New Board Members, Board President for Watchung Hills HS Board

It was a new year, with new members sworn onto the Watchung Hills Regional High School Board of Education on Monday night. It was also the first school board meeting held in the school's new South Auditorium, unveiled this fall.

The board also voted for a new board president and vice-president; Christopher Collins was nominated, and selected unanimously as board president for 2014, and Gregory Przybylski of Warren as vice-president for this year.

Although three board members were sworn in on Monday, only one was truly new — Robert Morrison, a Warren Township representative on the board.

Peter Falzarano of Long Hill had run as an incumbent in November's election.

Board Member Peter Fallon of Warren had served on the regional board of education for two previous terms, between 2006-12, he said. Before that, he said he was a member of the Warren Township school board.

"I think the education that the high school provides is one of the things that makes our four [sending] towns a desirable place to live in New Jersey," Fallon said.

Fallon added that he was proud of his prior work on the board, and he was looking forward to working with the new board members and also School Superintendent Elizabeth Jewett — who took the position six months ago — in facing the task of living within the state's budget cap.

Robert Morrison of Warren has never served on the board previously. 

Among his goals, he said, will be improving communications with what he calls the "stakeholders" in the board. He also said he will advocate for the development of a school district strategic plan. The Warren Township elementary school board already had developed such a plan last year.