Princeton BOE Elects President, Vice President For 2025

PRINCETON, NJ — During the Board of Education reorganization meeting held last week, Dafna Kendal was reelected BOE president, and Susan Kanter was elected as vice president.

The evening began with Mara Franceschi, Ari Meisel, and Chris Santarpio taking the oath of office. Franceschi was elected to her second term on the BOE, with Meisel and Santarpio being newcomers.

The Cranbury Board of Education sent in a new representative — Katherine Lara, who replaced Rob Christopher. Christopher joined the Cranbury Council as an elected member.

After the swearing-in, BOE member Debbie Bronfeld nominated Kendal to return as BOE president.

Bronfeld said that Kendal’s nomination of several interim candidates kept the district moving forward as administrators worked to find a more permanent solution.

Bronfeld cited several reasons for nominating Kendal as president, which included ensuring that every board member had the same information so they could all make informed decisions; her depth of knowledge and leadership through several successful union negotiations; the upcoming referendum vote and the hiring of a new superintendent.

“Dafna’s respect for our staff makes her the right leader to help transition the Princeton Public Schools to a new superintendent in June,” Bronfeld said.

“Whatever Dafna does, she always keeps students front and center. Dafna is a tireless advocate for students and her intensity about keeping focus on students is matched only by her sense of humor.”

Eight BOE members voted ‘yes’ for Kendal with Adam Bierman voting ‘no’. This will be Kendal’s fourth term as president.

“We really are a team and even if we get off the track, someone will always bring it back to kids. And that’s the most important thing. What we do matters,” Kendal said.

After Kendal’s confirmation, Beth Behrend nominated Kanter for the role of vice president. Behrend cited Kanter’s “tireless willingness” to pitch in and move the work of the board forward and her “unwavering devotion” to students for nominating her.

Kanter was elected on a unanimous vote.

“I’ve been involved in the Princeton Public Schools for over 20 years so this is a very exciting day for me. So, thank you,” Kanter said.

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