HILLSDALE, N.J.—School Board Vice President Justin Saxon resigned effective Sept. 15 after nearly seven years of service. Candidates for the vacancy will be interviewed by the board in closed session at its Oct. 26 meeting. Saxon’s last official meeting was Sept. 14.
Saxon resigned because he is moving out of town. He said, “Leaving the board was driven solely by family dynamics and the need to move. I’ll leave the personal stuff out. I will be always grateful for having had the opportunity to serve the children of Hillsdale for nearly seven years.”
The deadline to submit application materials was Friday, Oct. 2, said Board President Kevin Donatello. Saxon’s term expires Dec. 31, 2027.
Donatello said 10 candidates submitted resumes and letters of interest by the deadline. The board hopes to select and swear in a new trustee at its Nov. 16 meeting.
Saxon joined the board in February 2020. He said he applied for an open position because he was interested in building a new school at George G. White Middle School. He told us, “I am an educator and worked at that school as a special education consultant in my early career and the conditions were awful there in the early 2000s.”
During his tenure, Saxon served on and chaired the Buildings & Grounds and Finance committees. He also served as board president in 2024 and 2025. In September 2024, voters approved a $62.4 million middle school referendum. The upgrades are expected to be completed by September 2027.
“In all my years of public service, one thing I am most proud of was leading the board in the passing of the referendum. I’ve worked in many school districts and Hillsdale is in great hands with Mr. Lombardy as the superintendent, and Mr. Donatello as the president of the board,” Saxon told us.
He added, “Hillsdale is a special community. Something I learned in my years on the board was that in spite of great challenges such as managing through COVID-19, as well as two (referendums), when the community gathered, it was always a democratic process in spite of different views and opinions on these challenges. In this zeitgeist in our country, that is a pretty special thing to experience.”