Hillside Board of Education swears in three members, elects Laquanda Best president; Horton Givens named vice president

Laquanda Best was elected president of the Hillside Board of Education as the board completed its organizational business at a special meeting, which also included the swearing-in of three elected members, adoption of meeting procedures and routine appointments.

The board administered oaths of office to Christian Estramara, Marjorie Hargrave and Eric Okai, each elected to three-year terms following the Nov. 5, 2024 election. The board then conducted officer elections; Laquanda Best was chosen president and Joanne Horton Givens was selected vice president after separate roll-call votes.

The meeting opened with a brief recognition of longtime board member Calvin Lofton, who received a plaque honoring his service to the district. Greg Epps, president of the Hillside Township Council, offered public comment to thank the district for allowing a community Christmas giveaway at the high school; “We were able to service over 75 families in Hillside,” Epps said.

The board approved a set of standard organizational resolutions required at the start of the year, including a resolution designating meeting dates, times and locations under the Open Public Meetings Act and naming the Star-Ledger and Union County local source as official newspapers for notice. The board also voted to conduct meetings according to Robert's Rules of Order, to readopt the district's existing bylaws and policies, and to adopt the New Jersey School Boards Association code of ethics as the district's code of ethics.

In other votes, the board designated Citizens Bank as the depository for district accounts and appointed Dr. David Eichenholtz, business administrator/board secretary, as the district's public agency compliance officer for calendar year 2025.

Votes at a glance

- Election of Laquanda Best as board president — approved by roll-call vote (unanimous yes in the roll call recorded at the meeting).

- Election of Joanne Horton Givens as vice president — approved after roll-call votes; the board recorded six yes votes, one no and two abstentions in the tally presented on the floor before the president announced Horton Givens as vice president.

- Resolution adopting meeting schedule and Open Public Meetings Act procedures — adopted by roll-call vote.

- Motions to authorize the board to use Robert's Rules of Order, to readopt existing bylaws and policies, and to adopt the New Jersey School Boards Association code of ethics — approved together by roll-call vote.

- Designation of Citizens Bank as district depository — approved by roll-call vote.

- Appointment of Dr. David Eichenholtz as public agency compliance officer for 2025 — approved by roll-call vote.

Why it matters

Organizational meetings set leadership and administrative responsibilities for the coming year. Electing officers determines who presides over meetings and represents the board; adopting meeting procedures and designating legal notice outlets establishes how the board will notify the public and conduct its business. The appointment of the public agency compliance officer names the official responsible for enforcing certain public-agency compliance obligations for the year.

Meeting context and next steps

The newly constituted board will hold regular meetings at Hillside Innovation Academy at 6:30 p.m., per the adopted schedule. The board did not take substantive policy actions beyond the organizational items at this meeting. Future agendas will address policy, budget and operational matters for the district’s roughly 3,000 students and more than 500 staff members, as referenced during the meeting.