School Board Reorganizes for 2013 with Four Returning Board Members

The Cranford Board of Education held its reorganization meeting last night. Four returning board members took their oaths. Among them were Jill Brown, Camille Widdows and returning board President Mary Venditti and Vice president Catherine Morgese.

Brown, who has served six years on the board returned to fill the unexpired-term seat left by the resignation of Jerry Baranoff.

This is Venditti's thirteenth year searving as board president and Morgese's second as vice president.  Morgese has been a board member for six years.

The board received a lengthy briefing on ethics and Sunshine Laws from board attorney Anthony P. Sciarrillo. Much of the conversation dealt with the ethical use of email between board members.

Among the other items on the agenda the board unanimously passed a resolution to recognize January as School board recognition month, a time to recognized the efforts of local school board members. The board chose Mary Catherine Sudiak as the delegate to the New Jersey School Boards Association and Mary Vendetti as the Union County School Board Association delegate. Camille Widdows was appointed as a delegate to the Union County Educational Services Commission.

On personnel matters, the board passed a resolution accepting the resignation of veteran administrator Rosemarie Macaluso, effective August 2013. Superintendant Gayle Carrick called Macaluso "a wonderful administrative colleague." The assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, Macaluso, has worked in Cranford for 41 years.

The 2013-2014 Cranford Board of education consists of the following board members:

Mary Venditti, President

Catherine Morgese, Vice President

Michael Caulfield

Camille Widdows

Jill Brown

Trevor Shaw

Lisa Patella

Mary Catherine Sudiak

The Board of Education will hold its first regular meeting of 2013 on Jan. 28 at 7p.m.

Editor's Note: This article originally stated that three board members were sworn in. There were four members sworn in Jill Brown, Mary Venditti, Catherine Morgese, and Camille Widdows .