New Board of Ed Members Sworn In

The three candidates who won in April's Board of Education elections were sworn in on Tuesday night, during the monthly School Board meeting. 

Frances Rhodes-Kearns, Carmelo Garcia and newcomer Peter Biancamano each took their oaths.

"I am very happy that my neighbors and community have put their trust in me," Biancamano said. "I know we are a split board up here, but we need to come together on bigger issues. In a tough economy we should not lay off any teachers."

"I am more excited this time than any other time, said Rhodes-Kearns, who started her fourth term on the board Tuesday night. "I really was not expecting to win those numbers. It was a nice message from the community to us."

Rhodes-Kearns said she was eager to continue working with the board in doing the right thing in terms of respect, inclusion, transparency and communication.

"I am elated and I am grateful to the community," Garcia said. “I will continue to fight for improved achievements and being a champion for public education. I’m excited. It’s enriching to have such a cross-section of support in Hoboken."

After the swearing-in of the board members, a reorganization meeting took place, and nominations for the president and vice president of the board for the following year took place. This was the first sign that showed a split board that evening, which carried on to other decisions throughout the night.

Current President Rose Marie Markle kept her position in a 5-4 vote and Ruth McAllister replaces Theresa Minutillo as the board's vice president.

 "It’s wonderful to have the whole board have confidence in me to do a good job," McAllister said. In addition, McAllister and Board member Irene Sobolov were respectively designated delegate and alternate delegate to the New Jersey School Board Association.

At the conclusion of the re-organization meeting and votes on agenda items for that meeting, the board took a short recess before proceeding with what would be the