One incumbent running for Hackensack school board in a field of nine candidates
HACKENSACK — Nine candidates have filed to run in November's election for three open seats on the city Board of Education.
Just one incumbent on the nine-member board is running for reelection. Andrew Meehan, a teacher at a charter school in Essex County serving at-risk youth, is running for a full three-year term. Meehan was appointed to the board in June to fill the seat vacated by former trustee Michael Oates.
Trustees Christopher Coleman and Anthony Rodriguez, both one-term board members since 2020, are not running for reelection.
Meehan, a retired military officer who served in Iraq in 2004 and 2005, said he is running for a full term to “raise the level of education for students, so they can become more competitive in the global job market.”
Candidates Kenneth Martin, Shivonnie Pringle and Mark Stein are running together on the Hackensack Quality Education ticket.
Stein, a former school trustee from 2009 to 2015, who also served on the City Council from 1989 to 2005, said he is running because he is concerned about students' academic performance.
He wants to improve test scores and “help our kids get back up to where they should be.”
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Susan Avallone, Yvette Irving and Nancy Veloz are running together on the For Hackensack’s Future ticket. Irving previously ran as part of a slate with the same name in 2019.
Candidates Sophia Brown and Dana Martinez are not running as part of any slate.
The district's roughly 5,400 students attend Hackensack High School, Hackensack Middle School and four elementary schools: Fairmount, Fanny Meyer Hillers, Jackson Avenue and Nellie K. Parker.
State data from the 2021-2022 school year show that 32.3% of students met or exceeded expectations on English language arts tests, compared with 49% statewide. In math, 19.1% percent of students met or exceeded testing expectations, compared with 36% statewide.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Hackensack NJ school board: 9 candidates running in election
