Even if the regionalization of a K-12 district for Highlands, Atlantic Highlands and Sea Bright gets on the ballot in November and is approved, it would not go into effect until 2023.
Despite the fact the boards of educations of the three schools in Highlands and Atlantic Highlands have to continue running the schools as three boards of education during that time, no one from Atlantic Highlands filed for the one seat up for election this year on the regional school board and only four persons filed for the four seats on the Atlantic Highlands school board.
In Highlands, two people filed for the two seats to be decided at Henry Hudson, and no one filed for the one seat on the Highlands board to be decided in November.
That leaves the score, between the two boroughs, that both communities left vacancies on board of Education. Atlantic Highlands has candidates to fill the local board but not Henry Hudson, and Highlands candidates are for the Henry Hudson board but not the local board.
At Henry Hudson, where two seats from Atlantic Highlands and one from Highlands are up for election no one filed from Atlantic Highlands, and Diane Knox and Melissa Zachok-Fiekko, both new to the board, filed for election for the Highlands seats. None of the incumbents, Jill Karshmer, Mark Heter and Ezra Ardolino is seeking another term.
In Atlantic Highlands, where three three year terms and one one year term are on the ballot for the local board, Elizabeth Eittreim was the only member who did not file for re-election. Filing for another full term are Ryan Palamara and Deborah Appello, with newcomer Cory Wingerter seeking the seat currently held by Eittreim. Daniel Sutton is unopposed in filing for the one year unexpired term he was first appointed to when Erin Dougherty left the board due to a possible conflict. Dougherty’s husband is on the Borough Council and both the governing bodies and school boards are involved in discussions about K—12 regionalization.
With only four candidates filing for four seats on the local board, and no one filing for the Henry Hudson seat, there will be no battles at balloting unless there are write-in candidates.
In Highlands, where there are two seats up for the regional school board, and two candidates, Knox and Zachok-Fierro, and no one filing for the local board, there will be no contests in that borough either absent write-in candidates for either board.
Neither Highlands board members Nancy Messina nor Serena Jerinsky, whose term would be for one year, are seeking reelection.
That means in Highlands there will also be no competition for any of the board seats without write-in candidates expressing interest prior to the November election.
