Uncontested Tenafly Board of Ed. Race Sees New and Old Members Tackle Grim, New Challenges

Incumbents and Newcomer Vie for Three Seats and Jocelyn Schwarz Details Strategy to Combat Rising Costs

Tenafly, N.J. — Voters will face a technically uncontested election for the Tenafly Board of Education this November, with three candidates vying for three open three-year terms. While the outcome is predetermined, the election provides an opportunity to introduce the community to the individuals who will be steering the district's policy and budget for the next three years: Jocelyn Schwarz, Adam Enbar, and one additional candidate.

TownSquare reached out to all three candidates for comment. Jocelyn Schwarz provided an exclusive interview detailing her platform and vision for tackling the district's financial challenges. Profiles for the other two candidates are limited to their election status, as they were either unavailable for comment or TownSquare could not find readily available public records detailing their current platforms.

The Incumbent Who Secured the Referendum: Jocelyn Schwarz

Jocelyn Schwarz is running for a new term, bringing years of leadership, including service as a former Board President. Her platform is rooted in her track record of successful, large-scale financial management and efficiency reforms.

A Focus on Fiscal Efficiency and Accountability

In an exclusive interview with TownSquare, Schwarz highlighted the two accomplishments she is most proud of: successfully securing the passage of Tenafly's massive school referendum and subsequently overseeing its implementation, and supporting the superintendent's comprehensive audit of every department within the school district.

This departmental audit is the cornerstone of her fiscal agenda for her next term. Schwarz noted that the Tenafly Public Schools, like many districts across the state, faces a growing crisis where operating expenses are consistently outpacing revenue. This issue is driven by sharp increases in public health insurance costs and rises in teachers' salaries greater than the state-mandated property tax cap (limiting annual increases to 2%), which only compounds the issue of rapidly growing costs.

"We are committed to retaining critical educational programs for our students," Schwarz stated. "But we have to be smarter about how we spend."

Her audit goal is to cut down on inefficiencies and redundancies, effectively slimming down the bureaucracy while safeguarding essential services. Schwarz emphasized that addressing this growing fiscal gap—making the district significantly more efficient—is vital for the financial health of both the schools and Tenafly homeowners. She is dedicating her next term to aggressively pursuing this efficiency agenda.

Other Candidates in the Race:

Adam Enbar (Running for Re-election)

Adam Enbar is running for re-election to the Board of Education. As of publication, Mr. Enbar was unavailable for an interview, and TownSquare could not independently verify his current platform or specific policy focus based on easily accessible public records.

Morgan Friedman (Running for First Term)

Morgan Friedman is the third candidate in the uncontested race is running for a seat on the Board of Education for the first time. This candidate was also unavailable for an interview, and TownSquare could not independently verify their current platform or specific policy focus based on easily accessible public records.

Conclusion: Community Engagement Remains Key

While the Board of Education race is uncontested, the three individuals taking seats will help steer the direction of the district for the next three years alongside the other three Board members. They are tasked with making crucial decisions on multi-million dollar budgets, curriculum adoption, and the overall educational environment; in doing so, they are trusted with the very heart of Tenafly’s magnet school district. The community is encouraged to learn more about all three candidates and their decisions and impact on the District by attending future Board of Education meetings.