Board Members

Eugene M. Banta headshot

Eugene M. Banta, President

Gene Banta and his wife Janice have lived in Fair Lawn for over 40 years. They have three children who graduated from the Fair Lawn School System in 2002, 2005, and 2012.  He has one grandchild at Lyncrest School with another grandchild starting there in 2023.

He is a graduate of St. John’s University with a B.A. in English and a minor in Business. He is a graduate of New York Law School and is a member of the New Jersey and New York Bars and is admitted to practice in three Federal District Courts.

He is a practicing attorney with over 30 years’ experience. He specializes in Commercial Litigation, Real Estate and Business Formations. Prior to becoming an attorney, he managed restaurants with sales of more than $2 million per year.

He has been a member of the Board of Education for 30 years. He has served as President of the Board for 10.5 years and Vice President for 4.5 years. He has been the Board’s lead negotiator with the Teacher's Union for the past 25 years and has been a member of the Board's negotiating team with the other three associations. He has chaired the Finance, Buildings & Grounds, Personnel, and Policy committees of the Board.

Eugene Banta can be reached via Email Eugene Banta

Michael Rosenberg headshot

Michael Rosenberg, Vice President

Michael Rosenberg has resided in Fair Lawn since 1974. He is married to his wife, Ellen, and has two sons who both graduated from Fair Lawn High School (FLHS), Anthony and Dan. He has five grandchildren, Connor (FLHS), Kayla (Memorial), Riley, Gabriella (Forrest), and Daniel Jr. There are four generations of his family that are proud to call Fair Lawn their home.


He attended both primary and secondary schools in Fair Lawn starting in the fourth grade at Lyncrest School, followed by Memorial Junior High (renamed Memorial Middle School), and is a proud graduate of FLHS’s Class of 1983. He has a degree in Political Science from Ramapo College. Mike is employed by the Hillsdale Board of Education as a Social Studies teacher and is certified as an Elementary School teacher and a K-12 Social Studies teacher. He has furthered his education by taking specialized courses and workshops at historical landmarks such as Mount Vernon, Williamsburg and Fort Ticonderoga, etc., enabling him to teach in-depth units on the country's founding. He has also taken a course from Kean University on teaching the Holocaust to children.

He is a member of the Fair Lawn Sunrise Rotary Club, has been involved in Fair Lawn’s emergency services and is a life member of the Fair Lawn Rescue Squad. He has been a Fair Lawn Scout leader since 1986, holding many positions such as a past Cubmaster of Pack 45, and Scoutmaster and Committee Chairman of Troop 53. He is also a former member of the Historical Preservation Commission, Knights of Pythias, The Fair Lawn Fire Department and CERT team.

His tenure as trustee on the Board of Education includes serving as vice president for four years and president for 2.5 years. He has chaired the Education Committee, Shared Services Committee  Technology, and the Finance Committee. Previously, he served on the Athletic/Co-Curriculum Committee, Special Education Committee and Buildings and Grounds Committee.

He had the honor of co-presenting with BOE Trustee Gene Banta and Fair Lawn Mayor Kurt Peluso at a School Boards Association workshop -- and appeared on a podcast on the same topic – on the strength of the shared services partnership between the Borough of Fair Lawn and the Fair Lawn Board of Education, which has become a model in the state for saving taxpayers’ money. He has been on the executive committee of the Bergen County School Boards Association and has continuously spent time attending seminars and workshops to increase his knowledge as a BOE trustee, as well staying abreast of the latest trends in education.

Mike has a passion for public education and his number one priority as a Board of Education trustee is to see that every child in the community receives every opportunity to succeed, while also watching out for the taxpayers of our community. He believes his extensive involvement in town activities, as well as his experience as a parent, grandparent, educator and board member, provides a unique perspective to impact public education and the Fair Lawn community.

The strength of the Fair Lawn schools is the primary reason people move to Fair Lawn. For this reason, he encourages all members of the community to attend the monthly BOE meetings to provide their input.

Michael Rosenberg can be reached via Email​​​​​​​ Michael Rosenberg

Joseph Baldofsky headshot

Joseph Baldofsky

Joseph Baldofsky, a lifelong resident of Fair Lawn, proudly attended and graduated from the Fair Lawn Public Schools. An alumnus of Fair Lawn High School’s Class of 2015, Joseph was elected Student Body President his senior year after serving as the Student Board of Education Representative from 2013-2014.

Joseph received a B.A. in History with a minor in Political Science from The College of New Jersey and is currently pursuing a J.D. at Rutgers Law School in Newark. For the past two years, Joseph has been serving as the Confidential Aide to Bergen County Executive James J. Tedesco, III, and has extensive government experience having interned at all levels of government – from Fair Lawn’s Borough Hall to the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Service Institute outside Washington D.C.

Joseph is passionate about improving the services available to our students, especially mental health resources, enhancing the integration of technology in the classroom, and addressing the environmental and fiscal sustainability of our District.

As the first member of Generation Z (demographic cohort born between 1997 and 2012) elected to serve at any level in our community, Joseph is excited to bring a new and unique perspective to the Board of Education.

