By Geoffrey Wertime, Staff Writer
Many of the area’s open school board seats will see contests this year in the April 21 elections.
A total of 32 candidates are running for seats on the eight local school boards. Only three of those districts have no contests in their races:
In Chesterfield, newcomer Terran Brown, 31, is the sole candidate for the K-6 district’s available three-year seat. Employed with Educational Testing Service in Princeton, he holds a doctorate in education.
New Hanover has two candidates for its two open three-year seats on the K-8 district’s board: incumbent Jamie Clugsten and newcomer Carli Haas.
In North Hanover, incumbent Charles Schroeder is running unopposed for the K-6 district’s single open seat.
The other five districts have several candidates for relatively few open seats.
Bordentown Regional
While the race for three seats representing Bordentown City on the regional K-12 board is uncontested, there is a contest for the Bordentown Township seat.
In Bordentown City, two seats are for full, three-year terms, and the other is for the last two years of an unexpired term. Incumbents are running unopposed for the three positions.
Ellen Wehrman, 75, of Park Street, has been on the board for just over a year. A retired teacher, she worked in the district for 40 years, and is the mother of two sons who have graduated from the district. She said in her next term she would like to focus on supervising state mandates.
“I’m all for efficiency,” she said, “but I want to make sure it’s done well and done right… because I’m not absolutely sure they know in Trenton what’s best for us in Bordentown.
Joann Dansbury, 57, of Farnsworth Avenue, is running for the city’s other three-year seat on the board. On the board for about 13 years, she is an office manager in Princeton and also has two children who have gone through the district. She said if re-elected, she hopes to focus on budget issues.
“The biggest thing to tackle is how to move forward under the constraints of the Department of Education and still do the right thing for the kids,” she said.
Michael MacEwan, 32, of Second Street, is the sole candidate for the city’s two-year unexpired term. A director of after-school programs in Perth Amboy, he was appointed to the seat in late February and said he has worked in the education field for nine years.
“I just want to make sure our kids get all the opportunities I can give them,” he said.
In Bordentown Township, four newcomers are vying for the one open three-year term.
Valerie Ann Calcagni, 48, of West Point Drive, is a retired computer programmer who worked for the state. She has one child who graduated from the high school in 2002 and three others who still are in the district. She said she has spent about 15 years volunteering in schools.
“There seems to be a bridge between the parents and the school board and the parents and teachers,” she said. “Everybody seems to forget that it’s about the children. They need everybody there to pull together and realize we’re there for them; we’re not there for ourselves.”
She said while she is also a taxpayer and does keep cost in mind, “we have to put a focus on whether (the students) are getting the education they need.”
The school board also should be more open to outside ideas, particularly those of the students, she added.
Thomas Dalton, 47, of Bennington Road, is a mortgage broker. The father of two daughters in the district, he has been a volunteer softball coach for eight years.
Mr. Dalton said he plans to work on the budget and would like to see more athletic fields in the district.
“I hope my business experience can help me with some of these issues as far as the budget and things like that,” he said.
Amrita Desai, 39, of Sagamore Lane, is a technology teacher leader in the Philadelphia School District and has spent 10 years working in education, both at K-12 schools and college. She holds a doctorate in educational leadership and technology. She has a 3-year-old daughter in the district.
“We are living in a time that is changing and evolving every day,” she said. “Globally, technologically, economically, we need our students to be prepared for the ever-changing world.”
As a board member, she said she would work to keep standards high for student learning to “(provide) them with the skills that they need to directly impact tomorrow’s economy and our community. I see this as a win-win situation for everyone.”
David Valeri, 43, of Elm Avenue, said he holds master’s degrees in counseling, special education and educational administration. He has worked in education for more than 20 years, the last 10 years of them as a school counselor in Trenton, and said he also has volunteered in school sports and parent-teacher organizations. He has three children in the district.
“One of concerns I have is to make sure we adhere to all the state guidelines regarding special education and regular students,” he said.
He said he wants to make sure the district can maintain services for special education and economically disadvantaged students while staying mindful of students in regular education programs.
“I think my years of experience as a counselor, special education teacher and administrator would be able to help benefit the school board,” he said.
