FREEHOLD – Three departing members of the Freehold Borough K-8 School District Board of Education have been recognized for their service to the district.
Dec. 10 marked the final meeting for board members Annette Jordan, Michael Lichardi and Susan Greitz, who will all be leaving the board at the end of December.
“In calculus, they have a term called the inflection point where the curve changes and goes in a different direction,” Superintendent of Schools Rocco Tomazic said. “Over the years, they have also used this term for an entity that represents an event or situation that marks a significant change.
“I think that for Freehold Borough, this last summer was an inflection point because we had (a state law revising the school funding formula) pass, which brought more money to the district, representing almost $4 million over two years, and then laying out plans over the next six years to get the rest of the state aid we are owed. At the same time, we put students in new facilities.
“In my thinking, that is the district’s inflection point because as we come off of that, we now have gone far more of a direction into our academics,” Tomazic said. “We are seeing if we go forward as is. Do we get consolidated (with another school district)? Are we tied up with (a) desegregation case?
“There are different things, but it’s all in a direction that is different from where we were. I would like to thank all three of these board members for staying around until we got past the inflection point because it’s really a significant thing for the district,” he said.
Jordan joined the school board in 2001. In November, she was elected to serve on the Borough Council and she will join the town’s governing body in January.
“It didn’t hit me until today when I was reading the agenda that tonight was my last meeting,” Jordan said. “It’s kind of bittersweet. I feel confident leaving and moving on, knowing this group of people sitting around this table and the ones who are coming aboard are some of the brightest and dedicated people I’ve ever worked with and I’m going to miss you guys.
“I’m so confident of the leadership we have now,” she continued. “It was a rocky road to get to where we are and with the leadership of (Business Administrator) Joe (Howe) and Dr. Tomazic and you guys, the sky’s the limit for the kids in our district.”
Lichardi joined the board in 2009 and served as its president this year. He ran for a new three-year term, but was not re-elected in November.
“This is a bittersweet moment for me, but very happy that as Dr. Tomazic pointed out, we’ve gotten past this inflection point. My term has been pretty much defined by this whole project,” Lichardi said, referring to a construction project that concluded this month and saw significant improvements made to the district’s facilities.
“I’m thrilled this project has been a great success, but it’s because I’ve been blessed with a board that’s just amazing and cohesive. Annette, as my mentor, has been incredible. I’ve never met someone so nuanced in board affairs as Annette. Ask her anything and she will have an answer for everything.
“Susan, I know I really had to nudge you to get you to come on for that one-year unexpired term way back when and you did and you ended up flourishing in both another term and being my vice president,” Lichardi continued. “Thank you so much for stepping up. And we’re blessed with Dr. Tomazic and Mr. Howe. None of this could have happened without them.”
Greitz joined the board in 2011 and served as its vice president this year. She did not seek re-election in November.
“I was hesitant to take on this challenge,” Greitz said. “I have to say it has been an honor and a pleasure to work with all of you. I have the upmost confidence that going forward, between Dr. Tomazic and Joe and all of you, that it will continue to go in the right direction.”