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Toms River board accepts Pascarella resignation, adopts ethics code and hires outside counsel for Matarazzo litigation
Summary
The Toms River Regional Schools Board accepted the resignation of board member Pa Pascarella, voted to adopt the board member code of ethics after an annual ethics presentation, and approved a contract with outside counsel for Matarazzo v. Toms River Regional Board of Education at a capped rate of $250 per hour.
The Toms River Regional Schools Board of Education on Feb. 18 accepted the resignation of board member Pa Pascarella, effective Feb. 18, 2026, approved a board member code of ethics and voted to retain outside counsel to represent the district in ongoing litigation.
The board adopted the code of ethics after an annual ethics training delivered by William Burns, an attorney with Hartman & Duff, who reviewed statutory provisions cited in the presentation (transcript references include NJSA 6A32 3.2 and sections labeled 18A12-23 and 18A12-24). The vote to approve the code of ethics was taken by roll call and recorded as yes by the board members present.
Separately, the board approved a professional services contract to retain Kisa Kasa Firm PC to represent the district in Matarazzo v. Toms River Regional Board of Education (OCNL29126). The contract was approved at a blended rate not to exceed $250 per hour pursuant to 18A 18-5 as cited in the meeting; one board member recused from that vote.
The board also voted, by roll call, to accept the resignation of Pa Pascarella. During the discussion portion of that agenda item, the transcript records a strongly worded statement alleging that Pascarella had “knowingly lied on her personal financial disclosure by intentionally omitting almost $300,000 in income paid to her family by the township of Toms River,” and asserting repeated violations of the code of ethics. The transcript does not label the speaker for those remarks; the meeting record shows the resignation motion and the recorded roll-call votes separately from the critical statements.
Board members framed the ethics training as a routine statutory requirement. Attorney Burns reviewed definitions used in the School Ethics Act and the code of ethics, including who qualifies as a “school official,” restrictions on official action when an immediate family member has a conflicting interest, and the range of possible ethical remedies noted in the training.
Board members also approved a series of consent and personnel items, and affirmed education-program actions including the affirmation of appeal 64665, all by roll call.
The resignation creates an open seat on the board. Members said they would follow the district’s process to fill the vacancy. The contract for outside counsel will be used to defend the district in the litigation identified on the agenda; the motion recorded the capped blended hourly rate and a recusal by one member for that vote.
