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I feel very strongly for the Montville Township schools. As a graduate of Montville and a mother of four, Montville continues to be an enormous part of my life. I would like to continue giving to this community in which I have benefited from tremendously. I have an M.S. in biology from NYU and a B.A. in biochemistry from Smith College. My career as an editor for a academic publishing company along with my strong academic background has always inspired me to contribute to my community in my best possible capacity. I look forward to improving the school system and supporting it with all of my knowledge and experience.
Aforementioned background in higher education and career are only part of my experience with academics. I have been a huge proponent in education and volunteered numerous years at every grade level here in Montville. My ability to communicate with teachers, administrators, and students is vast and productive as I served as co-president of the Montville Township High School Parent Teacher Council for three years. Having four children grow up in Montville, I have been tremendously supportive and involved with the education system. I wish to continue to serve my community and strengthen the Montville Township school system.
Working closely with the administration, teachers, and students is how we are able to balance retention of good teachers, quality of education, and fiscally be resposible to the taxpayers. It is emperative to motivate our teachers so they continue to work for our children in our school districts. The Board also should be required to hear the voices of the taxpayers so that we know how to balance the budget to benefit the schools and the community. The stronger Montville Township is as an academic leader, the stronger the draw of superior educators.
As three of my children have graduated Montville Township high school, I have seen development and stagnation when the distric curriculum is concerned. I would like to continue Montville's progression towards higher education. There must be a consistent message to continue the betterment of our school system. We must bring the advances in education and technology to our schools so that our children are ready for their higher educational environments.
When I first became a Board of Education member in 2005, I felt the district was heading in the wrong direction. We were not retaining talent within our teaching staff. We had an alarming rate of turnover in administration. The relationship between the Board and Central Office was at times adversarial. There was uneven distribution of resources among the schools. I did not feel there was a connection with the students to convey a culture of accomplishment beyond grade point average.
We are now in a much better position. The Board has an excellent relationship with Central Office. Teachers are looking to come to Montville and to stay, largely due to mutual respect between the teaching staff and the Board, cultivated over the years. We have stability in Central Office. But most of all, a culture exists where student accomplishments are celebrated, not only with academics and athletics, but with the arts and activities. Our students must understand that success in life depends on being well rounded beyond pure academics. Our most important job is to afford each student the resources to develop their skills in the areas that will prepare them for life beyond high school.
In my 21 years on the Board (five as Vice-President), I have worked with 5 superintendents (2 interim) and come to understand the attributes that promote a healthy relationship between the Board, Central Office and the community we have the privilege to serve. I have served on a number of committees, including labor negotiation committees. I have been at various times chairman of the Curriculum, Policy and Communication Committees. I believe that both my experience on the Board and my having lived in Montville since 1989 make me a valuable source of institutional knowledge as to the history of both the school district and the community.
As a trial attorney, it is my nature to examine arguments on both sides of every issue before making a decision and to be receptive to change when appropriate. I believe diverse backgrounds and philosophies are important for a Board to function well and that Board members must function free of partisan political influence.
Finally, I appreciate that the role of a Board member is not to run the schools, but simply to make sure they are run well. Problems occur when Board members overstep their bounds.
Important motivators for teachers to remain in a district are knowing they have the support of both the Board and the Administration and are being treated with respect. We showcase students but also recognize teachers whose dedication enhances our student achievements. Over my time on the Board, the district has become more receptive to recognizing great teachers with promotion from within when higher positions become available.
Lower taxes are certainly desirable but the 2% State budget increase cap has put many other districts over the financial cliff forcing massive layoffs and program cuts because expenses increase by more than 2% yearly. We have so far avoided that through careful long-term planning. We have proposed a referendum to do needed repairs that exceed our budget capacity. However, if the referendum passes, the state will be paying roughly 40% of the costs, meaning we will be getting a dollar’s worth of work for only 60 cents which is excellent financial efficiency. In that respect, it will be the taxpayers, not the Board who make the ultimate decision as to balancing the needs of the students with lower taxes. As taxpayers ourselves, we support the referendum.
Much of what is in our curriculum is there because it aligns with the New Jersey Student Learning Standards and legislative mandates. Overall, I believe our curriculum is excellent as evidenced by our testing results compared to other schools although I caution about relying on test scores as the sole measure of curriculum proficiency. Test scores should be analyzed to see what our students are and are not learning so we can adjust the curriculum. We should never adjust curriculum solely to raise test scores.
I have observed that some students have foregone certain electives solely because they do not run at the Honors or AP level and even an A+ can bring down their GPA. I have long supported education in the arts and advocated that electives and activities are integral to good education. Students who rely solely on GPA inflated by an inordinate number of AP/Honors courses and nothing else will be disappointed in their choices of top colleges. However, addressing the above concern, I would encourage a GPA system where certain courses can be graded, but offered with an option to “opt out” of affecting a student’s GPA, which may encourage students to take enrichment courses.
