New Jersey Special Education
Jackson, NJ – As the terms of current school board members Sharon Dey and Linda Lackey are set to expire on the Jackson School District Board of Education, seven candidates are now in the running for the two positions. Dey and Lackey are joined by former long time school board members Gus Acevedo and Marty Spielman who seek to regain the seats they lost in previous elections. Perennial school board candidate Nicholas Antonoff will make another run for the school board.
Absent on this year’s ballot is Sal Duscio who has run for the office for 14 consecutive years. Last year, Mr. Duscio had a strong turnout, but an unfortunate medical injury has prevented him from running this year.
This year, two new faces will be in the mix as district parents Phil Stilton and Jeff Sharpe are on the ballot for their first time, although running seperately from each other. Mr. Sharpe is running with former long time school board member Gus Acevedo , one of the board members whose credits include the construction of Jackson Liberty High School and the push for an additional elementary school for Jackson which was rejected by voters in 2005.
Stilton is running as an individual candidate, who supports educational reform in Jackson Township and New Jersey, hoping to bring his 15 years of business management experience to the table.
The New Jersey League of Municipalities Education Foundation, Inc. (NJLM) will hold a statewide conference on Social Media and its effects, and utilization by local governments. The conference will take place on Tuesday, March 30, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Prudential Center “The Rock,” located at 165 Mulberry Street in Newark. The general public is invited.The purpose of the conference is to help New Jersey’s policymakers better understand and utilize new social media technologies. The NJLM Education Foundation presents this half-day conference with New Jersey and national expert practitioners. Verizon is a prime sponsor of the event. Dennis Bone, chairman, Verizon New Jersey, and president of the NJ State Chamber of Commerce, will offer welcoming remarks.
Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker and recent winner of the Government “Shorty” Award for his use of social media to connect with constituents, will be the Keynote Speaker; Michael DuHaime, Chief Strategist to Governor Chris Christie, Andrew Rasiej, Publisher of Personal Democracy Forum, are panelists; Chris Rosica, CEO, Rosica Public Relations, will give an Introduction to Social Media: Getting Started; and Robert Sommer, president, Rock Entertainment Management; and Desiree Peterkin Bell, Director of Communications for Mayor Cory A. Booker, will discuss Best Practices for Experienced Users.
Social media has created opportunities and pitfalls as more public agencies grapple with this new communication phenomenon. Presenters will cover launching a web-based advocacy campaign with case studies, social media tools, including blogs, Twitter, FaceBook, etc., social media’s longer term impact on communications and policy, and protecting a person’s reputation online.
Media Contact: Marilyn Rosica (Marilyn@rosica.com) or Katie Burns (Katie@rosica.com) at Rosica Public Relations, (201) 843-5600. For more information visit www.NJLMEF.org.
