West Orange 2024 school board candidates share backgrounds, key issues, reasons for running

Personal background:
I spend 26 years in credit and collection and eight years in education. I am married and a triplet dad. I have a BA from Colgate and and MA & M.Ed. from Teachers College Columbia University.

Public service background:
I am active in my synagogue Chabad of West Orange and volunteer at the Friendship Circle and organization that help children and young adults with special needs.

Reason for running:
The schools need improvement in education quality and budgeting. School spending is way above average but test sores and school rankings are only average for the state.

Biggest issue:
Make the various group in the community realize that mediocre test scores and high taxes can be addressed by making hard choices.

Campaign slogan and meaning:
Well run schools at a fair price to taxpayers.

Approach to budget cuts and spending:
We can cut transportation, we can cut administration but we need to focus the funds on classroom instruction.

Additional information about candidate:
It does not mater if you have kids in the school or not, we all benefit when the school help student learn and when school taxes are kept to a reasonable level.

Personal background:
My career spans 25 years and has been focused on serving the public interest through work in government, philanthropy, and other nonprofit leadership roles. I earned my undergraduate degree from Northwestern University. In addition, I hold a Master of Education in Policy and Management from Harvard University and a J.D. from Rutgers Law School. Currently, I serve as the Executive Director of The Chad School Foundation, an education policy and advocacy organization based in Newark that is focused on improving public education outcomes. Some in West Orange may not believe that our schools are the best option for their kids. I want to change that belief through my service on the Board of Education. 

Public service background:
– I have proudly served on the West Orange Board of Education since 2021, and I honor the trust that the community placed in me to serve the interests of our students and families.
– In collaboration with fellow Board members, I am honored to have been a part of the selection of Hayden Moore as Superintendent.
– The implementation of more rigorous elementary school curricula in English Language Arts and Mathematics.
– A comprehensive review of school facilities and the financial commitment to providing air conditioning in all schools.
– The establishment of a district provided early childhood education in West Orange at no cost to families of all three- and four-year-olds.
– The re-prioritization of resources toward student achievement and outcomes system-wide from pre-K through high school.

Reason for running:
As a husband, father and dedicated member of the West Orange community for 10 years, I am committed to ensuring that all children in West Orange receive an education that is second to none. I have two sons who attend elementary school in the district, and I strongly believe that our schools should appreciate their brilliance and teach them in an academically rigorous and socially affirming environment. This is my hope for each one of our students. The greatest assets in any community are its people. Our schools touch every aspect of our children, families, and the broader community.

Biggest issue:
When families choose a place to live, they should be able to rely on public schools within their community to educate their child. A need for good public schools was among the factors that my wife and I considered when we moved to West Orange, and we heard many opinions about whether the schools would meet our expectations. As a member of the Board with kids in our schools, I see firsthand the so-called “glows and grows” of our school system through my own experience as a parent and also by communicating with other parents on a daily basis.

Campaign slogan and meaning:
West Orange Forward.

Approach to budget cuts and spending:
Improvement for West Orange Public Schools means that students come first as the primary constituency; achieving student success is why I ran for school board. Improving also means that we continue to utilize tax dollars for schools in an effective and efficient way. As a board member, I have stressed the need for strong financial stewardship and accountability and will continue to do so. Improvement also means that we will continue to professionally develop our teachers and all adults who interact and engage with our children, reinforcing the notion that we are a school system focused on serving the academic as well as the social and emotional needs of our students in a culturally responsive and sustaining way.

Additional information about candidate:
As an entrusted community leader, I work to create opportunities that generate a cycle of empowerment that creates a trajectory of positive outcomes for students and strengthens West Orange on every level. I have an unshakable belief in their talent and potential that fuels my commitment to ensuring they realize their full potential in West Orange Schools and beyond.  

West Orange must continue to provide our educators and all adults in schools with high-quality professional learning opportunities and professionally develop our teachers and all adults who interact and engage with our children, reinforcing the notion that we are a school system focused on serving the academic as well as the social and emotional needs of our students in a culturally responsive and sustaining way.

Personal background:
I’ve spent my career focused on education. After graduating with an EdM from Rutgers, I spent over a decade teaching high school social studies in East Orange. I taught a wide variety of students, as well as the full gamut of different social studies courses. I also served as the yearbook advisor, which gave me the opportunity to see firsthand how important extracurricular activities and sports are for student success.

I also worked part time for C-SPAN, developing curricular materials and content for their website, and I returned to Rutgers to pursue an EdD. I opted not to finish my dissertation, but I did complete my coursework and pass my qualifying exams. Currently, I work for the New Jersey Education Association as a data analyst in the Membership Division.

