After five candidates interviewed for the vacant West New York Board of Education seat Wednesday evening, the board selected Lorena Portillo, a local daycare owner, by a vote of 5-3.Â
Trustees Matthew Cheng, Dr. Christine Piscitelli and Joan Palermo voted no. There were supposed to be six applicants for the position, but Julio Garcia, for whatever reason, did not attend the meeting.
Portillo called for a more rigorous curriculum for students and more development and training for teachers during her interview.
Furthermore, as the owner of a daycare, Portillo felt she had a great connection with children and the school district.
While she also noted that her daycare was not free and did not receive funding from the town, at least one town resident wanted to know if she received funding from the board of education.
Portillo fills the void left behind when then-board president Vilma Reyes resigned in late August in the midst of an FBI investigation.Â
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