HILLSDALE, N.J.—Nine candidates filed for four open seats on the Pascack Valley Regional District Board of Education that are up for grabs Nov. 3 during a year marked by one of the board’s most divisive and contentious issues: retirement of its Indian and Cowboy high school mascots.
The deadline for nominating petitions was 4 p.m., July 27. Each term runs three years.
The regional board decided June 22—with limited public notice—to “retire” the Indian mascot from Pascack Valley High School and the Cowboy mascot from Pascack Hills High School.
The decision provoked hundreds of public comments—on social media, via emails to members and at board meetings—opposed to the decision, many accusing board member of a lack of notice and transparency for the June 22 decision.
At the July 23 school board meeting, nearly a dozen residents called in to voice opposition to the mascots’ removal. Moreover, the mayors of Hillsdale, River Vale, Montvale and Woodcliff Lake—whose students attend district high schools—have called for trustees to reconsider their decision and allow more community input. Trustees have made no indication since June 22 that they plan to reconsider or reverse their decision.
The November district school board election will feature five candidates for two open seats in Hillsdale, and two candidates each for one open seat in Woodcliff Lake and Montvale.
Filing for two open Hillsdale seats were: incumbent Arnold Scher of Windham Road; Gini Varghese of Overbrook Place; Gia Guzman of Chadwick Road; Kristin Martin of Washington Avenue; and Pat Luisi of Highland Avenue.
Filing for one open seat in Woodcliff Lake were David Steinberg of Pinecrest Drive and Kelly Blundy of Brookview Drive. Filing for one open Montvale seat were former borough councilman Michael Weaver of Montvale Avenue and Singleton Beato of Westminster Court.
Mascots ‘cannot be endorsed’
In its statement following the vote, the board said its unanimous decision to retire the mascots came after 16 years of discussion and that the mascots “offend a significant portion of our school communities (and) cannot be endorsed and continued as a policy of this District.”
The board statement noted that “a significant number of (administrators, students, staff, alumni and residents) are not supportive” of the mascots “and are offended, marginalized, and/or embarrassed by the nicknames and mascots.”
Pascack Press has requested the nine candidates respond to questions about priorities and concerns, as well as their views on the mascots decision. Future issues will provide additional coverage of the race.