Closter Board re‑elects leaders, swears in trustees and approves organizational slate

CLOSTER, N.J. — The Closter Board of Education convened its annual organization meeting on Jan. 7, 2026, at Tenakill Middle School, where trustees were sworn in, officers elected and a routine slate of governance resolutions and appointments approved unanimously.

Floro M. Villanueva Jr., the district's Business Administrator/Board Secretary, presided until officers were elected and conducted the swearing-in of the newly elected trustees: Janine Micera, Gal Paldi and Gregory Shih (three‑year terms), and Avishag Ravid (the one‑year unexpired term ending Dec. 31, 2026).

In roll‑call votes, Ms. Finkelstein was elected Board President and Mr. Paldi was elected Vice President; both officers received seven affirmative votes. The board then approved a bundled set of required organization motions (A–FF), covering compliance with the New Jersey Open Public Meetings Act, the 2026 meeting schedule, adoption of policies and bylaws, designation of official newspapers and bank depositories, authorized signatories, petty cash accounts and other governance and fiscal housekeeping items.

The meeting also included a number of administrative appointments. By resolution the board: reappointed outside counsel (Fogarty, Hara, LaPira & Cherry LLC and Cleary|Giacobbe|Alfieri|Jacobs LLC); named Lerch, Vinci & Bliss, LLP as the district auditor with an estimated audit fee of roughly $40,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026; appointed Dicara|Rubino Architects as architect of record; and authorized Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. as the district risk manager and Brown & Brown Benefit Advisors as broker of record for employee benefits. The board re‑appointed Dr. Nancy Rothenberg as the district medical examiner through June 2026.

The board named Floro M. Villanueva Jr. as the district's Qualified Purchasing Agent (QPA) and set the bid threshold at $53,000 with a quote threshold set at 15% of the bid threshold, effective through the next organization meeting. Capital One Bank was designated as official depository and THE RECORD and the NORTHERN VALLEY SUBURBANITE were designated as official and alternate newspapers for legal notices.

The board also approved the continued implementation of the current school budget and authorized the School Business Administrator to make payments between meetings to avoid late fees, a motion adopted to preserve fiscal operations pending the next regular meeting.

Only one member of the public spoke: Peter Micera offered brief thanks to board members. "Wishes everyone well and thanks everyone for their service," he said during the public comment period.

The board concluded its reorganization items, read aloud the New Jersey School Board Member Code of Ethics, heard no further public comment and adjourned at 7:47 p.m. The Board Secretary/Business Administrator recorded the meeting minutes.

Votes at a glance: - Election of Board President: Ms. Finkelstein — elected by roll call, 7–0. (Motion: nominated by Janine Micera; seconded by Carolyn Argenziano.) - Election of Vice President: Mr. Gal Paldi — elected by roll call, 7–0. - Motions A–FF (organizational resolutions and appointments): approved by roll call, 7–0.

Next steps: the board will follow the adopted 2026 meeting schedule; several administrative appointments take effect immediately and will guide procurement, auditing and legal work for the coming year.