Carl Accettola of Colts Neck will continue to serve as president of the Freehold Regional High School District Board of Education during 2020.
Accettola was elected to the leadership position by his colleagues on the panel during the board’s reorganization meeting on Jan. 6 at the district offices in Englishtown.
The board oversees the operation of the district’s high schools in Colts Neck, Freehold Borough, Freehold Township, Howell, Manalapan and Marlboro. According to district administrators, 10,575 students attend the six schools. The district’s enrollment was 10,640 students in January 2019.
At the start of the meeting, the three individuals who won three-year terms in the Nov. 5 election were sworn in to begin serving their terms. The winners were incumbents Diana Cappiello of Englishtown and Kathie Lavin of Farmingdale, and newcomer Marc Parisi of Howell. All three candidates ran unopposed.
The board also filled the vacant Freehold Township seat by swearing in Elizabeth Higley for a one-year term that will expire in December. Higley recently retired from her position as principal of Freehold Township High School.
When the floor was opened to nominations for president, Freehold Borough representative Heshy Moses nominated Accettola. There was no second nomination and Accettola was unanimously elected president
In the election for vice president, Manalapan representative Jennifer Sutera was nominated by Accettola. There was no second nomination and Sutera was unanimously elected vice president.
Accettola, Sutera, Higley, Parisi, Cappiello, Moses and Lavin are joined on the board by Peter Bruno of Howell and Michael Messinger of Marlboro.
In other business, the board members voted to abolish a full-time technology education position from the district.
Superintendent of Schools Charles Sampson said an individual submitted retirement papers in the middle of the school year. He said that teacher was on a medical leave of absence at the start of the school year.
Sampson said it is common practice that if there is a retirement and the board does not plan to refill the position, it is abolished.
The superintendent said that since 2015, as the district’s enrollment has declined by 1% to 1.5% per year, more than 30 positions, including two administrative positions, have been eliminated.
