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New Providence board elects Amanda Murano president, Stacy Gunderman vice president; announces committee rosters
Summary
At a reorganization meeting, the Board of Education of the Borough of New Providence administered oaths to two newly elected members, elected Amanda Murano as board president and Stacy Gunderman as vice president by roll call, announced committee and representative assignments, and recessed to closed session for legal matters.
The Board of Education of the Borough of New Providence reorganized its leadership at a public meeting, electing Amanda Murano president and Stacy Gunderman vice president and announcing committee assignments for the coming year.
The meeting opened with the pledge of allegiance and a declaration that the session had been noticed under PL 1975, chapter 231. Two newly elected members took the oath of office during the public portion: Amy (stated during the oath as Amy McCallery) and Rebekah (stated during the oath as Rebekah Gio). The presiding officer read November 4 election totals aloud as ‘‘Rupa Kalei, 11 27 votes’’ and ‘‘Amy Lapre, 10 37 votes’’; total votes cast was read as 6,221 and registered voters as 10,377 (figures as announced at the meeting).
Nominations for president opened and an unnamed board member nominated Amanda Murano; Donna seconded the nomination. The nominator summarized Murano’s service on the board, noting roles on the curriculum, finance and facilities committees, participation in contract negotiations, and involvement with the 2022 bond referendum, saying, "Amanda leads with integrity, preparation, and a clear focus on the success of our district." With no other nominations, the board held a roll-call vote and recorded ayes that resulted in Murano’s election. Murano thanked fellow board members and said she was “really excited to work with everyone” and pledged to focus on student achievement and staff support.
The board then opened nominations for vice president. A board member nominated Stacy Gunderman, and supporters cited Gunderman’s four years of service, committee work on the bond referendum and the district’s five-year strategic plan, and roles on finance, facilities and security. With no other nominations, the board conducted a roll-call vote and elected Gunderman as vice president.
Following the officer elections, the board president announced committee chairs and memberships: Curriculum, Instruction and Technology chaired by Laura Castellano with members Rupa Kale and Kristen Empson Hayden; Finance, Facilities, Safety and Security chaired by Stacy Gunderman with members Donna Zane and Laura Castellano; Personnel Management and Communication chaired by Kristen Empson Hayden with members Amy LaPrese and Stacy Gunderman; board policy chaired by Donna Zane. The board also named representatives to regional bodies, including the Union County School Boards Association (Donna Zane), the Union County Educational Services Commission (Amy LaPrese), the New Jersey School Boards Association (Amanda Moreno), the Municipal Alliance (Rupa Kale) and the Morris Union Joint Commission (Dr. Zirpoli). The president also identified the New Providence Education Foundation representative and a borough council liaison.
The public-comment periods produced no speakers. The board then moved, by motion, to recess to a closed session to discuss legal matters; the public meeting was recessed while the closed session convened.
The board did not take any additional public votes or actions before recessing; next procedural steps and any outcomes from the closed session were not announced in the public record during the meeting.
