To the Editor:
My service on the school board lasted only six months — barely an internship, really — and although I am saddened to step down because of my move into Hopewell Borough, it has been a profound experience. It reminded me that civic duty offers a kind of education and connection that few other experiences can provide.
That is why I want to encourage you to run for school board this fall.
First, you would be a leader in our community. You would serve alongside experienced, motivated professionals who are committed to defending and strengthening public education at HVRSD with thoughtfulness, data, and care.
Between work and home, public education functions as a kind of “third space” — a place where we meet, connect, and build community. The term, coined by sociologist Ray Oldenburg, describes the gathering places that help knit the fabric of society together. When too much of civic life becomes privatized, cracks begin to form in the culture.
Hopewell is fortunate to have many third spaces: churches, temples, mosques, parks, art museums, theaters, tracks, ball fields, coffee shops, and local gathering places like Small World Coffee and Aunt Chubby’s. These places create the rich mosaic of our community. They allow us to connect not only in moments of celebration, but in the ordinary, sustaining rhythms of everyday life.
HVRSD is one of the backbones of these publicly funded third spaces. It is where children and families find continuity during times of crisis. It is where parents have access to teaching and learning resources that are unavailable in many other states. It is where we support the next generation — the young people who will, one day, be taking care of us.
Second, you would receive a free philosophical education. You would be asked to consider the value of academic programming for our children. You would help make decisions about the future of our facilities and systems. You would learn about state policy, law, fiscal responsibility, personnel management, and the complicated balance between ideals and practical governance.
And even before you take a seat at the table, the act of running matters. By gathering the signatures needed to place your name on the ballot, you have already stepped forward. You have already said to your family, friends, and neighbors: I care enough to try. That alone earns respect.
Hopewell is filled with highly educated, thoughtful people who excel in their fields. I am constantly amazed — and humbled — by the caliber of my neighbors. This election year, there are open seats and an opportunity for new voices to join in the work.
Third, you would be donating your knowledge. And in the right setting, knowledge grows. It is sharpened, challenged, and amplified by the perspectives of others. It is rare to witness a group of individuals debate difficult issues with the kind of elegance, kindness, and consideration I have seen at HVRSD board meetings. Everyone brings value. Every voice is heard. The work is serious, but it is also deeply human.
Toni Morrison once wrote, “It is about being as fearless as one can, and behaving as beautifully as one can, under completely impossible circumstances. It’s that, that makes it elegant. Good is just more interesting, more complex, more demanding.”
That is what public service asks of us: to be as fearless as we can, to behave as beautifully as we can, and to do good work even when the circumstances are complicated.
Show that you are a leader. Get locally educated. Donate your knowledge.
Run for school board.
Thank you for voting for me last year. I hope to serve again one day.
Yours,
Hope Cotter
