Butler BOE Appoints New Member

Beata Geyer Beaudoin, 39, was unanimously appointed as the new member of the Thursday night.

Geyer Beaudoin, a seven-year resident of the borough, was the only candidate who interviewed for the open position after former Board Member Sean Walsh was by the state Department of Education for not completing a criminal background check by a mandated deadline and later The board's newest member is a director of psychology training at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and coordinates an internship program for students through the University of Behavioral Healthcare in Newark.

She is the mother of a first grader in the district, Nicholas, and two 19-month-olds, Alexa and Jordan.

Geyer Beaudoin, who noted that she was serving on the board as a private citizen and not as a representative of her work, said she had interest in serving on the board because "I had opinions about the process and I need to back that up with action." Since she is serving in Walsh's term, which was set to expire this year, she will have to run for if she wishes to keep her seat on the board.

"I'll see how things go and, hopefully, if I can have a positive impact, then I would like to have a positive role (on the board)," she said.

During her public interview, board members took turns asking Geyer Beaudoin questions about her interest in serving.

"I just have had a lifelong interest in the development of children," she replied to one of the questions.

She told board members of her experience with statistical data and mentioned the importance of the students' test scores and raising them in her remarks. She also said she would like to continue to work with the board to foster ways for the students to thrive in creative environments.

But among her top priorities, Geyer Beaudoin said she would like to help improve the school district's reputation, as she sees a positive reputation of the district as a way to continue to attract younger families to the community.