John Doerre will lead the Newburgh Board of Education for the 2025-26 school year, succeeding Christine Bello as board president. Doerre, who previously served briefly in 2024, was elected president during the board’s July 1 reorganization meeting by a 6-2 vote.

“It’s an honor, a privilege and an incredible responsibility that I take very seriously,” Doerre said. “You’re elected by the people within the district, but you become president by a vote of the board. And I hope they know how much I appreciate this. I’m going to work very, very hard to make this a very positive experience for the community.”

Doerre first stepped into the role temporarily in February 2024, after then-President Darren Stridiron and several board members resigned. He served alongside Vice President Mark Levinstein until Bello was elected president that summer, with Victoria Bousche as her vice president. Levinstein has now returned to the vice president role under Doerre.

Looking ahead, Doerre said his top priority is improving communication between the board and the community. He acknowledged recent challenges and expressed a strong commitment to moving forward.

“I’m 100 percent focused on going forward,” he said. “I want us to be the most effective school board we can possibly be.”

Doerre said he hopes to support a culture of excellence throughout the district, from teachers to staff, and to foster a sense of pride among the workforce.
Among his initiatives, Doerre is proposing the formation of a board visitation committee, which would regularly visit district schools to engage with administrators and teachers and report findings back to the board.

Another change this year is the addition of student representation on the board—an initiative Doerre and others are excited about.

“That is going to open up a path of communication that hasn’t been available to the board, and certainly hasn’t been available to the student,” Doerre said. “It’s a very positive thing.”

In the coming weeks, the board plans to stay in close contact with district leadership to ensure schools are ready for the first day of classes, scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 4. Doerre said the board will also work to establish district committees for the year and ensure every student receives a high-quality education.

He encouraged community members to submit ideas to the board via email or public meetings and said he hopes to enhance outreach through social media, local media and improvements to the district website.

“I am focused on ensuring that we deliver to the community the very best possible product that we can—and our product is education, and our customers are students,” Doerre said. “We owe it to them. We owe it to their parents.”

Doerre also said he is looking forward to the planned September 2026 completion of the district’s new career and technical education center on West Street, which will offer students the opportunity to learn a trade and enter the workforce.