Board appoints Rachel Brooks to fill Rockaway Township Board vacancy after public interviews

The Rockaway Township Board of Education on April 15 appointed Rachel Brooks to fill a board vacancy following public, on-the-record interviews with two applicants. The board nominated Brooks and carried the motion by roll-call vote, with all members present voting yes.

The interviews were conducted in public. The candidates described the role of a board member as supervisory rather than operational, stressing that day-to-day district management is the superintendent’s responsibility and that the board’s duties center on oversight, budgeting and policy. During questioning, the candidates discussed the district’s fiscal constraints, the 2% tax levy cap in New Jersey, and the role of grants and community fundraising in addressing shortfalls.

The board followed the nominations process detailed in its policy. A member moved to nominate Brooks and another seconded; the board then recorded a roll-call vote in which Miss Anderson, Dr. Gorman, Mrs. Mezick, Mrs. Richardson, Mrs. Torn and Mrs. McGeary voted in favor, and the board declared the appointment successful.

Also during the meeting, the board approved multiple routine agenda items by roll-call vote, including HIP determinations, sets of education and special-education recommendations, administration items, finance items (including bills), and policy recommendations. Each of those items carried on unanimous votes of the members recorded on the public roll calls.

Superintendent Richard Corbett used his report to preview district events and personnel changes. He told the board it would be asked later in the meeting to approve Vanessa Waxman as principal of Catherine A. Dwyer Elementary School effective July 1, 2026; the board subsequently approved that hiring in a roll-call vote.

The meeting concluded after brief public-comment periods and additional presentations from district staff. The board adjourned at 9:16 p.m.