Ed Hoff was elected president of the Teaneck Board of Education at the board’s reorganization meeting on Jan. 7, and newly elected trustees completed their oaths of office as the board set meeting procedures and a revised calendar for 2025.

The board convened in person at Teaneck High School and by Zoom. Board Secretary Dr. Victor Anaya opened the meeting and read the official school election results provided by the county clerk, naming Jennifer Levy, Jonathan Rodriguez, Nadia Hussain, Celine (Raquel) Wong and Kevin Gibbs among the top vote‑getters. The board administered the oath of office to incoming trustees before proceeding to nominations for president and vice president.

Why it matters: The reorganization sets the board’s leadership and procedural rules for the year, which affects agenda scheduling, public participation and how the board conducts executive sessions that can address personnel and legal matters.

Hoff won the presidency after nominations from the floor. “I am truly humbled by this responsibility,” Hoff said after the vote, adding that he plans to focus the board on “healing and engagement,” improvements to meetings and pursuing a bond referendum. The board later elected Cassandra Reyes as vice president after a separate vote.

The board approved a slate of routine and administrative items on the consent agenda, with several items pulled for discussion. Key procedural decisions and votes taken at the meeting included:

- Publication and public‑notice language: The board amended its public‑notice motion to add a digital publication option in addition to required print notice and asked the board attorney to draft specific language. Trustees said the change responds to a recent state law change and the impending print changes at the Star‑Ledger.

- 2025 calendar adjustments: The board amended meeting dates to avoid conflicts with Jewish holiday observances and professional conferences. The board agreed to change the June 18 workshop to June 11 and to consolidate October meetings so that October would have one combined workshop/public meeting; staff will post the final calendar after the attorney’s language is added.

- Code of ethics and decorum policy: Trustees read and adopted the board’s annual code of ethics. Several trustees asked for an explicit decorum statement to be added; the board voted to refer drafting of a decorum policy to the policy committee and asked legal counsel to assist with a proposed policy.

- Contracts and professional services: The board confirmed its list of legal firms and other professional services (agenda item 17) and approved a contract for district pediatric services (agenda item 18). Trustees discussed the scope of the pediatrician contract and whether an RFP process should be used in the future.

- Benefits broker and insurance (item 20): Trustees discussed employee health‑care costs and the value of wellness programs; the board approved the insurance/broker item and trustees said they will consider RFPs to evaluate alternatives.

- Administrative appointments (item 22): The board approved routine administrative appointments and directed staff to correct a clerical omission so the record lists Dr. Ayala by name for school business administrator and related roles.

- Reaffirmation of district goals (item 24): The board approved an amendment removing a reaffirmation of district goals from that consent item while indicating that the goals should remain available on the agenda for reference.

Two procedural rules affecting public participation were adopted: the board voted to limit combined public‑comment time to 30 minutes for meetings (with the board retaining the option to extend), and it set a 45‑minute cap on the first executive session that immediately follows the first public‑comment period; a second executive session may occur later if needed. Superintendent Dr. Spencer, who said he had no superintendent’s report at this meeting, and other trustees discussed the tradeoffs between public access and scheduling executive sessions when staff and counsel must attend.

Public comment at the meeting included congratulations to newly sworn trustees and several residents urging transparency, more representation of the district’s racial and ethnic demographics, and better community outreach. One resident repeated a claim about criminal charges against a trustee; the comment was made during public comment and reported here as a public commenter’s allegation. Other commenters asked for more parent‑focused events, better presentation pacing at meetings and suggested parliamentary‑procedure training for trustees.

Board members emphasized the board’s oversight role and that day‑to‑day operations remain the superintendent’s responsibility. Several trustees said they plan to pursue clearer agendas and advance preparation so members can review materials before meetings.

The board closed the business portion of the meeting and moved toward executive session as scheduled; board members said they expect staff and committee work in the coming weeks to implement the calendar and policy referrals and to prepare for a planned board retreat.