The West New York Board of Education has appointed Sandra Pfeil to fill an empty seat on the nine-member volunteer school board. The move at its November 30 meeting follows the New Jersey School Ethics Commission (NJSEC) removing former Trustee Ismail Dalia.
Dalia was removed for not filing a financial disclosure form since he was on the board. He was first appointed in January of 2021 and re-elected to a three-year term in April of that year on the “Your Children’s Future” slate.
However, Board President Adam Parkinson previously told the Hudson Reporter that Dalia was a no-show at recent meetings. Parkinson said that the board could have removed Dalia themselves, but didn’t want to overturn the will of the voters.
As such, the board was not dealing with on the situation even though Dalia had not been at any meetings all of this year. Ultimately the NJSEC removed Dalia instead.
At the November meeting, Pfiel was the sole candidate considered by the board before they appointed her.
In terms of experience, Pfiel touted her work in the district in various capacities, most recently including as a paraprofessional. She also noted that she is the daughter of two retired West New York educators and the mother of a son in the early childhood program in the school district.
In a statement, Pfeil told the Hudson Reporter on December 15: “I am excited about the opportunity to work with the school board members in West New York… I think that I will bring a unique perspective to the board as we collaborate together for the kids of West New York.”
Pfiel will fill the seat for the approximately four-month remainder of the term until the April elections. She did not indicate if she would be running for re-election for a full three-year term come election time.
If she does, she will join three other incumbents in seeking re-election. That includes Parkinson, Vice President David Morel, and Trustee Marielka Diaz.
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