BOE Thanks Outgoing President Donald Webster

Former Board President Donald Webster Jr. and Superintendent David Trethaway. (Photo courtesy Manchester Schools)

MANCHESTER – The Manchester Township Board of Education honored outgoing BOE President, Donald Webster, Jr., for his nearly 22 years of service on the board. Webster lost his seat on the board in the November election.

Superintendent of Schools David Trethaway praised Webster for ‘making a difference in our schools and our community’ since joining the board in 1997. Trethaway said Webster was part of a group of parents who sought and won election to a board that was experiencing many problems at that time. “Mr. Webster and this group brought professionalism and organization to the board,” he remarked.

Trethaway said that Webster provided tremendous leadership to both himself and the board, and was also a leader statewide in advocating for school safety, sustainability, and federal funding.

In addition to serving as president in Manchester, Webster also served as the president of the New Jersey School Boards Association from 2015-2017, and as Vice President for Finance prior to that. He is a certified Master Board Member and also achieved the highest level of board member certification, Certified Board Leader. He is a retired financial manager whose three children graduated from Manchester schools. Webster thanked Mr. Trethaway, Business Administrator Craig Lorentzen, all of his fellow board members past and present, former superintendent Dr. William DeFeo, and all of the administration and staff for their support over the years. He recalled the chaos that existed when he was first elected and remarked, “We’ve come a long way, we’ve accomplished quite a bit in this district and I think people have noticed.”