Both were unanimously re-elected to their respective positions.
January marks the start of a new chapter in a familiar book for the Moorestown Board of Education. Last Thursday, the newly elected members gathered in the media center of William Allen Middle School to take the oath of office.
With incumbent David Weinstein having been voted back in and Caryn Shaw making her return to the board after a year away, Alexandria Law was the only new member to take a seat at the table. Board President Sandra Alberti said she sees this period of consistency as an opportunity to make great strides.
“Where we are with some stability in the superintendency and the board, that gives you the opportunity to kind chew on the agenda and move forward in a way that’s important,” Alberti said.
Alberti was the sole nominee for board president, and Weinstein was the sole nomination for vice president. Both were unanimously re-elected to their respective positions. Alberti was first elected as board president following her predecessor Kathy Goldenberg’s departure in June 2017, and she was reelected to the role in January 2018, at which point Weinstein was elected vice president.
Alberti stressed that when she was first elected, the consensus among board members was that no one should serve as president in perpetuity. With that thinking in mind, she and Weinstein have engaged in recent discussions about leadership opportunities for other board members. Whether it’s discussions about a succession plan or just providing more chances to lead, these are conversations and opportunities they hope to engage in with their fellow members.
“Now that we have consistency in the board, we can help elevate the board and the work we do,” Alberti said. “These are conversations we can all have together. We can have these plans in the open and as part of a larger plan for board and the district.”
The board also engaged in a discussion surrounding committee appointments. In the past, board member elections were in April, reorganization took place in May and committee appointments were seated in June in preparation for the next school year. Now, with new members sworn into their roles in January, the board members unanimously agreed that swapping committee appointments in June doesn’t make much sense.
Alberti said the practice has led to reorganizations with the initial committee appointments taking place in June, and then a second shuffling taking place when new members are elected. Board member Mark Villanueva advocated for establishing committee seats for a full year.
“I think it’s best to have 12 months with everybody seated in their position to get some consistency over the course of the year,” Villanueva said.
Board member Tinamarie Nicolo-Dorfner echoed the sentiment.
“It takes a few months for committees to kind of gel and get to know each other and really work efficiently,” Nicolo-Dorfner said. “By the time that happens, it’s usually around May, and then to reshuffle it again doesn’t really make sense.”
Alberti said looking ahead, once all of the committees are established, the hope is to set goals for each committee based on the district’s strategic plan.
The next board of education meeting will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. at William Allen Middle School.
