By: centraljersey.com
Six candidates are running for the three three-year terms for the Manville Board of Education. The candidates are incumbent Heid Alles, Judy Faulkner, Valerie Frank, incumbent Jeanne Lombardino, Sharon Lukac and Kim Richter.
The Manville News plans to ask a few questions about their goals if elected to the Board of Education on April 27. This is the first "Meet the Candidates" so residents can get familiar with them and see what these candidates have in their plans.
Heidi Alles
Heidi Alles is also seeking re-election for her seat on the board. Ms. Alles is a lifelong resident of Manville and is employed by Alcatel-Lucent as a business operations manager in the Corporate Real Estate Organization. She graduated in 1983 from Manville High School. Ms. Alles is completing her first three-year term, serving one year as vice president and six months as president.
Ms. Alles said she would like to "Keep the momentum going with sound fiscal management; continue to look for innovative and socially responsible ways to save dollars, such as the Solar Panel Initiative. This board is a good team that is interested in doing the right thing by both our kids and the taxpayers; recognition for both students and staff has been a great addition to our regular agendas as well as a focus on solid policies and professional development. I’d like to see all that continue."
One thing that Ms. Alles would like to see change or improve in the Manville School District is that "We need to continue to find creative and effective ways to provide quality education while maintaining our highly certified staff. The Virtual High School is a perfect example of keeping programs in place that interest our students without the pressure or the financial burden of a full time teacher staffing small classes." Judy Faulkner
Judy Faulkner has resided in Manville with her husband, David, and children since 1996. She is a parent of three children who attend the Manville schools. Her daughter Katlyn is a freshman at Manville High School; her son, Justin, attends Alexander Batcho Intermediate School and Kevin attends Roosevelt School.
Ms. Faulkner works for the Hillsborough Emergency Medical Corp. as an EMT, and has been working for them since 1989. She has served as president and vice president for the corporation. Ms. Faulkner has also worked in the Pediatric Emergency Department at St. Peter’s Hospital as a patient care technician.
Ms. Faulkner is involved in her children’s Parent Teacher Associations, and the Parent Academy, where she promotes parent participation and awareness of current school policies, community involvement, and school events. Besides volunteering her time, Ms. Faulkner is often found on the football field and in the gymnasium supporting her children and their teams.
Among Ms. Faulkner’s goals are "To help support the school district and the community to move forward in preparing the students for the 21st century while being conscious of the financial restraints that impact a school district. To supports educating the ‘whole’ student through the three A’s: academics, arts and athletics."
Ms. Faulkner said that because she has children attending the Manville schools, she holds the students’ best interest at the forefront; she would like to provide a thorough and efficient education for all students.
Valerie Frank
Valerie Frank was born and raised on Sidorske Avenue in Manville where she is the fourth of six children. Ms. Frank is a member of the Manville High School Class of 1979 and her two children are also Manville High School graduates, Bryan Zaccardi, Class of 1999 and daughter Lindsay Zaccardi, Class of 2010. Ms. Frank has been married almost nine years to Don Frank, the principal of Weston School, and they live on Valerie Drive in the Claremont section of town.
Ms. Frank was employed at Lab Corp for five years, and currently is employed at EPCOS Inc. for twenty-six years, as a supply chain analyst. You can often find Ms. Frank at Manville High School’s sporting events as well as cultural events to support the children.
"Children should be first," Ms. Frank said. "As a board member I will do my best to remember this when I am faced with making decisions. Our school system should strive to produce students who are academically and socially well balanced. One of my goals is to support the district in making fiscally sound decisions that have a positive impact on student development. The current Board of Education members appear to have the same goal, making me a good fit."
"Student safety is a priority in these trying times," she said. "I hope to help monitor district progress on state requirements such as safety/security drills and the new harassment, intimidation and bullying policy.
"Hopefully as a board member, I will be able to assist the board with expanding current initiatives such as the Parent Academy which offers the community information on a broad range of relevant topics including graduation requirements, state testing, cyber-bullying, preparation for kindergarten, and autism. I would encourage increased interaction of the middle school and high school students with our elementary children. This could include tutoring, assembly presentations, assisting on special event days and sharing technological knowledge. Some of this already occurs."
"My expectation is that I will be able to use the knowledge I have gained as the parent of a recent graduate to help us address areas where growth is needed, by building upon the successes the district has demonstrated."
Ms. Frank said that if she had to identify one thing to see change or improve in the Manville School District is would be, "For us to find a way to implement improvements based on the constructive criticism we receive from our current and recently graduated students regarding their experiences as they traveled through our school system."
