Board Of Education (BOE) member and candidate Alex Balaban officially gave notice withdrawing himself from the BOE election yesterday.
Mr. Balaban, who drew the last ballot position of eight (8) candidates, will still serve on the Board for the next four months and finish his term but he will not be seeking re-election. This will leave only two current Board members who seek to continue on the BOE and five residents who are first time Board candidates. In total, as of today, there are seven people running for three available seats to serve the community as a representative of the people in the educating of Roselle Park’s youth.
Serving 18 years in total as a member on the Board Of Education, Mr. Balaban stated the reasons for his withdrawing from the race had to do with settling matters for his mother who passed away this year, involvement with the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary program as well as Community Emergency Response Training (CERT), and animal rescue in Roselle Park.
The Board member remarked, “My 18 years on the Roselle Park Board Of Education represented a truly rewarding experience for me in knowing that I helped many children to prepare in meeting success beyond the corridors of Roselle Park schools.”
Mr. Balaban recounted the changes in the school district while he served on the Board, which included the introduction of full-day kindergarten, the return of 8th graders to the middle school after being at the Roselle Park High School during construction work at the Roselle Park Middle School (RPMS), re-registration of the student population every half decade, and the passing of a bond referendum to expand school facilities.
“What I will miss most is the constant interaction with parents, students, and taxpayers sharing their concerns with me,” stated Mr. Balaban, concluding, “I thank Roselle Park voters for your confidence in me over all these years. May God bless all the residents of Roselle Park.”
The BOE election is on Tuesday, November 8, 2016.