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One of the main reasons that I am running is to leverage my recent experience with my own children and other students in the school system to make sure our Board of Education is in touch with what our classrooms are like today, and with the issues that our students and our teachers are actually dealing with on a daily basis. There is a lot of political noise that really has very little to do with learning, and I feel that those battles should stay out of our schools as much as possible. I am much more concerned about the decline in both attention span and reading skills among American students in general, and what effect that is having on their ability to comprehend and retain information.
As a Cornell graduate with a degree in biology, a Massachusetts College of Art graduate with a certificate in graphic design, and a former project financial analyst for Bank of America, I bring experience in educational excellence, creativity, financial management, and problem-solving.
As a volunteer in our schools, I have seen first-hand what the needs of our students and teachers are, and the challenges they are facing. During the elementary school years, I served as a class parent many times, as liaison to the school’s Character Education Committee for 6 years (including working on our successful submission for the NJ School of Character award), and as treasurer for the Home and School Association for 4 years. At the high school level, I served as treasurer for the Parent Teacher Council for 3 years. Over the past 15 years, I have earned the trust and respect of teachers, administrators, students, and parents across the district.
Fostering my children’s education as a parent has been the most challenging and rewarding experience I have ever had. I have run the gamut from child study teams and 504 plans to gifted programs; from classroom aides to standardized testing to college planning and applications. Throughout their years in Montville schools, my sons had excellent teachers, paraprofessionals, and administrators who truly cared about their development as students and as people, and I am incredibly grateful for the impact it had on their lives. They will always have my full support.
As a homeowner, I am also aware of the financial impact of higher property taxes. Like in anybody’s home, running a school district’s budget is a balancing act that requires careful consideration of wants and needs. Fiscal responsibility calls for thoughtful planning, and careful spending weighed against its potential benefits.
During their time in Montville Township schools, my sons had a rigorous college preparatory curriculum, as well as some excellent choices available to them as electives. I do, however, feel there is room to push our students further. I personally would like to see a fourth-year requirement for a social studies or history course. A lot has happened in our country and our world since the end of the US History II curriculum, and our students should learn about it in an educational space rather than on TikTok. I also would love to see an option for an integrated humanities program such as I was lucky enough to enjoy in high school, which paired learning the history and literature of a time period with its art, architecture and music.
I’m running because I believe in giving back, I’m deeply invested in our community, and I want to help ensure Montville continues to provide an exceptional education for every student. As a parent of two Cedar Hill students, I bring the perspective of today’s families, while my background in engineering, business, and leadership gives me a practical, forward-looking perspective on how quickly the world is changing. Technology, AI, STEM, evolving career paths, and new workplace expectations are reshaping the skills our children will need to succeed. I want to help our schools evolve with those changes while making thoughtful, data-driven decisions that balance educational excellence with fiscal responsibility and long-term value for our community and our property owners.
My professional, educational, and community experiences have prepared me to serve as a thoughtful and effective Board member. My engineering background has taught me to analyze complex problems, use data, and develop practical solutions, while my Columbia MBA and Fortune 500 leadership experience have given me a strong foundation in strategy, budgets, and managing diverse stakeholders. My decade of service as a civilian U.S. Army Engineer further strengthened my leadership and decision-making skills. I also bring direct experience in educational governance from my serving as a Community College Trustee. As a Montville parent and community volunteer, I understand the perspective of today’s families and am committed to bringing a balanced, forward-looking approach to our schools.
I believe we can balance these priorities through thoughtful, data-driven decision-making. Retaining excellent teachers is critical to providing best-in-class education, but that does not mean every increase in spending automatically leads to better outcomes. We should focus resources on what has the greatest impact on students, support and retain our best educators, and continually evaluate programs and expenditures for effectiveness. At the same time, responsible budgeting and long-term planning are important to taxpayers and to maintaining the value of our community. My goal would be to find efficiencies and make strategic investments that preserve the quality of our schools while being respectful of the financial commitment of our taxpayers.
I would not advocate for wholesale changes to a curriculum that is already serving our students well. Instead, I would look for opportunities to strengthen it and ensure it keeps pace with a rapidly changing world. In particular, I would like to see continued emphasis on STEM, technology, AI literacy, critical thinking, financial literacy, and real-world problem-solving, while ensuring students develop the communication, collaboration, and adaptability needed for evolving career paths. My goal would be to build on Montville’s academic strengths while giving students the tools and experiences they need to succeed in college, careers, and an increasingly technology-driven world.
