Mayor Reappoints Shelly Lombard and Leslie Larson To Another Term on School Board

Mayor Jerry Fried announced late Friday that he has reappointed School Board President Shelly Lombard and School Board Vice President Leslie Larson to another term on the Board of Education.

The three-year terms of both members were up this year and both had expressed an interest in being reappointed for another term.

"The Board of Education Advisory Committee, appointed by members of the Township Council, and I interviewed several outstanding new candidates and conferred with sitting Board members about the challenges and opportunities in our public schools," he said. "After much debate, I have decided to reappoint Shelly Lombard and Leslie Larson to the Board so they can finish the many innovative projects they've undertaken as President and Vice-President."

Lombard said she was pleased by the announcement.

"I'm pleased about the Mayor's support and his acknowledgement of what the Board has accomplished," she said.

Lombard was originally appointed to the Board in 2006 by Mayor Ed Remsen, and was reappointed by Fried in 2009. Larson was the first new appointee chosen by Fried. Both women had previously served the public schools in various volunteer capacities and have had multiple children go through the system.

"With the resignation of Superintendent [Frank] Alvarez, the Board will be choosing a new superintendent and setting a course for the future, building on the foundation established over the course of decades," Fried said. "I feel that it is important to keep the Board intact during this transitional year."

Over the past four years, the Board has been noteworthy in making itself more accessible to the public, implementing citizen participation in committee work and welcoming emails and public comment while setting up meetings between the school administration and education reformers, many of whom live in Montclair.

"Although several important programs have been curtailed because of pressures to reduce spending during the economic downturn, I believe that support for the Board is at an all-time high because of prudent budgeting, efforts to reduce spending on out-of-district placements, restructuring of staffing to keep more education dollars in the classroom, and the appointment of a crop of dynamic principals," Fried said.

Alvarez has placed new principals in 10 out of Montclair's 11 schools during the past nine years. Although the Board has hired an interim Superintendent to allow more time for the search for his replacement, the Board is optimistic that a new Superintendent will be in place by September 2012.