Joseph Baldofsky can be reached via Email Joseph Baldofsky

Ron Barbarulo headshot

Ron Barbarulo

Ronnie Barbarulo is a returning Board of Education member serving his third term. He and his wife Denise have lived in Fair Lawn for 23 years. They have three children ages 24, 21, and 17. Two of his children have graduated from Fair Lawn High School and one is a senior.

Ronnie is a graduate of Bergen Tech Vocational School and Bergen Community College. He is a Plumbing Inspector in Wayne Township, N.J. and a Plumbing Sub-Code Inspector in Prospect Park, N.J.. He is a licensed Master Plumber and owns Barbarulo Plumbing, Heating, and Mechanical Contracting, LLC.

He is currently Chairman of the Policy, Building and Grounds, and Athletics Committees. He serves on the Student Dialogue, Shared Services, Special Education, and Negotiation Committees. He is a member of All-Sports and serves on the Recreation and Open Space Committees for the town of Fair Lawn.

Ron Barbarulo can be reached via Email Ron Barbarulo

Rita Fayvelevich

Rita Fayvelevich

Raised in a family of educators, I am excited to have the privilege of being elected to serve on the Fair Lawn Board of Education. I am a proud graduate of Fair Lawn High School and a Fair Lawn resident for 20 years. Upon graduation, I attended Montclair State University and received a B.S and M.S. in Mathematics. I have made a career of teaching mathematics to high school students for more than 10 years. My goal is to make sure our schools are fiscally responsible while providing our students the best possible education.

​​​​​​​Rita Fayvelevich can be reached via Email Rita Fayvelevich 

Vladimir Itkin headhsot

Vladimir Itkin

Vladimir Itkin was born and raised in Moscow, Russia. He graduated from the Department of Mechanics and Mathematics at Moscow State University. After his immigration to the United States, Vladimir received a Masters of Science degree in Engineering Mechanics from The Ohio State University. Vladimir is an actuary (mathematician in the field of insurance or finance) with more than 20 years of experience. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries. Although Vladimir is not a professional teacher, he has taught mathematics both in Russia and in the United States.

In 2011, after his oldest daughter entered Fair Lawn Public Schools, Vladimir began attending the Board of Education meetings. He became a school board trustee for the Fair Lawn Board of Education in 2020. Vladimir believes his first priority is to pursue excellence in education, and secondly, to minimize the burden on taxpayers.  Since 2003, Vladimir and his wife, Elaine, have resided in Fair Lawn. They have three daughters.

Vladimir Itkin can be reached via Email Vladimir Itkin

Cindy Quackenbush headshot

Cindy Quackenbush

I became involved in the Fair Lawn School District, like every mom, when her first child steps foot into kindergarten.

I could not do enough to enrich my children’s education. I became friends with many people and those people have influenced my life enormously.

I served on every School PTO/PTA my children attended. Westmoreland, Memorial and the High School.

I sat in on Board of Education meetings for many years and saw how my input to board members really could make a difference. I grew to respect our Administration and our Board of Education for the love they had for the children of Fair Lawn.

I soon found myself wanting to be on the other side of that table to see what else I could do for the education of our children. It was a passion.

I have served on the board for 13 years. I serve on each negotiating team for each bargaining unit. I am the Liaison of the Student Dialogue Committee, and the Chair for the Special Education Committee.

My volunteer service to the District of Fair Lawn has taken many different turns, all for the benefit of our children in Fair Lawn. I will continue to put the children of Fair Lawn first for as long as I am elected to do so.

Cindy Jo can be reached via Email Cindy Jo

Julie Mahan headshot

Julie Mahan

Julie Mahan has been a Fair Lawn resident along with her husband, Thor, for 15 years. They have two sons, Lincoln, 4, Class of 2034, and Lawler, 6, Class of 2032. Mahan has an undergraduate degree in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Rhode Island and a master’s degree in Social Work from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University. She is a licensed clinical social worker. Since 2005, she has been a school social worker with experience in public and private education in New Jersey and New York. She also manages her own private practice in town and specializes in psychotherapy with children, adolescents and their families.

Mahan is passionate about mental health and wellness and she believes social emotional learning is a core building block for education and should be a priority for all learners. In her free time, you can find her coaching, volunteering in class or cheering for her boys on and off the fields.

Julie Mahan can be reached via Email Julie Mahan

Mark Spindel headshot

Mark Spindel

Mark Spindel is a retired educator with 40 years' of experience with the Passaic School District. He began his career as a sixth-grade teacher, and has been Assistant Coordinator of Basic Skills, vice principal, and principal. Mark has experience in curriculum, budgets, school mandates, and many of the nuances that take place in an educational environment.

He believes strongly in public service and therefore has volunteered to serve on a variety of boards: Property Maintenance Committee, Community School Board, Federation Apartments in Paterson, trustee at the Glen Rock Jewish Center, member of the Knights of Pythias, and currently Board of Education.

Mark holds a B.S. degree in education, and earned M.A. degrees in urban education and administration and supervision from William Paterson University.

He is married and has two daughters who graduated from the Fair Lawn schools. A 41-year resident, he’s excited about joining the Board of Education and passionate about providing every opportunity for the students of Fair Lawn to become contributing, successful citizens of the 21st century.

Mark can be reached via Email Mark Spindel