in a different capacity in the future, “But taking a year or two off is a good thing, I think.”

Fenton has served on the BOE for four and a half years and was elected chairman in December 2009. Being chairman “was an amazing experience,” he said. “It was a good thing to do and I got to work with some amazing people.”

He stepped down as chairman on February 9, however the board did not elect a new chair at that meeting, as the members wanted time to think about their nominations. By state statute the BOE has 30 days to elect a new chair, and the board has scheduled a special meeting for that purpose on Wednesday, February 23, at 6 p.m. in the high school media center.