Cimaglia, Contino appointed to school board

Charles Cimaglia and Carl Contino were appointed to the Vernon Township Board of Education on Feb. 16.

They will complete the terms of Theresa Scura Coughlin and Martin O’Donnell, who resigned recently.

Both men were unanimously appointed, effective Feb. 26, pending the results of criminal background checks.

Cimaglia previously served on the board from March to Dec. 31, 2021. He then was appointed, along with board member Ray Zimmerman, to replace Brad Sparta and Mark Cilli.

Since then, Cimaglia ran for a board seat in two elections, the first time losing by nine votes and the second time by about 1.5 percent.

He has seven children; two of them have gone through the district.

“I’m here to help, do the best for them and make sure they get a good education. And to make sure the town also has a good education,” he said.

“I live here. My neighbors are my friends. We see each other at the Acme, but we all work and live together, and it’s something we have to do together.”

Contino said he submitted his name for a simple reason: education is important.

He is in his final semester of student teaching at William Paterson University. Coming from a family of teachers, he said he would do what is best for students as well as be an advocate for teachers.

“I really care about education,” he said. “My life revolves around students and it revolves around education, and (an) opportunity to serve on this board would mean the world to me. This is my hometown, and it’s the district that I attended not too long ago.”

School board member John Kraus asked both applicants their opinions on book banning.

Cimaglia said it would have to be an extreme example.

“We have to see what’s right,” he said. “I’m not here to narrow-mindedly say, ‘It’s got to be this way.’ That’s why the board is made up of many people. Everybody has a different opinion or comes from a different section of town or different backgrounds. That’s what makes the board work, not some narrow direction.”

Contino said he doesn’t support banning books or any particular curriculum.

“I think it’s always important to learn as much as you possibly can and inform opinions of your own. As an educator, my priority is always to encourage students to think critically. And I don’t think that banning books or banning particular forms of curriculum encourages critical thinking. I think it pushes a particular narrative, and I don’t think we should ever push a particular narrative.”