FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP – Mary Cozzolino has been appointed to serve on the Freehold Township K-8 School District Board of Education.
A seat on the nine-member board opened when longtime member Christopher Marion resigned in May. Marion left the board after he was hired as Monmouth County’s deputy administrator. In that position, he is not permitted to hold elected office.
Cozzolino was sworn in as a board member on July 25. She and Pierina Pantano appeared before the board that evening seeking the open seat.
Cozzolino has been a resident of Freehold Township for six years. She has worked as the administrative director of the New Jersey Property-Liability Insurance Guaranty Association. In the community, she has served as president of the Laura Donovan School PTO.
In the early 2000s, Cozzolino served on the Manalapan Township Committee. She was the township’s mayor in 2001.
“I am seeking a position on the board to continue my ethic of public service and to shape educational policy for the children of the district,” Cozzolino said.
Pantano has been a township resident for seven years. She is the president and CEO of NJ Gateway Federal Credit Union. Pantano is the vice chair of the Freehold Township Education Foundation Board of Trustees.
“I really feel I can make a difference,” Pantano said. “I am a stakeholder as a parent in the district and my prior experience can help make a difference and make a great school district even better.”
Following public interviews with both applicants, board members went into executive (closed) session to discuss who they would appoint to the board.
After the executive session concluded and the board returned before the public, board member Jennifer Patten made a motion to appoint Cozzolino. Board member Daniel DiBlasio seconded the motion and the board voted in favor of the appointment.
Following the vote, Cozzolino was sworn in as a board member by Business Administrator and Board Secretary Robert DeVita.
“I want to thank the board members for their vote of confidence and I look forward to serving the taxpayers and children of Freehold Township,” Cozzolino said.
The term to which Cozzolino was appointed will expire at the end of the year. The one year remaining in Marion’s term (2018) will be on the ballot in the Nov. 7 school board election.
Cozzolino and Pantano said they intend to run in the election.
In other business, the school district will receive $8,770 more in state aid for the 2017-18 school year than what administrators were initially told the district would receive.
The extra aid was added to the 2018 state budget that was passed in the state Senate and Assembly and signed by Gov. Chris Christie following a three-day shutdown of state facilities during the first week of July.
District administrators have not said how the additional $8,770 will be allocated.
The 2017-18 budget that was adopted by the board in April totals $78.7 million and included $4.26 million in state aid. The $8,770 boost will increase state aid to $4.27 million.