Board of Education Candidate Responses

My leadership experience and educational expertise has contributed to the last six years of our district’s success. I am running for re-election to continue forging a path of what comes next for the school district, faculty, staff and students. To be a visionary leader, inspired by the aspirations of so many, parents and children like my own, who look to us to provide a safe, nurturing learning environment, where they can explore, experiment, fail, discover, learn and succeed. I am motivated when I see our students excel in academics, athletics, music, art and drama. When I see them develop strong leadership skills and become change agents for a better Mount Olive school community.

Mount Olive has been a great place to raise our family and educate our children. With the support and encouragement of my family and church community, I submitted my application for the 2014 Fall election. When the vacant Board position was posted In July 2014, I submitted my resume for consideration. As an educator, I felt that I could add value to the amazing work that was already taking place on the Board. I also wanted to lead by example for my children, who we’ve always encouraged to volunteer and be of service in the community.

First and foremost is to be mindful of the taxpayer’s dollar. As we continue to expand curriculum offerings, upgrade our facilities and look towards the future for Mount Olive Schools, fiscal responsibility is a requisite.
To continue the conversation about equity and access for ALL students, the disproportionality in discipline referrals and expanding our facilities for future population growth.
The pandemic has forced us to rethink the traditional school model. Another priority begins with this question – why should students have to physically sit at a desk, in a building as a requisite to earning high school course credit. Our world has been reshaped, flattened by technological advancements that connect communities around the world. I would like Mount Olive Schools to become the first school district to use our technology to develop independent study courses, based on the students’ interests and career goals, that redefine the traditional seat time requirement to earn high school credit towards graduation. Also, effectively implement flipped classroom instructional model to maximize student exposure at home and instructional time on task in the classroom.

Our most immediate challenge is effectively meeting the educational and social-emotional needs of students, and concerns of parents and staff regarding our return to in person instruction. Of critical importance is re-establishing our schools as safe teaching and learning environments; and systematically assessing the level of learning loss as a result of virtual learning.
Our district has to be intentional and purposeful about equity and access on at least these three levels. First, being proactive in recruiting and retaining skilled teachers of color that are reflective of the diverse population we now serve. Teachers must be trained in culturally sensitive instructional strategies that celebrate the unique talents of our diverse student population; second, our curriculum must be updated to accurately reflect the contributions of everyone in our community – including the LGBTQ+ community, including multicultural, multi-gender textbooks and non-fiction reading selections; and third, closing the opportunity gap by providing the appropriate support to students of color, twice exceptional and ELL students that would allow them to excel in gifted and talented programs and higher level high school courses.

I believe that a student needs four things to reach their full potential:
a) caring adults in their lives, at home and at school;
b) a safe place to learn and grow;
c) marketable skills;
d) a way to give back to the community.
Schools can help students reach their fullest potential by establishing caring relationships with them. When students feel safe and cared for, they can become genuinely engaged in the learning process. They can express themselves, explore, experiment, fail, discover, learn and succeed, all in pursuit of their aspirations. When we spark a student’s curiosity for learning and their ability to problem-solve, we have tapped into that part of learning that transcends grades, report cards and test scores, and into increasing self-confidence, self-esteem, and the ability to face any challenge.

He or she can empower students to take a more active role in their learning, by facilitating the learning process, seeking the student’s point of view, looking for misunderstanding. These teachers:

• Are committed to students and their learning
• Engage students in authentic, challenging and multidisciplinary learning tasks
• Promote collaborative learning in context, that builds knowledge
• Act as facilitator of student learning, providing opportunities for student problem solving, critical thinking and reflection. They know how to employ a variety of approaches to promote critical thinking and help students become self-directed learners and are flexible, adapting to students’ learning needs
• Engage in continuous professional growth. They regularly reflect on their practice and learn from their experiences as well as the experiences of their colleagues
• Have mastered the subject(s) they teach and know how to teach that content to others teachers
• Focus on reachable SMART goals to manage and monitor student learning

