SAYREVILLE – Two departing members of the Sayreville Board of Education have been recognized for their years of service to the district.
The terms of Michael Macagnone and Beth DePinto expired at the end of 2017. Their final meeting as members of the district’s governing body was on Dec. 19.
At the meeting, Macagnone and DePinto received plaques from board President Kevin Ciak, who spoke about their service.
“This is both a happy time and a sad time,” Ciak said. “It’s a happy time because we’re bringing on new ideas and new leaders, but at the same time we’re also saying goodbye to veteran and outstanding leaders for the Sayreville Board of Education.”
DePinto joined the board in 2011. She did not seek re-election in 2017.
“I had a great opportunity to really get to know Mrs. DePinto,” Ciak said. “She and I served as president and vice president together, and I got the chance to really understand how she thinks, how she acts and how concerned she really is not only for the students of Sayreville, but also for the parents and community members. Having that partnership as the board vice president was great for me as president because you had a chance to do a reality test [with] everything we were doing and you had someone you could trust to bounce ideas off of.
“Mrs. DePinto, you’ve been a phenomenal advocate and I want to congratulate you on all of your outstanding years of service,” he said. “We’re going to miss you.”
Macagnone joined the board in 2005. He fell short of retaining his seat in the 2017 election.
“I remember when Mr. Macagnone actually first appeared on a candidates night … when he was running for the Board of Education back in 2005 and you knew that he was a force to be reckoned with,” Ciak said. “And it was his military background, his military training, he was all about getting to the point, let’s get things done, let’s stay focused, and he has remained true to that throughout all of his time on the Board of Education.
Macagnone served for eight years as president and one year as vice president when Phyllis Batko was president of the board.
“First of all, he’s always been about raising the bar for student achievement in this district; always about getting more students going to college; more programs for science, technology, engineering and math; more students pursuing math-related courses, higher-level courses; more students taking the SATs.
“And the second thing he’s always been about – maybe it’s the first thing he’s been about – his love of country, the military and the armed forces. Thanks to his leadership, we’ve been able to bring into this district for the first time the junior ROTC [Reserve Officers’ Training Corps] program. And that program is a tremendous fit for Sayreville Public Schools. Mr. Macagnone, that will be your legacy to Sayreville War Memorial High School, probably more than anything else you’ve done. You have a long litany of accomplishments on this board. Mr. Macagnone, I want to congratulate you on your outstanding service.”
Superintendent Richard Labbe also thanked DePinto and Macagnone for their time on the school board.
“On behalf of the administration, the faculty, support staff and, of course, our amazing students, we cannot thank Mr. Macagnone and Mrs. DePinto enough for everything that they have done for all of our students,” Labbe said. “You truly are impressive leaders, but more importantly, inspiring and incredible people that I’ve had the honor and privilege to be able to work with for the past several years.
“Beth, you taught me so many things,” he said. “You are someone that has sacrificed so much, as every board member does. When you work closely with the Board of Education, you realize what a sacrifice these people make to serve this community and you [DePinto], by all means, have sacrificed a great deal. And you do it for no other reason than the children in this district. The way in which you lead through your heart has always impressed, and more importantly, inspired me and will continue to do so. So I thank you very much for that.
“Mike, I’ve never met a person with more honor and integrity than you. I can’t thank you enough for your guidance and your mentorship as a leader for me. I have truly benefited far beyond what you can imagine from working closely with you. And I definitely have learned how to lead with honor and to lead with integrity because of you. We will greatly miss you.”
