Teaneck Board elects Edward Ha president, appoints Kassandra Reyes vice president and approves 2025 organizational slate

Teaneck, N.J. — The Teaneck Board of Education on Jan. 7, 2025 elected Edward Ha as board president and Kassandra Reyes as vice president during its reorganization meeting at Teaneck High School and approved a broad package of organizational resolutions for 2025.

Dr. Victor Anaya, the interim board secretary who presided, opened the meeting at 8:00 p.m. and read the required meeting notice. "I hereby call to order the Re-organization Meeting of the Teaneck Board of Education, held on Tuesday, January 7, 2025…" the minutes record as the presiding officer’s statement.

Why it matters: The reorganization meeting establishes board leadership, meeting schedules, purchasing and contracting authorities, and compliance appointments that shape how the district will operate and approve spending during the calendar year.

The board voted to confirm existing district policies for 2025, designate The Record and The Star-Ledger as the newspapers for public notices, and name the Central Office bulletin board at 651 Teaneck Road as the official public posting location. It adopted the 2025 meeting schedule and set in-person locations for regular and workshop meetings at Teaneck High School and Thomas Jefferson Middle School, with workshops streamed via Zoom as noted in the minutes.

Leadership votes: Dr. David Gruber nominated Edward Ha for president; the nomination was seconded by Dr. Gerald Kirshenbaum and the motion carried. Clara Williams was later nominated but that motion failed 4–5. Clara Williams nominated Kassandra Reyes for vice president (seconded by Jonathan Rodriguez); that motion carried and Reyes was named vice president for 2025.

Appointments and authorities: Among administrative approvals, the board appointed Dr. Victor Anaya as Interim Board Secretary/Interim Business Administrator and custodian of records through June 30, 2025; designated that office as the district’s Qualified Purchasing Agent with an aggregated non-bid contracting threshold of $44,000 and the authority to solicit quotations for purchases over $6,600; and approved the use of State contracts and cooperative purchasing consortiums for procurement during 2025.

The board also approved a continuing disclosure/municipal advisor arrangement with Phoenix Advisors, LLC of Bordentown (fees for disclosure services are listed in the minutes), appointed Antoinette Kelly as Treasurer of School Monies and DiCara Rubino as Architect of Record ($170 per hour), and engaged Lerch, Vinci & Bliss, LLC as district auditors ($55,000 through June 30, 2025). The minutes list Drs. Barry Weissman and Joseph Fruchter of All Bergen Pediatrics as district physicians at $41,750 each (total not to exceed $83,500).

Compliance and operations: The board named district compliance officers and safety designees for 2025, including Dr. Marshall Scott III in multiple compliance roles (504/ADA/Affirmative Action/Title IX), Adrienne Williams as Anti-Bullying Officer and Substance Awareness Coordinator, Danny Gareri as the McKinney-Vento liaison, and Anthony D’Angelo, Director of Facilities & Grounds, with multiple environmental and safety assignments. It approved insurance brokers, banking depositories (TD Bank and Teaneck Federal Credit Union), standing committees, the Teaneck Purchasing Manual, and a $300 petty cash fund for the School Business Administrator.

Tuition and programs: The minutes record approval of annual tuition rates for non-resident students (listed in the document) and adoption of the district curriculum and emergency operations materials for 2025.

Procedural adjustments and consent agenda: The board moved most reorganization items as a group while pulling items 2, 3, 4, 17, 18, 20, 22 and 24 for discussion. Several pulled items were amended (for example, meeting-date adjustments) and carried by recorded vote. The board also established agenda formats for workshop and regular meetings and confirmed that Robert’s Rules of Order will govern deliberations.

Public comment and next steps: The minutes include links to recorded public comment sessions for the meeting. The meeting was recorded and the board adjourned at 10:25 p.m. after a motion by President Ha that was seconded and carried unanimously.

Votes at a glance: Election of Edward Ha, President — motion carried (board majority; minutes record outcome). Election of Kassandra Reyes, Vice President — motion carried. Motion to amend calendar meeting dates (including moving June and October dates and removing Oct. 15) — motion carried unanimously. Motion to adjourn at 10:25 p.m. — carried unanimously.

The minutes list additional routine administrative approvals (legal counsel appointments and hourly rates, insurance brokers, cooperative purchasing partners, signatory authorizations for bank accounts, and other housekeeping matters) that together establish the district’s operational and procurement framework for 2025.

Next procedural step: The minutes show the board approved the organizational slate and administrative resolutions; the board will continue its regular meeting schedule under the adopted calendar and any further changes will be publicly posted per the Open Public Meetings Act.