Passaic County School Boards Association Meeting Highlights How to Plan a Referendum

The Passaic County School Boards Association met Sept. 25 at Mario’s Restaurant and Pizzeria in Clifton.

Charles Caraballo (Bloomingdale), president of the Passaic County School Boards Association, called the meeting to order and welcomed everyone in attendance, both in-person and virtually. He also expressed his appreciation for everyone coming to the first meeting of the 2024-2025 school year.

NJSBA Vice President for County Activities Barry Fitzgerald (Lenape Regional, Burlington County) was in attendance to bring greetings on behalf of the NJSBA’s officers. Each NJSBA officer has pledged to attend a meeting of each county association during their 2023-2025 NJSBA term. NJSBA Immediate-Past President Irene LeFebvre (Boonton, Morris County) was present as well and gave the attendees an overview of the Educational Leadership Foundation of New Jersey, which she serves on as a trustee as the Association’s immediate past president.

Recently, the New Jersey State Senate officially confirmed Ahmed Shehata, assistant superintendent of business for Clifton Public Schools, to serve on the New Jersey State Board of Education. Gov. Phil Murphy’s appointment marks a significant milestone for both Shehata and the Clifton Public School District. Ahmed Shehata brings a wealth of experience and dedication to his new role on the New Jersey State Board of Education. His extensive background in business administration, public administration, and community involvement positions him to advocate for educational excellence across New Jersey. Ahmed attended the meeting and brought brief greetings as a member of the New Jersey State Board of Education.

The meeting business proceeded with Lauren Cuervo, NJSBA senior director of connection, giving the attendees a brief but valuable overview of Workshop 2024: Quest for Student Success, including the new “Daniel Sinclair Career Readiness Expo” named for Past NJSBA and PCSBA President Daniel Sinclair who recently passed away and was highly instrumental in the creation of the Career Readiness Expo. Alan Paris (Clifton), an NJSBA Board of Directors member, provided the attendees with a comprehensive update on the September 20 NJSBA Board of Directors meeting, ensuring that everyone was fully informed. Kelly Mitchell, an NJSBA field service representative, welcomed the board members to the 2024 – 2025 school year and encouraged them to contact her with any questions or concerns.

The program for the evening was “Effectively Planning and Financing a Referendum to Maximize Impact on Tax Levy.” The speaker line-up was diverse and included a panel of speakers that could speak to different areas of the pre- and post-referendum process. These speakers, each with their unique perspectives, included Dr. Mark Toback, Superintendent of Schools, Wayne Township School District; Ahmed Shehata, Assistant Superintendent of Business, Clifton School District; Bryan Morris, Director, Phoenix Advisors, LLC; Laura Bishop, Managing Director, Laura Bishop Communications; and Stephen R. Fogarty, Esq., Partner, Fogarty & Hara, Esq.

Also in attendance were Maryann Capursi, (Passaic City) PCSBA 1st Vice President; Arwa Bassam Ensour, (Prospect Park) PCSBA 2nd Vice President for Legislation; Judith Bassford (Clifton) PCSBA Immediate-Past President; Ray Pinney, NJSBA Chief Membership Engagement Officer, and Robert Acerra, NJSBA county activities coordinator.

A variety of other important business was also conducted at the meeting. The PCSBA Executive Committee will host the next Passaic County School Boards Association meeting at Lakeland Regional High School on Monday, December 9, 2024. The topic for this meeting will be “Harnessing the Power of Public Relations, Social Media, and Technology in Schools.” This meeting will also invite all newly elected board members in the November election to join the meeting. Dan Sinclair, past NJSBA and PCSBA president, will be honored. He recently died and served many years on the Lakeland Regional High School Board of Education. The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks to all the speakers and attendees for their valuable contributions and a commitment to implement the learnings from the meeting in the upcoming school year.