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Board of Education Members

Liliana Baez-Molina Liza Amezquita
Liliana Baez-Molina
President
 
Liza Amezquita
Vice President
 
Haledon
Liliana Baez-Molina Jose Zamora Jeff Fischer Kathy Gonzales
Liliana Baez-Molina
President
Jose Zamora
 
Jeffrey P. Fischer
 
 
 
Kathleen Gonzales
 
 
North Haledon
David House Liza Amezquita Open Seat
David House
 
Liza Amezquita
Vice President
Brian Zinn
 
Prospect Park
Bridget Arrick Gideon Ewusi
Bridget Arrick
 
Gideon Ewusi
 
MRHS Board of Education
On 05/28/25, MRHS was honored in front of all Boards of Education in Passaic County at the annual spring celebration meeting for the Passaic County School Board's Association (PCSBA).  
 
During the meeting, the keynote speaker was most certainly PC MRHSD's County Teacher of the Year for 2024-2025, Ms. Bernadette Orsita who spoke at length about her journey, the importance of educators, and what leadership needs to know from the teacher perspective.  Then came the honoring of the PC MRHSD Board of Education for earning the highest honor a Board can earn, the Carole E. Larsen Certified Board of Education Award.  Also, Board President Baez and Vice President Amezquita earned special recognitions during the evening.  Furthermore, Trustee Jeff Fischer was a highlight during the annual PCSBA Officer induction ceremony as he was the Chairperson of the Nomination Committee.  
 
MRHS would like to give a special thanks to the Board for always supporting their work, to the NJSBA Rep Kelly Mitchell for always supporting the Board and the District, our full administrative Leadership Team and the Manchester Regional Administrator Association (MRAA), including President Roca.  Moreover, a very special thanks to the Manchester Regional Education Association (MREA) President Cari Canvisser who came to join in the celebration as our Associations are very much a part of the leadership family!  
 
It is important to note that the entire Falcon Family makes these fencepost moments happen, including our students.  Great leadership can only be successful if it has great people to lead!  MRHS appreciates its learners, its educators, its leaders, and all communities that it serves. 
MRHS BOE
Congratulations to our Board of Education for receiving recognition from the New Jersey School Board Association. This recognition is a testament to the board's unwavering commitment to training and effective governance. The board has shown exceptional proficiency in critical areas such as group process, decision-making, planning, conducting productive meetings, and prioritizing student achievement. Well done!
 

It is my privilege this evening to present the Board Certification award to the Manchester Regional Board of Education.

 

Before talking about the accomplishments of the Manchester Regional Board, I will first explain the criteria for earning Certification.  In a 4-year period, a Board must complete 16 hours of training with more than a majority of its members present – for example 7 of the 9 members present, has a Policy Wellness Check done to ensure its policies are up-to-date, NJSBA’s Labor Relations Department reviews one of its bargaining agreements, Board effectiveness is demonstrated through the Board Self-Evaluation and the Governance portion of QSAC, and all members must be current on their mandatory training. 

 

It is often asked what benefit there is to a board becoming certified.  Certification signifies to the community and staff that the Board is a team interested in building shared knowledge, values, and a commitment to work together to improve student achievement.

 

The last time the Manchester Regional Board earned NJSBA’s Board Certification award was 1999 so this Board took it upon themselves to do the hard work to be here today.  It was not an easy journey.  The Board invited their community in for strategic planning, hired a superintendent after a thorough search process, had a Board retreat to set goals, conducted Ethics training annually, and had additional training in HIB and Parliamentary Procedure. 

 

This Board’s commitment to training is exemplified by their interest in immediately beginning the work for NJSBA’s highest level of Board Certification – the Carole E. Larsen Master Board Certification award.  The Board must train together for 10 more hours over a two-year period.

 

NJSBA is very proud of the journey the Manchester Regional Board has taken to be here this evening to be recognized as a Certified Board.  I invite the Board members here this evening, plus any of their administrative team, to come forward to receive your plaque. 

 

Robert Acerra 
County Activities Coordinator – Northern Counties
New Jersey School Boards Association