Florence
Seven residents are running for three open three-year seats on the board in the township’s K-12 district.
Newcomer Robert R. Reillo Sr. initially registered to run, but has since dropped out of the race.
Robert Dulo, 55, of Alden Avenue. in Roebling, has four children, three who have graduated from the district and one who is a senior at the high school. An engineering manager with a pharmaceutical company, he said he also serves as a commissioner of the Florence Housing Authority.
Mr. Dulo said he has “no preset” agenda, but hopes to use his business experience to help the district.
He said he is running only “to ensure that (residents’) hard-earned taxes are spent wisely and efficiently to achieve an effective education for our children.”
Kirk Le Blanc, 39, of Wilbur Henry Drive, is running for his second term. An insurance producer and the father of three daughters, who attend school in the district, he said his time on the board so far has given him “the experience needed to continue to improve our schools in this very challenging economic climate.”
If re-elected, Mr. Le Blanc said he would try to balance school performance with taxes.
“While there are many challenges the Board of Education (faces) on a regular basis, I can promise to continue to fight for the very best education possible for our children while still ensuring that we are spending our tax dollars responsibly,” he said.
Marcie Romano, 39, of Brookside Drive, has never served on the board before. A teacher in the North Hanover district with 18 years of experience, she said she has a master’s degree in counseling and has taught both regular and special education students.
With four children, three in Florence schools and one too young to attend, she said she wants to get involved in her home district.
“I want to be a part of making decisions that’ll move our schools progressively forward for today’s students,” she said.
Jean Shelen, 48, of Emerick Avenue in Roebling, is serving her sixth year on the board and is up for re-election. She said she has served on all of the board’s committees and also has volunteered in a number of ways involving children, such as the Parent-Teacher Association.
If elected, she said she would like “to continue and maintain the quality education our students have received (and) to provide this quality education within a fiscally sound budget.”
Ms. Shelen has a son who is a junior at the high school and a daughter who has graduated from it.
Christine Sweeney Skinner, 41, of Fifth Street, in Roebling, is a teacher and a newcomer to the race. With a master’s degree in reading language arts, she said she has worked in education since 1989 and now works for Springfield Township Elementary School.
“Putting the children first, that is my campaign motto,” she said. “What I would like is quality education for all children, which means empowering the teachers and the students.”
If elected, she said she’d like to “help enhance what is already present in the school district and make the most out of the wonderful teaching staff that we have.”
David Carriger and Anthony Nutter also have filed to run, but did not respond to the Register-News’ questionnaire by deadline.
Mansfield
Four candidates are vying for three open positions for the township’s K-6 district.
DeQuincy McRae, 42, of Longwood Lane, Columbus, is a newcomer to the race. A director of scheduling and manpower planning for Amtrak, he is the father of four children, two in the district and two younger children.
“What I’m looking at is to continue having our students have the best they can,” he said, including keeping up test scores.
“I want them to be on same playing level as kids that go to private schools,” he added. “I want them to have the same opportunities.”
Marcial Mojena, 43, of Sherwood Lane, in Columbus, is also a newcomer. A senior account manager at Motorola Inc., he said he has 20 years of experience working with state and local governments on technology programs.
“School boards must provide fiscally responsible leadership insuring that we meet and exceed the high expectations of our students and township residents,” said the father of three children in the district.
He said if elected, he would ensure the district has “a best-in-class education system.”
The final newcomer in the race is Beverly Pencak, 62, of Windmill Court, in the Homestead at Mansfield community. She is the mother of two adult children who went to school in North Jersey.
Ms. Pencak said she has some accounting background, being the assistant treasurer to two hospital boards, and would like to keep taxes low.
“Even the idea of regionalization is a fantastic concept,” she said while noting the idea’s feasibility requires further study.
The sole incumbent up for reelection is Matthew Varava, 43, of Millenium Drive, in the Forest Edge community. The chief financial officer for Blessingwhite in Princeton, he has served on the board for three years and said he has focused on measuring student performance.
The father of two children in the district, he said he got involved with the board to oversee special education with which he has personal experience.
He said the district’s progress has been “tremendous” since he joined and would like to continue his work in order to “continuously raise the bar on student achievement” and help the district deal with the economy.
