The Passaic County School Boards Association (PCSBA) concluded the 2024-25 school year with a well-attended meeting on May 28 at Mario’s Restaurant and Pizzeria in Clifton. PCSBA President Charles Caraballo from Bloomingdale called the meeting to order and welcomed both in-person and virtual attendees.
During the meeting, Joseph Ercolani, the principal of Manchester Regional High School, introduced Bernadette Orsita, who was named the Passaic County Teacher of the Year for 2024-25. Orsita, a Spanish teacher at Manchester Regional High School, delivered an impactful message to school board members, sharing insights from her journey that took her from Lunch Aide to Teacher of the Year.
John Burns, senior legal counsel at the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA), provided updates from the NJSBA Advocacy Team. Kelly Mitchell, an NJSBA field services representative, shared insights from the field service team and presented the Carole E. Larsen Certified Board of Education honor to Manchester Regional High School. Additionally, Alan Paris, a delegate on the NJSBA Board of Directors, informed attendees about developments during a recent NJSBA board meeting.
Robert Acerra, the NJSBA county activities coordinator, presented milestone awards recognizing the achievements of board members across Passaic County. This year, 22 board members were honored for their collective 285 years of dedicated service to their communities.
The following board members were honored:
New Board Member Boardsmanship Certification
- Liza Amezquita, Manchester Regional
- Angelina Cuadrado, Haledon
- Richard Mejia, Clifton
- Erica Mulkey-Koltzan, Hawthorne
- Motez Ramadan, Haledon
- Barbara Rigoglioso, Wayne Township
- Anthony Santiago, Clifton
- Joseph Siano, Clifton
- Tanya Suarez, Clifton
- Melissa Zepponi-Kearney, Ringwood
Certified Board Member Certification
- Liliana Baez-Molina, Manchester Regional
- Maryann Capursi, Passaic City
- Claire Lockwood, West Milford
- Alan Paris, Clifton
- Donald Pavlak, Wayne Township
- Haralampos Prassakos, Wayne Township
Master Board Member Certification
- William Cytowicz, West Milford
- Alan Paris, Clifton
- Jason Velante, Wanaque
10-Year Milestone Awards
- Robert Barnhardt, Wanaque
- Gary Bierach, Totowa
- Dr. Rachel Capizzi, Little Falls Township
- Rosemarie Carr, Totowa
- Giovanni D’Ambrosio, Passaic Valley Regional
- Angela Demetriou, Wanaque
- Lucia DeNova, North Haledon
- Teresa Dwyer, West Milford
- George Guzman, Haledon
- Barry Hain, Wanaque
- Richard McFarlane, Wanaque
- Carl P. Padula, Pompton Lakes
- Anthony Puluse, Hawthorne
- Dr. Vincent Varcadipane, Passaic Valley Regional
15-Year Milestone Awards
- Lori Brigati, Passaic Valley Regional
- Glenn Brown, Passaic County Vocational
- Craig Miller, Passaic City
- Kenneth Simmons, Paterson
20-Year Milestone Awards
- Robert Adams, Lakeland Regional
- Lauren Grecco, Bloomingdale
- Donald Pavlak, Wayne Township
25-Year Milestone Awards
- Carol Marcus, Bloomingdale
Jeffrey Fischer, chair of the Passaic County SBA Nominating Committee, introduced the slate of executive committee members for the 2025-27 term. They include:
- Judy Bassford, President (Clifton)
- George Guzman, 1st Vice President (Haledon)
- Valdo Panzera, 2nd Vice President for Legislation (North Haledon)
- Alan Paris, NJSBA Board of Directors Delegate (Clifton)
- Maryann Capursi, NJSBA Board of Directors Alternate (Passaic City)
- Charles Caraballo, Immediate-Past President (Bloomingdale)
- Roxana Cerna, Membership Chair (North Haledon)
- Legna Garcia-Rodriguez, Charter School Liaison (PCSST)
Robert Acerra conducted the elections, and Fischer administered the oath of office for the newly elected members. The meeting concluded with remarks from Judy Bassford, the newly elected president for the 2025-27 term.