I live in West Orange with my wife and our children. We chose to move here in large part because of the schools. She is an assistant principal at a nearby high school, and my sister and her husband are both college professors in Pennsylvania. Our family is deeply committed to education. I grew up in Edison, NJ – a town my parents chose to move to because of the school system.

Public service background:
For the last three years, I have served as a member of the West Orange Board of Education. I’ve served as President of the Board for the last two.

As a Board Member, I volunteer my time and expertise to serve the community. We regularly meet with the administration, review their plans, and provide oversight and approval of important decisions. As President, I also have had the opportunity to work more directly with the Superintendent to steer the direction of the district.

As a social studies teacher, I placed a lot of emphasis on civic education, and I prioritized civic engagement throughout my own life. I was a founding member of the Newark Civic Trust, a community group formed with the help of the Citizens Campaign to promote research based solutions to local issues. My commitment to service dates back to my youth, when I was a Boy Scout.

I’ve also worked to support many candidates for election in the past. In West Orange, I was a volunteer for my predecessor on the Board of Education – Terry Trigg Scales. I also volunteered as a canvass lead for the Mike Sherrill campaign in 2018.

Reason for running:
Three years ago, I stepped up to run for the Board of Education because no one else would. I deeply respected the incumbent board member, and she chose not to run for re-election. When members of the community asked me if I would consider running, I told them to look for someone else – and to come back to me if they couldn’t find anyone.

Eventually, they came back and I agreed to serve. I feel that it’s important to have the perspective of educators included on the Board of Education. My family and I have had an excellent experience with the West Orange Public Schools, and my focus in serving is to make sure every family has the same experience.

I’m running for re-election this year because we’ve accomplished a lot in the last three years – but we’re not done. We just onboarded a new Superintendent, and he needs our support. We’ve also made progress on facilities upgrades, universal pre-k, and new math and ELA curricula. We need to stay focused on these priorities for the next few years to see them through to completion.

Candidate’s biggest issue:
I am focused on the future of the school district, and making sure that we make the proper investments in our staff, facilities, and curriculum to help our students succeed. I think the biggest issue in this election will be whether we continue to make those investments or whether we sacrifice the quality of our schools in order to save a few pennies.

As a homeowner, I feel the impact of increasing property taxes. But as an educator, I know the importance of those investments. As a Board member, I see it as my job to balance those two priorities – investing where necessary in a prudent and responsible way.

But over the years, I’ve seen prior Board members and others in the community call for short sighted cuts to essential services. I was motivated in part to run for election the first time because the Board contemplated eliminating courtesy bussing – an idea that is both ridiculous and irresponsible.

Given the uncertain future of state aid, it is more important than ever to elect Board members who will seek to balance these competing priorities – instead of focusing exclusively on cost savings at the expense of our children’s education.

Campaign slogan and meaning:
Our slogan is West Orange Forward. We believe in moving the district forward into the 21st century, leaving behind dysfunction and promoting stability. We are also focused on making investments in key areas – staffing, facilities, and curriculum – to ensure that our students succeed.

Approach to budget cuts and spending:
We faced this issue last year, along with many other districts across the state. My approach has been – and will continue to be – to work with the administration to find sensible cost savings while continuing to invest in key parts of the district.

Last year, we worked with our healthcare broker to move the district into the SHIF. This enabled us to save money, reduce risk of future premium increases, and maintain the quality of benefits for our employees. We also made efficient use of state and federal grants to absorb one time costs, like the purchasing of new curricula or the renovations of facilities.

Ultimately, we had to eliminate a small number of positions, but we were sure to spread these cuts across various areas to reduce the impact on individual schools and departments. Our district prides itself on the performing arts, extracurricular activities, and sports, and we were sure to maintain the quality of those programs.

I have also met with our legislators to discuss the school funding formula and propose improvements for the future. As a data analyst, I understand the underlying formula better than most, and I will continue to raise awareness about its flaws.

Additional information about candidate:
As a lifelong educator, I care deeply about public education. My success in life is due in no small part to the Edison Township Public Schools and Rutgers University, and I hope I’ve had a positive impact on the students that I’ve worked with in the past.

We moved to West Orange because of the quality of the school system, and I serve on the Board of Education to make sure that every student continues to get the experience and success that they deserve. It is an essential part of what makes our community great, and we have to continue to invest in it.

We also chose to move to West Orange because of its amazing diversity and because my family would feel welcome and included there. As a school district, it’s important that we prioritize this for all of our students.

I am also an avid runner. If you live in or around West Orange, you’ve likely seen me running up Northfield Ave or Pleasant Valley Way. I run every day – with a current run streak of over 1,000 days – and I’ll be running the Chicago Marathon next month. There, I intend to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

The candidate did not respond to the questionnaire.