No Decision Made In Bid For Madison School Board President

MADISON, NJ — The Madison Public Schools annual Board of Education Reorganization Meeting left some issues unresolved, including the election of the board president.

The meeting was held on Tuesday, Jan. 3, at the Madison High School Media Center, with Carmen Vasto, a newly elected board member, and Dr. Stephen Tindall, a re-elected board member, taking their official oaths of office.

The board then moved to elect the new president and vice president for this year and Grace Kim and Sarah Fischer were both nominated for board president.

However, Kim and Fischer received four votes during the vote, complicating the matter.

In the event of a tie, the board could vote again or defer to the Executive County Superintendent's decision, Danielle Mancuso, secretary of the Madison Board of Education said.

The council ultimately decided to revisit the vote for president at the end of the meeting, potentially allowing for someone to switch their vote.

Following that, Dr. Stephen Tindall and Kim were nominated for vice president, however, Kim withdrew her name from consideration for the position.

After a roll call vote, Tindall received four votes for the position, while three voted no and one abstained, and because five votes were required, no decision on the position was made. Mancuso chose to redo the votes, but no changes were made, and the tally remained at four votes.

Many members of the community voiced their displeasure at the board during the meeting's public comment period for not being able to elect a president or vice president.

"I have been watching or serving on this board for probably over 30 years. I am extraordinarily disappointed in what just happened here. This is an embarrassment to Madison. I know you all, you're all good people, the fact that you could not reach a consensus on this is disturbing," local resident and former board of education member Lisa Ellis said.

Those sentiments were echoed by resident Johanna Habib, who complained that the board members had lost sight of their responsibilities.

"What is going on that you can't come to a consensus on this? Is there more than a single district in New Jersey in any given year that has to go to the county superintendent to pick their officers? It's just so surprising to me," Habib said.

"You guys are there for our kids and you guys need to come together and figure it out," Madison resident Cheryl Dodds said.

Following public comment, the board made the decision to go into an executive session to discuss the merits of presidential and vice presidential candidates. Following the executive session, the board voted to re-vote for the positions of president and vice president.

The re-vote for president produced the same results, with Kim and Fischer receiving four votes each, indicating that the district is still unable to elect a president, and the decision will be made by the county.

In the bid for vice president, Tindall was nominated yet again, this time receiving the majority vote and thus being elected vice president of the Madison Board of Education.