MIDDLETOWN, NJ — The deadline to submit a petition to run for school board in New Jersey was last Monday, July 27.
As every year, there are three seats up for election in 2026 on the Middletown school board.
This year, the three seats up for election are those held by Board vice president Frank Capone, Jacqueline Tobacco and Caterina Skalaski.
All three decided not to seek re-election this year. Their time on the school board will end in January.
For the past six years, Tobacco and Capone have been leaders on the Middletown school board. This is the first year they both decided not to seek re-election.
"This was not an easy decision, but I believe it is the right one for my family and me," said Capone, in part. "But life has taught me that nothing is ever truly final. The future has a way of presenting opportunities when you least expect them."
From the Monmouth County Clerk, here are the three candidates who filed to run for the seats:
The Middletown school board election will be Nov. 3.
Tobacco and Capone were first elected to the school board at the height of the COVID pandemic, and the two became figureheads of the parents' rights' movement, which emerged across New Jersey and the country in the pandemic. Capone and Tobacco were a voice for thousands of Middletown parents who were angry about prolonged school closures, requiring children as young as five to use virtual learning and mandatory weekly COVID testing for students and staff once schools reopened.
Then in 2023, the Middletown school board, under Capone's and Tobacco's leadership, continued to make headlines when the board tried to install a controversial transgender student policy, which required parents to be notified if their child was going by a different name, pronoun or using a different bathroom in school.
That policy got the Middletown school district sued by the New Jersey Attorney General. After a prolonged, multi-year court battle, two different courts (Monmouth County Superior Court and the NJ Court of Appeals) ruled against Tobacco and Capone, saying their policy violated New Jersey's Law Against Discrimination.
But Tobacco and Capone still had support in Middletown and — joined by their ally Skalaski — were re-elected to the school board the same year the Attorney General sued the district, winning re-election over their challengers by more than 30 percent.
To supporters of Capone/Tobacco, the state was still attacking parents' rights, and this time the bully was the Attorney General.
"One thing is clear, and this victory shows it: Parental rights matter in Middletown," Tobacco said at the time.
But their critics countered Capone/Tobacco had made the Middletown school board too political, and were putting LGBTQ+ and transgender kids at risk.
And in the past two years, Middletown had to confront an entirely new issue: Aging school building and budget deficits. Tobacco and Capone strongly backed a proposal to close several Middletown elementary schools, and downsize the district's size. Skalaski agreed with them.
Their vote to close schools was not popular in Middletown, and hundreds of parents formed a movement to prevent school closures.
Tobacco said Monday, Aug. 3:
"I am very proud of the legacy I am leaving in Middletown — being at the forefront of the parental rights movement in New Jersey, fighting to end the lockdowns, end virtual instruction, remove the masks, and end the quarantine guidelines that were harming children. We pushed back on the explicit sex ed. learning standards coming from Trenton and maintained an age-appropriate curriculum and parental involvement. We set the standard for parental rights regarding Transgender Policy 5756 across the state, and re-focused efforts on special education, including the development of the 18-21 work program and the Lincroft Annex, and an effort to bring special-education students back to the district by adding support staff like Registered Behavior Therapists to support our teachers and students after Covid. I look forward to continuing to be a forceful advocate for parental rights, health freedom, and the special-needs community."
"Serving this amazing community has been deeply meaningful to me, After much reflection I've decided not to seek another term," Skalaski said Monday. "I recognize that this new season of my life requires me to be more present for my family and the obligations that come with supporting them. While this decision is bittersweet, I know it is the right one for my family at this time ... To everyone who placed their trust in me, THANK YOU for that privilege. It has been an incredible honor."
Last Tuesday, July 28, the day after the filing deadline, Capone said the following on his Facebook page:
"Six years ago, the people of Middletown placed their trust in me, and for that I will be forever grateful. Serving this incredible community has been one of the greatest honors of my life.
Over the past six years, we celebrated many accomplishments and faced challenges that tested us all. Through every decision, every vote, and every difficult conversation, I remained committed to one guiding principle: doing what I believed was right for our students, our taxpayers, and the people of Middletown.
I have never believed elected office is about popularity or political convenience. Too often today, public service has become a contest over who can satisfy the loudest voices instead of who is willing to make the difficult decisions that serve the greater good. Leadership means standing firm in your convictions, especially when it isn't easy. It means making decisions based on what's best for the community, not what's best for your political future or personal interests. I have never wavered from that belief, and I never will.
Together, we navigated some of the most challenging moments in recent history. We faced the unprecedented challenges of COVID, worked to protect our children and their education, stood up for parental rights, strengthened school security by placing armed officers in our schools, and made the important decision to become self-insured for healthcare.
While not everyone agreed with every decision, I can honestly say that every vote I cast and every action I took came from a place of integrity and a sincere desire to do what I believed was best for our schools and our community.
Over these six years, I have had the privilege of serving as vice president for two years and president for four consecutive years. I had the honor of delivering 20 graduation speeches, hiring hundreds of dedicated staff members, voting to appoint almost all the principals who lead our schools today, and, as Board president, signing the diplomas of thousands of graduates. Looking out at those students and their families as they celebrated years of hard work and limitless potential will always remain among my most treasured memories. There are moments I will never forget, conversations I will always remember, and experiences that will stay with me for a lifetime.
Some stories are best left untold until the time is right. History has a way of providing perspective, and perhaps one day those reflections will be shared. Until then, I carry them with gratitude, pride, and an appreciation for everything we accomplished together.
After much thought and reflection, I have decided not to seek re-election. This was not an easy decision, but I believe it is the right one for my family and me. It's time to enjoy something I have missed far too often, time with those I love most, my family.
But life has taught me that nothing is ever truly final. The future has a way of presenting opportunities when you least expect them. I'll be cheering for Middletown from the sidelines, using my voice, experience, and board knowledge. To everyone who supported me, challenged me, believed in me, and even disagreed with me, thank you. You made me a better representative, a better leader, and a better person.
It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the people of Middletown. Thank you for your trust. Thank you for your friendship. Thank you for allowing me to serve. So for now, Middletown, I say goodbye. Until we meet again … God bless Middletown, God bless each and every one of you, and may God continue to bless the United States of America."
Middletown BOE's Capone, Tobacco Defend Trans Policy On Fox & Friends (2023)
Middletown's Transgender Policy Could Harm Kids, May Be Illegal, 2nd Court Says (2025)
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