Vernon budget passes easily

VERNON-It was a banner night for the members of the Vernon Township educational community. Aside from the passing of the budget in an overwhelming margin, two familiar faces will now take up seats on the Board of Education. Former Vernon High School teachers and long-time residents of Vernon Doug Castellana and Gaylon Powell were elected to the Board of Education in elections held on Tuesday. Both recently retired from over 20 years of service to the children of Vernon as teachers. Joining Castellana and Powell on the board was incumbent Cynthia Auberger. Auberger's former co-board member David DeMartino finished fourth in the voting and did not obtain re-election. Finishing fifth in the voting was Glen McLaughlin, who intended to withdraw but did not do so before the cutoff date. Castellana led all candidates with 1,055 votes n 25.3 percent of the total cast. Auberger garnered 917 votes, Powell 905, DeMartino 713 and McLaughlin 529. The budget passed easily, with 1,126 votes for and 509 against. "I am humbled by it," Castellana said late Tuesday evening, "I really didn't think I'd make it onto the board." Castellana, the leading vote getter of the candidates, has served the Vernon community as a teacher since 1978, when he moved his family from Ridgewood in Bergen County. Recently retired, Castellana feels the need to remain entrenched in the field of education. "My life has centered around schools," he said recently at a "Meet the Candidates" on April 13 sponsored by the Sussex County Education Association at Lounsberry Hollow Middle School. "It used to be that the kids came first, when I taught, but now it's the kids and the taxpayers first." His said his immediate concerns for the students and residents of Vernon include an upgrade of the physical plants and an intense look at the safety of the township's schools, which have been plagued this year by bomb threats. Several times during the candidates' night, he referred to the need to provide a safe and secure environment for all children in the Vernon Schools. Powell, who could not be reached for comment as of this printing, came to teach in the Vernon schools as a science teacher in 1976, eventually becoming the head of the high school's science department. From there, he moved on to the position of science supervisor and finally the assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction for Vernon schools, a position he held until retiring four years ago. His ideas for the immediate future of the Vernon Township Schools, expressed at the "Meet the Candidates" night include addressing the pressing needs for space at the high school in the next two years while balancing that with a declining enrollment in the lower grades. "Getting through this space issue can be accomplished temporarily, but we don't need any physical modifications," he said. Auberger, the lone incumbent who retained her seat on the board, was elated to return to the board. "I'd like to thank everyone in the community of Vernon for their continued support, and thank them especially for passing the budget so convincingly," she said. "The Vernon teachers are extremely special, and the mix of old and new staff is what makes it so unique for our students," she said.