Moorestown’s board of education elected members Mark Villanueva and Cheryl Makopoulos as president and vice president, respectively, at its reorganization meeting on Jan. 3.
Newly elected members Brooke Mailhiot, Danielle Miller and Claudine Morano were also sworn in during the session.
“We’ve had really good moments where we agree and ones where we disagree, but we’ve always focused, and Mark has especially always focused on what he thought was best, and has been true to his convictions and his demonstrative character,” said Maurice Weeks, former board president.
During the meeting’s public comment, former Moorestown councilman Michael Locatell thanked board members for their service.
“ … It’s a very tough job,” he acknowledged. “It’s very thankless in a lot of ways, and you guys have a lot of difficult challenges through COVID and moving forward with the curriculum and other things, and I just wish you guys the best this year and congratulations.”
Next on the meeting agenda were several appointments: James Heiser as board secretary and qualified purchasing agent, Thomas Merchel as treasurer of school monies, Carole Butler as affirmative action officer and James Heiser as public agency compliance officer.
Later in the session, a motion regarding a separation agreement between the board and former Superintendent Michae Volpe was approved. Last month, board members unanimously approved the appointment of Joseph Bollendorf as interim superintendent. He most recently served as the superintendent of schools in Washington Township, retiring in June 2022.
Bollendorf now serves as president of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) and has been a member of its executive board for seven years. He is also a consultant for Rowan College of New Jersey, where he helps address the ever-growing problem of teacher shortages in the state and is engaged in work related to developing a model code of ethics for educators.
“Moorestown has a great reputation,” Bollendorf said, as reported in last week’s edition of The Sun. “The board is very committed to providing a top education for their students and for their community, and that really resonates with me.”
“If I can help them over the course of the next five months while they search for a permanent superintendent, I’m happy to do so.”
Bollendorf’s contract runs through June 30, as the board continues its search for a superintendent. A request for proposals has been issued to find a company that can assist in the search.
