Melanie Deysher

Board members Yvonne W. Bouknight, Brian Fleischer and Monk Inyang sworn in.

Board president designated to make comments on behalf of all members.

Efforts address audit’s findings, aim to better consistency across schools and communication.

By LOUIS C. HOCHMAN hochman@montclairlocal.news The founder of Vote Montclair said in a message to his mailing list Friday he'd "let down friends and collaborators" when he wrote a piece criticizing “education unions and union-dominated political machines" for protecting seniority among educators — a piece that prompted some of the people most closely associated with the group to qu

The two just-elected Board of Education members who Vote Montclair had backed say group founder Erik D'Amato doesn't speak for them "nor anyone else who was involved with the now defunct Vote Montclair."

What a quickly run race with a crowded field, held in March, does and doesn't tell us

It was an election marked by high interest — with nine candidates seeking seats and voters picking board members directly for the first time in Montclair’s history — but low turnout.

The nine candidates answered six questions sent by Montclair Local.

But they agree on the importance of two topics — infrastructure and special education.

Brian Fleischer says both have reached out to him, a former Montclair schools business administrator, to deepen their understanding.