Jeanne Lombardino
Incumbent Board of Education member Jeanne Lombardino is seeking her second term on the board. She spent her early years were in Somerset section of Franklin and graduated from Saint Matthias School. Ms. Lombardino attended high school at Immaculata in Somerville and after graduation, was employed for several years at firms in Somerset County before marrying in 1999. Shortly after that, Ms. Lombardino and her husband relocated to Manville. They have resided on Rabens Avenue for 10 years. Her three children are attending Manville schools at present. Ms. Lombardino is president of the PTA at Weston School and has served the community on the school board for three years. "My chief reason in seeking re-election is to be better able to contribute to the continuing improvements in curriculum, quality of instruction and facilities. My focus is with continuing improvement in the quality of instruction, retaining good administrators and teachers, providing them the tools and the work environment in which to develop our children," said Ms. Lombardino.
Sharon Lukac
Sharon Lukac, has lived in Manville for nine years with her husband, Joseph Lukac, and three children ages 16, 13, and 10. Ms. Lukac has been a stay-at-home mom which has allowed her the time to volunteer for many causes in the schools and the community. Currently, she is president of the ABIS PTA, and has been an active member of the schools in the district, being a class mother, chaperone on class trips, and a participant in many other activities for school children.
Outside of the schools Ms. Lukac enjoys organizing food drives, along with all of the schools and PTAs in the district, in unison with the Somerset County Food Bank. She is also a member of The Order of The Eastern Star, Ruth Chapter Number 12, and an elected committeewoman for District 9 in the Manville Democratic Organization, and was a recipient of the Eleanor Roosevelt Award in 2009.
Ms. Lukac also a member of The Somerset County Federation of Democratic Women and The League of Women Voters. Ms. Lukac said one of the main reasons she is running for the Manville Board of Education is "My relentless passion to ensure all of Manville’s children are provided the best possible education and opportunities we can give them. I’ve always considered our children the wealth and future of our community, and we as parents and adults are the main advocate for them to make certain they receive the chance for that brighter future."
One thing that Ms. Lukac would like to see change or improve in the Manville School District is, "In my view, the current Board of Education members, administration, and most importantly our teachers, have done a phenomenal job in turning our schools completely around in the right direction, but I also believe that there is always an ongoing need for improvement.
"One thing I would like to work on mutually with my fellow Board members, if elected, is to ensure that the positive momentum our schools are going in, keeps going ahead full stride for the benefit of our students, and in these tough times, with fiscal responsibility. As a school board member I believe that no matter what, the children always come first. But I also understand that we also have a responsibility to the taxpaying citizens of Manville who have entrusted board members with the civic duty of keeping costs down without jeopardizing our children’s education. I would definitely push for even more alternate energy sources to aid in lowering the yearly utility costs. I believe that the more funds that are available for education, the better it will be for our entire community."
Kim Richter
Kim Richter has lived in Manville since April 2000. She has been married to husband Paul for 16 years and has a daughter who has attended Manville Schools since kindergarten and is now a sophomore at Manville High School. Ms. Richter has been on the PTA board at Roosevelt, ABIS and now the PTSA at the high school, where she is serving her last term as president. Ms. Richter has also been active in Manville Recreation, Girl Scouts, and Community Day.
"Other than my passion and commitment to education and our students/children, my platform is "C.A.R.E.", Ms. Richter said. This includes four goals:
"Goal 1 – Communication: We must bridge the gap and develop and implement effective communication that removes the rigid silos and creates meaningful, reliable and regular communication between the BOE, schools, parents and community.
"Goal 2 – Accountability: Across the board accountability including students, staff, administration and the entire Manville community that demonstrates our commitment to education. Fiscal accountability is of utmost importance during these difficult economic times. Manville citizens should be passionate about education and not ask for, but demand, accountability.
"Goal 3 – Recruit & Retain: Recruit and retain quality teachers/staff by providing professional development, mentorship programs and ensuring our school principals exhibit strong leadership.
"Goal 4 – Educational Excellence: We must raise our educational excellence standards with special concentration in the high school. We must raise graduation requirements so that all students have a challenging core curriculum. This will improve their preparation dramatically for the world they are about to enter after graduation. Courses must be more rigorous in all grades and instructional tracks, student engagement data must be obtained and analyzed, and we must identify practices that can strengthen our student’s pursuit for higher education."
Ms. Richter said that the one thing she would like to see change or improve in the Manville School District is the students’ optimism and pride in their school and community.
"Unfortunately, this is something I cannot do for them and they cannot do it alone. I feel strongly that the entire community needs to help create and instill a sense of pride and optimism in our students, schools, and community, as well. These students and their education is after all, the future of Manville. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, ‘You must be the change you wish to see in the world.’ Let’s be that change."

