Candidate Night Questions

Thank you to ETSD Parents United for holding their Candidates Night on Tuesday, 10/22.

Several people requested that the candidates respond again to the 14 questions we received during the question and answer section.  Since posting those responses on social media platforms is difficult due to the scope, I am posting those responses here.

1. Transparency is a common issue/concern.  What is your strategy to increase transparency while juggling confidentiality requirements?

For me, transparency in decision-making means openly discussing the difficult problems that we face so as to encourage those most invested in the topic to come forward and lend their voice and experience to developing a solution.  Before we can get that far, however, it is imperative that we improve the frequency and accessibility of information going out to the public.  The website used currently does provide the agenda but is not user-friendly, particularly on mobile.  As a parent of three in the district, I find out information more easily about upcoming coin wars or school spirit days than I do for major decisions with much more meaningful effects.

While confidentiality can certainly be a concern, I also believe that this is sometimes overused as an excuse for an unpopular decision. 

2. Do you believe books should be banned from classrooms or libraries?

No.  

3. Pick one - 1 - Raise taxes to maintain programs 

OR 2- Don’t raise taxes.  What programs would be cut or reduced?

While the question leaves out third options, which can exist, I would certainly prioritize our students and maintain programs if given this ultimatum.  Students should have access to the same things (if not more) than previous generations.  It is unacceptable to me that the weight of budget challenges falls on the children to solve through higher student-teacher ratios or declining school quality.  

4. When the Board faces a tough decision, with no perfect solution, how do you decide what matters most?

What matters most to me will forever be the students.  This is not to suggest that we can always spend our way into improving education, but it is far less reasonable to believe that we can cut our way to improving it.

5. What are your thoughts on Policy 5756?  This is the state policy that prevents school staff from revealing a student’s gender identity without their consent.  The republican candidate for governor has spoken against the policy, saying he will rescind it if elected.  Under what circumstances would you vote for a policy that would reveal a student’s gender identity against their wishes? 

It is my opinion that all school districts should have a policy for staff that follows existing anti-discrimination laws, providing safety and security, regardless of our differences.  School districts that develop local policies that do not clearly follow state guidance run the risk of being held liable for decisions by staff members that run afoul of anti-discrimination law, even if they address the concerns quickly and effectively afterward.  

6. Being an effective board member requires a lot of volunteer time and effort.  Are you prepared to spend quite a bit of time in committee meetings, on email back and forth with administration and fellow board members?

My favorite part of walking through neighborhoods and knocking on doors during this campaign has been when I meet someone who loves talking education.  It has been a passion of mine since I started volunteering in schools in 2007.  If I am fortunate enough to be elected, I promise to come early and stay late to ensure that the decisions we make are as researched and thoughtful as possible.  

7. The most important job of the BOE is selection of superintendent.  Would you be conflicted as a school board member, therefore unable to participate fully in all the duties of a board member?  Meaning, do you or a family member work for a school district and therefore be unable to vote on anything relating to the superintendent or take part in their performance reviews?  

I am a teacher in Burlington County but I am not conflicted on decisions involving the Superintendent.  Only individuals with family members in the district are unable to participate in matters pertaining to the Superintendent or anyone along the chain of supervision above the family member.  Teachers in public schools within the state, such as myself, or those with family members in public education, are prevented from being involved in the negotiations process with local associations.

8. What personal qualities make you the best choice for the school board? 

School boards make incredibly important decisions, often with incomplete perspectives.  As a teacher and parent, I take the time to reach out to those that can provide a more complete understanding of a particular topic.  During the summer, as I gathered signatures for my petition to run, I also started generating a contact list of individuals that are passionate about improving the education in this town.  I look to continue to build on this list and establish relationships with those that are interested in working together to develop solutions to the problems that we face.

9. Do you support the teaching of diversity in our schools?

Yes.

10. Do you support the current superintendent? 

During a PTA meeting in the spring, I asked the superintendent whether staff or parents were in any way involved in developing a plan for moving the Yale School into DeMasi.  The response I received was a look of confusion and then a decisive, “No, they would have just said don’t do it.”  This was then followed by a metaphor about how when parents see their children fall on the playground, it is best to wait to see their response before running over to console them.  It was the dismissive nature of this response that inspired me to ask questions of the parents and staff in town.  After a summer of speaking to countless teachers, parents, and community members, I can say without question that the decision-making process within this district is fundamentally broken.  

This is not to say that people and structures cannot change.  I know that if the teacher I am in 2025 observed a lesson from my first year of teaching, I would probably have to leave the room in frustration.  

As a board member, I will do all that I can to encourage a change in approach.  We have phenomenal teachers, parents, and staff that are willing to put in the time and effort it takes to drive positive change.  We only need to let them.

11. What do you see as the greatest challenge facing our district?

Currently, our district teachers average five years less experience than the state average.  This is not to say that young teachers don’t do amazing things in the classroom.  It is simply to say that in a field where consistency truly matters, we must bring in teachers that are dedicated to making this their career and retain those that show they can do the job effectively.  At this point in time, we are not doing right by our teachers and staff.

12. What makes you the best candidate for the job?

No matter your particular opinion on issues in education, we can all agree that no one person has all the solutions.  My promise to anyone reading this is that I will do all that I can to involve myself in active collaboration with anyone interested in the mission of creating positive change in education.  I started teaching 16 years ago and my passion for education has only increased since that time.  I know that no matter what issues we face in the next few years, I will put all I have into doing what is best for the students of our district.

13. How do you feel our district can better support students with disabilities? 

The most immediate impact that we can have is to make sure that our students with disabilities have consistency in their education.  This means reliable transportation, experienced support staff, and teachers that have the time and resources available to properly address their needs.  

As a long term goal, I would like to see more students attending their home elementary school.  My wife and I purchased our home in 2014, specifically because it was walking distance to a k-8 school.  We wanted our (future) children to have access to all that the school has to offer, academically and culturally.  It would be very upsetting for me if one (or more) of my children were forced to spend hours each day on a bus to another school, simply because of their disability. 

14. What do you feel is our greatest strength in our district?

I am consistently impressed with the involvement of our teachers, parents, and community members.  My children are fortunate to have caring and knowledgeable teachers that provide them with a place they like to go each day and learn.  Recently, one of my daughters, tasked with cleaning up her toys at home, complained about her plight, stating that she “wishes she was at school where it is fun.”  

Our community is so active that we have nights with multiple Trunk or Treats, Color Runs, Dine-Outs, and numerous other activities.  Our family tries to attend as often as possible, and we see many of the same parents, teachers, and community members setting up, coordinating, tearing down, and sometimes even hula hooping dressed like a blue dinosaur.