Kenneth Simmons becomes Paterson school board president
By Jayed Rahman
Published: January 2, 2020
School board members on Thursday night picked Kenneth Simmons to lead the Board of Education as president.
Simmons (left) was selected in an unanimous vote by his colleagues at the reorganization meeting held at John F. Kennedy High School auditorium.
Manny Martinez was picked to serve as vice president. Martinez (right) also garnered unanimous support.
Simmons and Martinez are succeeding Oshin Castillo and Nakima Redmon, who led the board as president and vice president over the past two years,
Before the start of the reorganization meeting, superintendent Eileen Shafer swore in three board members — Corey Teague, Vincent Arrington, and Emanuel Capers – who won seats in November.
Teague and Arrington are both former board members. Both men lost elections in the past, but managed to win seats in November. Capers, who ran as an incumbent, narrowly managed to hold onto his seat.
All three men were ceremonially sworn in a second time. Teague by councilwoman Lilisa Mimms; Arrington by assemblyman Benjie Wimberly, and Capers by assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter.
The district revised its swearing-in procedures after a question emerged whether members of the City Council can swear in school board members.
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