In Middle Township, ‘Age is No Barrier to Leadership’

Calvin Back has served for 45 consecutive years on the Middle Township Board of Education. Matthew Buesing is in his sixth year on the same board, after being elected as a teenager.

When the Greatest Generation meets Gen Y, you might expect sparks to fly. But these two board members—separated by 47 years in age—share a love for education and their community

“Calvin is a valuable asset to our board because of the perspective that he brings. He has so much history to draw on in our district,” said Buesing, 25. “When we’re thinking about taking on some new initiatives or changing some of our programs, Calvin really shines the light on the history of what we have here in the district and he really does help shape our decision making.”

The average age for school board members in the nation is between 40 and 59 years-old, according to a 2002 National School Boards Association study; and the average term length for school board members in New Jersey is 6.7 years, according to an NJSBA 2006 analysis. Another NSBA study also found fewer than one half of 1 percent of board members in the U.S. are younger than 29. That means that both Back and Buesing defy the odds.

School Board Recognition Month They are among the 4,800 dedicated school board members honored by Gov. Jon S. Corzine and the State Board of Education as part of New Jersey’s School Board Recognition Month.

Buesing ran for a seat on the board at age 19. Elected at 20, he regularly commuted to Cape May County from George Washington University in D.C. He is now 25 and works as a mortgage broker.

Back, 72, a fire official in Middle Township, has served as the school board president for more than a quarter-century.

Both men said they work well together.

“I enjoy working with the young man. He was given a project with the dress code (a new district policy) and with his leadership, he did a great job,” Back said. “I have no problem with the younger people being involved.”

Age Is Just a Number While Back said some people were concerned about Buesing’s age as a new school board member in 2001, it was never an issue for him, drawing on his experience as a father of three adult sons.

“He was all right; he came on a mature member and he’d sit there and listen and ask questions. He didn’t just come from the street...gonna be the new leader overnight. He did it the right way. I’m very pleased with it,” Back said.

Buesing’s motto is “age is no barrier to leadership.”

“Calvin’s management style of the board is very effective because he lets the members probe a lot of issues on their own and he gives a lot of latitude to the members in their decision-making. I really appreciated that because I was 20 at the time,” Buesing said. “I like the independence and free thought that Calvin allowed, but at the same time he was a mentor to me and educated me in the operations of the board.

“He definitely leads through example and seeing his leadership has helped me,” he said, adding that the elder board member has “really accelerated my learning of how the board operates because I didn’t have that knowledge coming into the position.”