Vote411

Here is the full text of my responses due to the 2,000 character limit on the Vote411 website.   

 

The League of Women Voters of New Jersey promotes the informed participation of voters in the electoral process. They do not endorse nor oppose candidates. They invited candidates to participate in their Voters' Guide, VOTE411.org, for Princeton School Board. VOTE411.org allows candidates to reach all of the voters in our area. Voters need only go to VOTE411.org, enter your address, and you will be able to learn about my platform.  

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Please explain why you are running and describe the personal and professional experiences/skills that you possess that make you uniquely qualified to serve on the Board of Education.

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I have a deep passion for serving people and am collaborative by nature. I prefer to work with others toward a shared purpose, whether it is planning a community-supported STEAM Day with over 30 presenters for our elementary school or challenging an employee to grow into a new role for the benefit of the whole team.  As an engaged parent, an elementary school Parent Teacher Organization Co-President, and an active citizen and neighbor, I have connected with people across Princeton regarding our town’s schools and realize I have valuable skills that can help to strengthen Princeton Public Schools (PPS), for the benefit of students, staff, and taxpayers. This has led me to run for the Board of Education.    

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I understand how boards should operate since I have served on boards and also work with a board at my family-owned company.   It is a place where trusted advisors hold us accountable to ensure that the leadership and the company itself are operating effectively, aligned with our mission and values, and meeting our strategic goals. The board provides invaluable insights, offers guidance on critical decisions, and challenges our assumptions to ensure that we remain nimble, responsible, and forward-thinking in a rapidly evolving market. On the personal side, I’ve served in many volunteer roles within the PTO since my son started at Community Park Elementary School, ranging from class parent to chair of the annual school-wide STEAM Day event, for which I built connections with numerous individuals and organizations throughout the Princeton area to present to students on a range of science, tech, engineering, arts and math topics.  Most recently, I have been serving as PTO Co-President.

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Additionally, I have had a drive to serve for a long time.    It began at Villanova University, which I attended as an undergraduate, and was responsible for managing Pennsylvania’s Special Olympics Fall Games.  Villanova hosted over 1,200 athletes for this three-day event, which was one of the only student-run state Special Olympics games in the country.   I quickly jumped into volunteer roles, including Director of Volunteers, where I was responsible for recruiting, training and managing more than 5000 volunteers from both on-campus and off-campus organizations.   I also took part in the games’ student-led Steering Committee.  Over the years, I still return to campus to see how much the event continues to bring joy to athletes’ lives!  

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After college, I co-founded two non-profit organizations.  The first was a Young Professional Advocacy Group that benefited the Franciscan Children’s Hospital in Boston.   The second was “Holiday Happening,” where we fundraised, collected, and donated over 5,000 toys to Boston-area children each year.    In Jersey City, I served in my son’s school Parent Teacher Association (PreK – 8th grade public school) while he attended PreK3 and PreK4 at our neighborhood school, PS37.    

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I am a person who does not sit on the sidelines.  Once I am engaged and invested, I will roll up my sleeves and immediately get to work alongside all the PPS stakeholders, including the wider Princeton community. 

 

What are your priorities for your term on the Board of Education?

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I stay actively informed about PPS by regularly attending Board of Education meetings, BOE committee meetings, and PTO Council meetings. One of the more gratifying experiences I’ve had, is working with all four elementary school PTO Co-Presidents to communicate and collaborate.  Through this PTO community, we share ideas and insights amongst the schools and find common purpose.   Since invested in the PPS community,

If elected to the Board of Education, I would: 

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• Prioritize community and culture-building within the District, fostering and maintaining strong relationships, so that all students have excellent opportunities to thrive; 

• Create new ways to engage with the entire Princeton community, including local leadership, to ensure that our public schools are an important and positive part of our town’s culture;

• Recognize the critical importance of managing budgets and making data-driven decisions to achieve operational excellence; I will ensure the data the District relies on for decision-making is accurate and reliable;

• Emphasize the importance of optimization techniques, drawing on my business leadership and supply chain background, to maintain efficient management and operations across PPS;

• Perform a risk assessment of critical third-party providers (e.g., food services, aftercare, etc.) and establish a system to mitigate risks that could disrupt the Princeton Public Schools; I will further aim to establish a continuous cycle of communication, progress monitoring, and status updates between PPS and outsourced third party providers, so that expectations are mutually understood and consistently met;

 

What components of the school budget should be protected and perhaps increased, and what components do you think could be reduced? Please explain your answer and your strategies to accomplish this.

