By Peter Elacqua
Staff Writer
MARLBORO – Debbie Mattos has been elected to her second consecutive term as president of the Marlboro K-8 School District Board of Education.
The board held its reorganization meeting on Jan. 3, during which Randy Heller, Robert Daniel and Dara Enny were sworn in to begin serving the three-year terms they won in the Nov. 8 election. Enny is a returning member of the board.
After Heller, Daniel and Enny were sworn in, nominations were made for the position of board president.
Board member Robyn Wolfe nominated Mattos and board member Stephen Shifrinson nominated Craig Marshall. Mattos and Marshall each had a chance to address the board.
“I sat in the public attending meetings for years prior to becoming a board member almost four years ago,” Mattos said. “I have witnessed firsthand through my own children being in the district the effect our decisions have on our students, teachers, staff and taxpayers alike.
“We have made difficult decisions as a board, as a team, that we should be proud of and they were all done with great discussion, even when we don’t all agree. If given the opportunity to serve as president for 2017, I would like to continue being your consensus builder and continue to grow as a president,” she said.
“Win or lose, it is always an honor to be nominated for a leadership position so for that alone, I thank you very much,” Marshall said. “Many times, this type of election comes down to a leadership style that is best suited for the specific goals and mission that an organization or entity has adopted.
“When I first got on this board two years ago, we had a different style of leadership, one that was very collaborative and inviting, and there was an overall sense of importance in communicating with board members about various issues as they developed,” he said.
“This in no way meant that we always agreed and that discussions did not take on a very animated and lively tone at times, as they certainly did. There was a feeling of freedom to openly express and offer opinions without concern that you were being frowned upon or reprimanded if you were to disagree with board leadership.
“My goal is to bring back unity to what is now a divided board. I look forward to working with our vice president in a collaborative manner that would filter to each member,” Marshall said.
When the vote for president was called, Mattos was elected by a 5-4 vote. Heller, Wolfe, Joanne Liu-Rudel and Ellen Xu voted for Mattos and she voted for herself. Enny, Daniel and Shifrinson voted for Marshall and he voted for himself.
After the vote, Mattos said, “I want to thank everybody on this board for electing me to my second term as president. I am passionate and love this district, the children, staff and everybody alike. I look forward to going forward as a team and let’s build it up and get better.”
Shifrinson was nominated by Enny to serve his second consecutive year as vice president.
“He worked for 30 years as an administrator in the Marlboro schools,” Enny said. “This gives him a unique perspective in working with and understanding the needs of the students, staff and taxpayers in the Marlboro community.”
Shifrinson was unanimously elected vice president.
“I thank everybody, it has been almost four decades working in Marlboro,” he said. “I have seen the town grow. It was an honor working here. There are many people in town who I had as students whose children I now meet. I hope to continue my service and working for the community as I have been doing. Thank you for your confidence and I am sure we are going to have a great school year.”
The board honored two individuals who concluded their service to the board in December – Michael Lilonsky and Victoria Dean. Dean served on the board for six-and-a-half years and Lilonsky served on the board for nine-and-a-half years.