Northern Burlington
Regional
Chesterfield residents will have the choice between incumbent William R. Puglia and newcomer F. Gerry Spence for one open seat on the regional board in the grade 7-12 district.
Mr. Puglia, 65, of Chesterfield-Georgetown Road, retired from teaching after 35 years on the job and has served six years on the board. He is the father of two adult daughters.
On the board, he said he is “working to revise our curriculum, spending a lot of time on curriculum innovations. We have a grant to do some of this.
“We’re trying to make every child prepared for college when they graduate high school,” he continued. “They may not choose at this point to go to college, but we still want them prepared.”
Mr. Spence, 62, of Monmouth Road, is also a former teacher, having retired from teaching shop at Northern Burlington County Regional High School after 39 years there.
“Now that I’m retired, I have time on my hands so I figure it’s time to give back to the community,” said the father of one adult daughter who graduated from NBC High School.
If elected, Mr. Spence said he would like to look at ways to cut spending, in particular the number of administrators. But he said a lot of the money the district asks for is “well, well spent” and “until you get on and become a member of the board, you don’t know how it works.
“I’m certainly going in there with a positive attitude,” he said. “I miss the place, and I think I can contribute a lot after 39 years there. We’ve got a really good school.”
Incumbent James Nucito, 65, of Harrington Drive, is the only person to have filed for the one open seat representing Mansfield on the regional board.
He is running for his third three-year term, and said he wants to prepare students for “a worldwide economy much different from the economy that I went into when I graduated high school.”
In North Hanover, incumbent James Foley will face newcomer Barclay M. Townsend for one open three-year seat.
Mr. Foley, 61, of Laurel Drive has been the board president for the last nine years and has served 15 years altogether. He said he has helped to improve the high school and build the new middle school.
The director of Trenton Catholic Academy, Mr. Foley has three adult children who went through the local system, one of whom now teaches English at the high school.
“At this point what I’m really excited about is the forward thinking” about environmental issues, he said.
“We have a solar panel referendum on the ballot this year, and it has been through the hard work of this board getting ahead of the curve,” he said.
Mr. Townsend, 45, of Chesterfield-Jacobstown Road, is a newcomer to the race. The father of three children, two in the high school and one who graduated from it, he is the vice president of Townsend Machine in Chesterfield.
He said his reasons for running are twofold.
“Based on fact that I’m a parent, of course, I’m concerned with academics and the whole Northern experience,” he said, “so I want to make sure we’re able to offer (students) the best high school experience possible.
“Then as the other side, being a homeowner and businessman, I’m concerned about taxes. I want the best education at the best price.”
Springfield
One newcomer is challenging three incumbents for three open full-term seats on the K-6 elementary district’s board.
Marie Goodwin, 44, of Assiscunk Drive, has served on the board for three years and has three children who attend Springfield Township Elementary School. Ms. Goodwin holds a master’s degree in business administration and said she has been the Mercer County School business administrator for the past five years.
As part of her job, she said she has gained experience reviewing school budgets and plans and giving districts information on rules and regulations.
Given the economy, she said, “the focus will need to be on efficiency of district operations without jeopardizing the quality of the student’s education.”
The board, she said, will need to focus on finding other sources of revenue than state aid as well as facility and energy efficiency issues.
Maggie Payne, of Arneys Mount Road, in Jobstown, is running for her second term on the board. She has a daughter set to graduate from the district in June and said she has been involved with the Home and School Association for the past seven years.
If elected to another term, Ms. Payne said she would like to “enhance our school curriculum, maintain the budget and continue to provide quality education to our children.”
Dennis Schmieder, 39, of Jacksonville-Jobstown Road, is the only newcomer in the district’s race. Mr. Schmeider is an attorney and said he spent the three years prior to law school teaching high school-level special education with Teach for America. In the township, he volunteers with the Springfield Township Home and School Association and has a child in kindergarten and another too young to attend school.
He said he would like to bring “balance and communication” to the district by pursuing government funds as well as alternate sources of income and keeping costs down.
John Ainsworth also has filed as a candidate, but did not provide information to the Register-News by deadline.
