At 7 AM on May 16, polls opened for the Nyack School Board election. This was an unusually competitive election, with 4 challengers running against 2 incumbents. Along with the passing of the budget, the 2023 election winners were Jen Marracinno, Jessica Goodman and Benny Vásquez.
Marraccino, a Nyack parent and incumbent school board member, has served as Board trustee for 9 years. When asked about her favorite part of serving on the school board, she responded, “I really enjoy talking about all different kinds of education issues. I love getting feedback and meeting with students. I like figuring out how all of the ideas people have can shape the decisions we make.” Marraccino is devoted to advancing Nyack’s Equity, Inclusion and Innovation programs, supporting student-driven initiatives and administrative policies, and expanding undoing racism training. Marraccino added that after almost 10 years on the board, “it is pretty cool seeing how you guys change and mature.”
Nyack parent and activist Goodman has been attending Nyack BOE meetings for 6 years, but hadn’t considered running for a seat “until in January, [she] decided there was nothing else [she] wanted to do more,” she said. On her campaign site, Goodman announced that she is “committed to making sure our schools are a place where all our kids are treated with the equity, innovation and optimism that Nyack schools promise.” Goodman is new to the Board and is most excited to “represent all Nyack families in the conversations we have and decisions we make on the board.”
Nyack’s focus on equity is attractive to Benny Vásquez, a Nyack parent and educator who is “really passionate about our equity plan and making sure we have measures towards our aims.” When asked about his choice to run, he explained that “it was a decision I spoke to my husband about. I felt that being on the board was a wonderful way to give back to my community, and we knew what I could add.”
Congratulations to the winners of the 2023 Nyack School Board election. We can’t wait to see what you bring to our district!