This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
07/12/2018 05:48 PMThe 2017-18 academic year included a municipal election, but the make-up of North Branford's Board of Education (BOE) was also changed as it weathered several resignations, welcomed some new appointees and voted in three different chairs.
Looking Back:
In August, 2017, due to past chair Philip Dahlmeyer (R) resigning to move out of state; the board elevated Colby O'Rourke (D) to the position of interim chair. The seven-member BOE was at six members; including Democrats O'Rourke, Marcey Onofrio, Deb Prunier, Diane Vumback and Republicans Sara Querfeld and Elizabeth Siena. In special meeting on August 31, with Querfeld absent, the BOE voted 4-1 to ratify an agreement reached in the summer of 2017 between former Board Chairman Dahlmeyer and Superintendent Schoonmaker, to pay the Superintendent, at his 2016-17 rate of pay, for his five (5) accrued, unused, 2016-17 vacation days, rather than carry them forward till a later time.
The now six-member BOE was hit with another change on September 15; when Prunier tendered her resignation with no reasons stated. The council appointed Shawna Papa-Holzer fill Dahlmeyer's vacated seat but had no name brought forward to fill the Democratic slot, as Deputy Mayor Rose Marie Angeloni noted during citizen's statements at the BOE meeting that month. Then, in late September, citing "bullying tactics," as part of the ongoing investigation of past BOE actions, O'Rourke tendered her resignation from the BOE.
In October 2017, the Town Council appointed two interim BOE members: Carolyn Candelora (R) and Lynn Riordan (D), for terms ending with the Nov. 7 municipal election. In November, with only four total BOE candidates on the ballot, the four open seats on the seven-member BOE were filled by three GOP candidates and one Democratic candidate.
Following the November elections, the new BOE make-up included six members, with Querfeld as chair. Other BOE members were Vumback, Siena, Onofrio, Candelora and Papa-Holzer.
Election Day in North Branford also switched the nine-seat Town Council majority over to the GOP, with a majority of six Republican members and a Democratic minority of three. During the first meeting of the new Town Council following the November 2017 election, by majority vote, the council did not re-appoint Riordan to fill the seventh BOE seat post-election.
With just six members of the BOE seated on Nov. 16, the BOE split a vote on extending Superintendent of Schools Scott Schoonmaker's contract by one year. Due to the 3-3 tie, the one-year extension was not granted. Leading the vote against extending the contract was chairman Querfeld, who noted Schoonmaker's current contract was intact through June 30, 2019. Querfeld said it would be better to take the one-year contract extension vote up again once the Town Council's investigation into BOE practices reached a resolution. On Nov. 19, Riordan gathered supporters to rally outside Town Hall in support of Schoonmaker.
In December 2017, the Town Council appointed Democrat Jenna Balsamo to the BOE's vacant seventh seat. On Dec. 21, the BOE voted unanimously to approve a one-year extension of the superintendent's current three-year contract.
In January 2018, Vumback resigned from the BOE for personal reasons. On January 16, the Town Council voted to appoint Democrat Vincent J. Mase, Sr. to fill her vacated seat. Then, effective Feb. 16, Querfeld resigned from the board for personal reasons. The Town Council voted to appoint Cynthia Rice (R) to the BOE to fill Querfeld's vacant seat. The BOE elected Papa-Holzer as its chairman.
At present, the BOE membership includes Papa-Holzer (chair), Onofrio (vice chair), Siena (secretary), Balsamo, Candelora, Mase and Rice.