VOTE411 Voter Guide

I am proud of the work I have done in my first term on the Bernards Township Board of Education, bringing a unique perspective to my role on the Curriculum, Wellness, Personnel, Facilities & Operations, and Policy committees. As a veteran New Jersey public school teacher, I am often the member who vocalizes the impact our decisions will have on students and teachers in the classroom. At a time when school districts throughout the State are facing unprecedented financial challenges, our Board has worked collaboratively to make thoughtful decisions, keeping the success and well being of our students as our guiding focus. Several administrative changes this year --we welcomed experienced Bernards Township school administrators into new roles as Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, and Principal of Ridge High School -- have positioned our district well for the future, and I look forward to serving the community through this transition alongside my fellow Board members.

Bernards Township has been at the forefront in helping educators, students, and families understand the opportunities and challenges of rapidly changing technology including AI, social media, and chat groups. This technology impacts not only academics but also student mental health and well being. Our district leaders recognized the importance of launching a community wide effort to address these issues through the Restoring Focus initiative, which provided book talks, shared research and videos, and facilitated small group discussions regarding the effects of screen time and social media misuse among students at elementary, middle, and high school levels. This ongoing conversation has informed the development of our district policies on technology and helped in the creation of our living AI Plan which guides staff and students in grades 6-12 in the thoughtful, ethical, and responsible use of this powerful technology. The emphasis has focused on teaching students to read deeply, think critically, research carefully, problem solve creatively, and to value communication and relationships. The responsible use of AI should serve to enhance rather than replace these human skills.

Our Board has a team of financial professionals, including our school business administrator and the chair of our finance committee, who understand the complexities and nuances of school finance and are able to communicate our long-range planning and annual budget decisions clearly and effectively. We regularly review ten-year, five-year, and annual financial projections to plan for future instructional and infrastructure needs. We take advantage of opportunities for expenditure reductions, and seek revenue enhancement in a variety of new ways. Our priorities are to maintain safe, secure facilities and grounds; retain our excellent teaching staff; continue providing best educational practices and programs; and keep class sizes within policy guidelines. Many factors, such as rapidly changing technology needs, the rise of health care and utility costs, diminished special education funding, rising transportation costs, and infrastructure needs impact each year's budget line items, but our district goals -- a shared vision for our schools, strengthened student support systems, and a sustainable long-range capital plan -- ensure our priorities guide our financial decisions.

I'm running for another term because I still have work I want to finish. Over three years on the board, I've chaired the Policy Committee and the Finance Committee, and made a point of serving on every board committee at least once. I understand every part of how the board operates. A school board shouldn't be political, and one of my priorities coming in was making sure the board and community worked together and every perspective was heard: students, staff, administrators, board members, parents, and the wider community. It's the same stakeholder approach our administration does so well. I believe that's mostly been accomplished, and I want to keep it that way. Professionally, I'm Senior Vice President of Finance for a publicly traded company. I bring hands-on budgeting and financial controls experience to how we steward taxpayer dollars. I've also advocated directly with state legislators on health-benefit costs and Extraordinary Aid funding. I want to keep helping the district navigate what's ahead, from facility needs to leadership transitions, with the same collaborative, listen-first approach.

Technology, social media, and AI are already part of our students' daily lives, and our role is to help them use these tools thoughtfully, not pretend they don't exist. We were ahead of most NJ districts in adopting a phone-free policy - other districts visited to see how it worked - and the state has since adopted a similar approach. I support that same proactive posture with AI: a policy addressing security, age-appropriateness, academic integrity, and how students, teachers, and administrators can use AI to support real learning, not skip it, while staying flexible as the technology changes. Students still need core skills - writing, research, problem-solving, critical thinking - so we draw a clear line between AI for brainstorming or feedback and AI as a shortcut. Social media requires a partnership between schools and families around digital citizenship, online safety, and healthy habits. I also think about the financial and risk side: cybersecurity, data privacy, and staff training, so our policies are enforceable. AI will reshape teaching and careers, and I want our district to keep leading, not catching up.

A budget should reflect our priorities, and this is where my finance background matters most. We protect instruction, staffing, and class sizes first; when reductions are needed, we use hiring freezes, attrition and retirements before layoffs, and cut administrative costs before classroom impacts. We scrutinize our fastest-growing cost - health benefits - reviewing claims against projections at every Finance Committee meeting. By self-funding our plan and pushing our broker hard on prescription rebates, we've kept medical cost growth to roughly half the state average. We redesigned busing into a 3-tier system, saving about $1 million a year, and moved custodial and maintenance staff in-house. On facilities, our new 10-year capital plan identifies 104 projects and roughly $82 million in needs; rather than treat that as a wish list, we're prioritizing by condition and return on investment, pursuing tax-neutral financing strategies, and adding revenue like advertising and naming rights to offset costs. We'll engage the community in detail on funding options in the months ahead. Fiscal discipline and educational quality should go hand in hand.

I am running for another term on the Bernards BOE as I believe I still have meaningful work to contribute and care deeply about this community. I bring deep knowledge of our district and a strong commitment to our students, staff, and community. My perspective is shaped by my years as a teacher and as a parent of four BTSD graduates. I understand the realities of the classroom and the importance of ensuring board decisions work for both students and staff. As board president, I have fostered conversations that have brought varying points of view together to make informed decisions. I've learned how important it is to listen, understand priorities and to advocate for solutions that are best for the district. I believe we should preserve what works well, be honest about what does not, and be willing to consider new approaches when they can better serve our students. During this period of transition with new leadership, I can provide continuity and institutional knowledge while remaining open to new ideas. I want to continue to help maintain the excellent education and opportunities provided in our district while remaining fiscally responsible and responsive to our community.

I believe it is a responsibility to prepare students for the world today. Technology, social media, and AI are a part of their lives. Our job is to ensure students use tools thoughtfully, responsibly, and ethically without replacing interpersonal skills and critical thinking. I am proud that our district has taken a proactive, measured approach through our AI plan and our acceptable-use policy, and limited its use to grades 6-12. We are approaching emerging technology with clear expectations, appropriate guardrails and a willingness to adapt as it evolves. While students use AI to brainstorm, ask questions, receive feedback, they must still develop writing, problem-solving, and research skills. They also need to understand bias, misinformation, and the importance of verifying information. Social media requires a partnership between schools and families. We should and do teach digital citizenship and online safety. It is crucial that we understand that AI is rapidly changing and we are prepared to grow and learn alongside it while balancing teaching the skills to use it effectively with the judgement to know when its use is appropriate.

In a challenging fiscal environment, the questions arise: What are our priorities, what do our students need most, and how do we provide it responsibly and sustainably? Good budgeting is about making deliberate choices, understanding their impact, and includes long term planning that focuses on classroom instruction, student supports, facilities and wellness. Staffing, class size, curriculum, and instructional resources must be taken into account as they all impact student learning. Our board looks closely at administrative and operational costs, technology subscriptions, transportation costs and other recurring expenses to find the greatest efficiencies wherever possible without compromising educational quality. Long-term financial planning to anticipate capital needs, rising special education costs, health-care expenses, enrollment and incidental expenses are a priority. Our strong board plans for the future, and continually challenges themselves to spend every taxpayer dollar wisely. Fiscal responsibility and educational excellence should not be competing goals - they should be pursued together.