LAWRENCE: Candidates file for three sschool board seats

By Lea Kahn
   Two incumbent school board members and a newcomer have filed nominating petitions to run for the three available seats on the Lawrence Township Board of Education.
   School board members Ginny Bigley and Bill Michaelson and newcomer Deborah Cherry turned in their petitions by Tuesday’s filing deadline. The terms are for three years.
   The annual school board election is April 27.
   School board member Deborah Endo is not seeking re-election. She is completing her second term.
   Ms. Cherry, 45, lives on Hopatcong Drive. She is seeking her first term on the school board. She is a stay-at-home mother and has one child enrolled in kindergarten at the Slackwood Elementary School.
   Ms. Cherry taught special education for 16 years in several public school districts, including State College, Pa., the Central Bucks County, Pa., school district, Philadelphia and Trenton.
   ”I have a general interest in education, and I would like to be as involved as I can,” she said. “I can bring a different perspective to the school board as a teacher. I see things from a parent perspective and from a teacher perspective. “
   Ms. Cherry said she wants to get as much as possible for the children and the teachers. She is interested in the special education program, and she wants to help the program grow. She said that as a special education teacher, she might have some insights that might be helpful.
   ”I hope my experience translates into how (best) to spend money and make programs better and more productive for children and teachers. I want to make the school district as effective and productive for children as possible,” she said.
   Mr. Michaelson, 53, lives on Huron Way. He is seeking his third, nonconsecutive term on the board. He served from 2005 to 2007, and from 2008 to the present.
   Mr. Michaelson is a software developer. He has one child, who is a seventh-grader at the Lawrence Middle School.
   He said he is seeking another term on the school board “to continue to improve performance and accountability to all Lawrence district stakeholders — children, parents, staff and taxpayers.”
   Ms. Bigley, who could not be reached for comment, is 55 and lives on Dustin Drive. She is seeking her third, consecutive term on the school board. Her four children attended the Lawrence Township public school district.