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The following components of the school budget should be protected (and perhaps increased) as these areas help to maintain the quality of education while supporting our students and teachers:

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• Instructional Costs: Funding for teachers' salaries, classroom supplies, and curriculum material

• Student Support Services: Programs that fall within special education, counseling and social emotional learning are essential for student achievement and well-being

• Safety and Security: Investments in student safety, such as security vestibules, emergency preparedness, and building security systems, are non-negotiable to provide a safe learning environment for our students

• Technology and Infrastructure: In today’s educational environment, maintaining up-to-date technology and safe, well-maintained facilities is crucial

• Professional Development: Ensuring teachers and staff receive ongoing training and professional growth opportunities helps maintain high teaching standards

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The following components of the school budget could potentially be reduced by multiple levers:

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• Professional Development – I put this recommendation in both categories (protected/increased and potentially reduced) because one way to decrease this cost is to share some professional development opportunities between PPS and Princeton Charter School staff, and possibly other educational institutions. These shared costs could ultimately decrease this as a line time for PPS.

• Subcontractor Costs – Subcontractor costs could be reduced by optimal project planning.  For example, playground improvements paid for by the fall 2023 referendum were recently planned at all the elementary schools and middle school, and some of that work was slated to start this past summer.  The work began just days before the first day of school.  As a result, some of the work has had to be done on weekends which the contractor likely charged a much higher rate resulting in cost overruns.

• Risk Exposure / Litigation costs – To use the CP playground as an example again, heavy machinery (a backhoe, dump truck and trailers) and large piles of dirt and mulch have been parked on the playground for weeks.   Students quickly tried to adopt them as new play items.  I reached out to the District to have orange fencing placed around them to minimize exposure.  Such situations present a liability to the District and could be better avoided.  

• Consulting Fees – There may be cost savings by being more selective about the consultants we hire and seeking out cost-sharing of consultants with similar districts in the areas where we wish to lead.   Last year, a consulting agreement was made with another school district to share a communications person.  This person was also shared with at least 10 other NJ districts and ultimately did not fit our needs.  Perhaps PPS would be better off in finding the “just right” consultant for our needs and then explore or offer other districts the possibility to cost-share these services. 

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All these recommendations are, of course, suggestions from someone who is unaware of the previous conversations that surround each one.   However, even if prior or existing Boards have reviewed these or similar ideas in the past, perhaps it is an opportunity to revisit them or help the public understand why they would not work for PPS.    The saying “We’ve always done it this way” does not sit well with me.  

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When groups of parents disagree about Board of Education policies, please state what steps you would take (beyond listening to both sides) to resolve the issue.

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Princeton Public Schools is not alone in many of the issues that we face.   We cannot be siloed or insular in the way we manage change. We must be the change agents for the benefit of our students and community.  In addition to listening to the dialogue on an issue, it would be beneficial for PPS to leverage the surrounding community.   There is an opportunity to collaborate and see what other institutions and like-minded districts are doing.   An example that is very hot today is the question of device use in schools – do we ban it or not?     In addition to engaging with parents, PPS could tap into a wealth of knowledge from other local schools, as well as other school districts, to map out device policies that ensure our students are successful.

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What issues, if any, do you believe the district needs to address in its academic programs and offerings? What changes would you recommend?

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The current Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Dr. Kim Tew, has made significant progress in strengthening PPS across all grades in accordance with New Jersey curriculum standards and we are fortunate to have her within our District. Math has been a hot topic for a long time, but Dr. Tew and other staff have made a lot of strides recently in creating clearer, more logical pathways for students to higher math and they will be updating the math curriculum this year. I think the hiring of a dedicated elementary education supervisor has been helpful for younger learners and staff, and I expect the new Supervisor of Multi-Tiered System of Supports could have a huge impact on students’ ability to succeed. While it is very important to celebrate progress and not perfection, there are always areas for improvement, and that oversight comes most directly from the Board’s Student Achievement Committee. While I would be honored to assist with any committee’s work, I see my strengths contributing the most to the Operations and Long-Term Planning Committees. 

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What are you looking for in a new superintendent?

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The superintendent selection is one of the most important decisions a Board of Education will make.  The superintendent must not only lead and operate a PreK-12 District, but also must have the vision and community-building skills to connect with the wide constituency of our public schools, including administrators, teachers, staff, students, parents/families, and taxpayers–the entire Princeton community. 

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As a business owner, I know first-hand that having a strong leader at the helm drives the culture forward.   Similarly, a strong superintendent will help build a positive culture at PPS.  It is ever so important that our next superintendent is fully engaged, with their feet on the street connecting with people and communicating the overall strategy of PPS.  

 

The new superintendent should also foster an inclusive environment and address the diverse population that our schools serve.    Additionally, the superintendent must make informed, data-driven decisions that benefit students, parents, and the Princeton community. 

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Communication is vital for delivering the overall strategy, culture and building an inclusive environment.  A superintendent with strong communication skills will help build more collaborative relationships with all stakeholders, including students, teachers, staff, administrators, the Board of Education, parents and the Princeton community.  I look forward to being a part of the final selection process.

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