New President Appointed, 3 Members Sworn In To Long Valley School Board

LONG VALLEY, NJ — The Washington Township Board of Education kicked off 2023 with the election of a new president and vice president at the annual reorganization meeting held on Tuesday night.

Board member Rob Waskis was chosen to serve as vice president, and Jill Mucerino was elected to the position of board president by a narrow margin of one vote, beating out former president Jessica DeCicco.

Both Waskis and Mucerino were appointed with five yes votes and four no votes.

"I would like to thank my fellow board members for electing me. I look forward to a great year of reaching and exceeding board goals, focusing on student achievement and supporting the administration," Mucerino said.

The reorganization meeting also saw the official swearing-in of three board members, including newcomers Lyndsay Suchy and John Holly, and current board member DeCicco.

Peter Turnamian, superintendent of Washington Township Schools, provided an update on upcoming projects the district has planned for the year after the appointments.

One of those initiatives is a fresh STEM fair that will help the district move in the direction of more STEM-focused school activities.

All residents were also provided with an update on the upcoming referendum initiative. According to Turnamian, the referendum will be held this March and will allow the community to decide whether an investment in the district's school infrastructure is necessary.

"The next referendum date is the second Tuesday in March. In order to meet this date the board has to authorize the referendum at least 60 days prior. The authorization can be generic and does not have to specifically outline the projects and dollar amounts," Kelly DeMayo said. "This process puts the county and township on notice that an election will occur and permits them to start their required process as a courtesy the earlier, the better."

The referendum was first approved with a resolution at the board meeting on Dec. 13. Because they don't know the parameters of state funding, the board did not specify the projects or the costs involved.

The full details of the referendum will be presented in the coming weeks and months, with public forums already in the works, officials said.