TEANECK, N.J. — Three newly elected Teaneck school board members will help select the district's next superintendent after voters ousted two incumbents Tuesday, shaking up the Board of Education ahead of a major leadership decision.
The Bergen Record reported Friday that Liza Fernandez, Marcelo Venegas-Pizarro and Eric Rhea will be seated in time to participate in the district's third superintendent search in nine years.
The three swept all available seats, defeating incumbents David Gruber and Gerald Kirshenbaum. A third incumbent, James Wolff, did not seek reelection.
Fernandez led with 7,796 votes, followed by Venegas-Pizarro with 7,454 and Rhea with 7,322. Gruber received 6,317 and Kirshenbaum finished with 6,284.
The winners ran under the Team Empowering Future Generations banner and were endorsed by the Teaneck Democratic Committee. Both defeated incumbents were backed by the Bergen County Jewish Action Committee (BCJAC).
Fernandez's husband, George Fernandez Jr., also topped Tuesday's Township Council election.
Former Superintendent Andre Spencer left after approximately three and a half years to lead the Willingboro School District.
The board originally hoped to select a search firm by September, but that timetable has slipped.
Board President Nadia Hosein told The Record that firms will now be interviewed in early December, with the superintendent search beginning in 2027.
The delay means the three incoming trustees will be seated in time to help choose the next superintendent.
"Our intent is to have the new superintendent in time for the new 2027/2028 school year," Hosein told The Record.
All three newcomers have children in Teaneck public schools, which serve approximately 3,800 students across eight schools.
Their first major assignment will help determine who leads those schools for years to come.
The election results are based on Bergen County's unofficial November 3, 2026 election report, refreshed at 10:21 p.m., and include early voting, Election Day ballots and partial mail-in results.
