Camden residents can't elect their school board members

A group of Camden residents who want the city's school board to be an elected body rather than one appointed by the mayor suffered a setback Monday when a judge dismissed their lawsuit against the school district.

The suit, filed in April in Superior Court in Camden, asked that city residents be allowed to vote on whether to appoint or elect members of the board. It also argued that the question should have gone before voters in April 2014, as specified in 2010 legislation that ended the state's takeover of the City of Camden.

William M. Tambussi, an attorney for Brown & Connery L.L.P., known for representing county and municipal entities as well as Cooper Health System, told Judge Michael Kassel that the district was not bound by the 2010 law because the state took over the school district in 2013.

Flavio Komuves, representing the group of residents, countered that the 2010 law provided a clear framework for Camden's future. It gave Mayor Dana L. Redd the authority to appoint all nine school board members, with the stipulation that in 2014 voters would decide whether to make the system permanent.

Kassel questioned the rationale behind electing members of a board that, under the takeover, has been stripped of its governing power and functions as an advisory panel.

"Normally, we elect people to do things," Kassel said. "This board does nothing but advise. ... This notion that this represents a wholesale disenfranchisement of the voters of Camden is a myth."

Komuves noted that Newark, another state-controlled district, has an elected school board that has little formal authority.

Moneke Ragsdale, one of those who filed the suit, said after the hearing that some residents do not trust that Redd's appointees will act in the best interests of parents and not politicians.

Before 2010, the Camden school board was made up of members appointed by the governor and mayor, as well as several who were elected.

The state takeover has brought significant changes to Camden, namely the creation of a number of charter-public hybrid "Renaissance" schools, some of which now operate in buildings that once housed traditional public schools.

District officials have said they believe the state takeover takes precedence over the 2010 law. Superintendent Paymon Rouhanifard, hired by Gov. Christie, has also said he supports returning the district to local control.

After Monday's ruling, Komuves said he would evaluate his options.

"The struggle for Camden's independence doesn't stop with one court ruling," he said.

asteele@phillynews.com 856-779-3876 @AESteele