Vice President - John Dragotta

John Dragotta
Email:  jdragotta@sapublicschools.com

My name is John Dragotta. I'm  64 years old, my family moved into South Amboy in 1967, my father was employed as a police officer for the city of South Amboy for 30 years. My brother, younger sister, and I all attended South Amboy Elementary School, and we all graduated from Hoffman High School. I graduated in 1980. My father was a former Board of Education member, so I decided to follow in his footsteps. I am entering my 14th year as a board member and have served on many different committees during my tenure. I was just voted in as Vice-President as of January 2023. My wife has worked in the school district as a paraprofessional. I have two daughters that have graduated from the district with honors. I am also a 46-year member of the South Amboy Volunteer Fire Department and in January 2021, I was elected 2nd Assistant Fire Chief for the Fire Department and in 2023 I became the Chief of the Department. I also was a first responder at 9/11 for well over a month assisting in the search and recovery process. 

As a brand new board member in 2012 when the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting took place I decided to go and see for myself and try to understand what the parents and families & how the community was dealing with this horrific incident. It's been truly an amazing experience to help serve the community and to make sure each and every child gets the best education that they deserve. I have had the privilege of working with some amazing people on the board, especially during these trying times post the Covid-19 Pandemic.