The unfortunate reality is that every year the Board has to contend with the rising costs associated with operating a school district. Approximately 80% of the school budget is directly tied to rising health care, pension and social security, salary and special education costs across all schools in the district. These cost drivers likely come as no surprise as education is a labor-intensive industry. As a Board member, I take a comprehensive look at our long range facilities plan, curriculum, related instructional supplies, technology needs, etc in each building. Our decisions for facilities improvements or curriculum initiatives are based upon the recommendations of the Superintendent, which are guided by the Board approved strategic and long-range facilities plans. However, the method I have used to identify budgetary priorities is by looking at the following levels of service to determine needs:
• Level 1 budget priorities are those items required by law. An example of that would be special education related services or NJ Student Learning Standards requirements such as four years of English for graduation.
• Level 2 budget priorities are those that are required by Board Policy. We may require more units to graduate than does the state, therefore necessitating higher staffing levels.
• Level 3 budget priorities may not be either required by law or by policy, but the community has a high investment in them and therefore supports funding. Our extensive athletic program and performing arts are examples of Level 3 budget priorities.

We are faced with overcrowding at CMS and the possibility of student population growth from new developments. In planning for future growth, we received a demographic study in January 2020. The study predicted low birth rate over the next 5 years, but projects an additional 406 new students from new developments in Mount Olive. We have to think about new school construction today, as a necessity for tomorrow.

I believe that high school students should be allowed to participate in any sport or club of interest, to explore their options while learning sportsmanship, teamwork, commitment, responsibility and relationship building.
Using football as the example, the odds of an NCAA senior being drafted by an NFL team at one in 50, or 2.0 percent and a high school senior eventually drafted by an NFL team are nine in 10,000, or 0.09 percent. Considering these odds, I like the idea that Robotics does not require tryouts and continues to attract large numbers of students, because the program allows students to develop the soft skills of teamwork, problem-solving and time management, in addition to such marketable skills as programming, coding, and critical thinking, that I believe will make a better return on investment in the long run.
I am proud that large numbers of students, and parent volunteers, have expressed interest in Robotics – so much so that robotics engineering is included as a course offering and Robotics has expanded to include MORT 11 and MATE teams (Marine Advanced Technology Education).

My first interaction as a parent with the Mount Olive Board of Education was in 2011 to address my concern about my oldest son being passed over for gifted and talented at MOMS. When my youngest son experienced similar issues, I realized that there were deficiencies in the way students were selected for gifted and talented. Specifically, a) the lack of multiple identification criteria, such as observation checklists, a portfolio of student work samples and nonverbal ability tests; and b) staff training on who is considered a gifted learner. We began the work in 2015 to redesign our gifted and talented program to include leadership, art, music social studies, visual and performing arts and science exploration.
In 2018, the DOE went further by requiring all school districts to include opportunities for twice exceptional and ELL students to explore their giftedness. In February 2019, a committee of Mont Olive teachers was created to investigate various gifted and talented programs for comparison and developed an outline for a more robust gifted program, that included best practices and equity of access. Because we still have work to do in Mount Olive to develop an effective gifted and talented program, I agree with allocating additional funds for effective implementation, staff training and expanding opportunities for students to enter gifted and talented programs at multiple grade levels beyond grade 3.

If by staff support and personnel needs, you are referring to the well-being of staff, their learning, growth and satisfaction with the job, that is paramount to any instructional initiative. Stressed, distressed or uninspired teachers, cannot achieve their fullest potential as educators or inspire students to achieve their highest aspirations. School leaders must be vigilant in recognizing signs of distress and provide the necessary support services. When a student experiences obstacles or distress, we quickly mobilize a myriad of support services to address the need. It is imperative that we provide the same time, attention and resources to our staff, without judgement or criticism.
Once we have addressed the social-emotional well-being of our staff, we must provide our teachers and students with the best and most effective teaching supplies and materials. By combining leading edge digital tools with results-driven instruction, to enhance a rich, rigorous program of studies, we will give our teachers powerful new means to equip our students with the problem solving and soft skills they will need to be “college and career” ready.

As institutions for learning, we encourage our students to engage in the civil liberties guaranteed by the Constitution when appropriate. Any attempt to stifle student voices can result in unrest and frustration that can create more disruption to the school environment. With tragic school shootings or concerns over equity and access to higher level courses, student activism provides students a real-world opportunity to demonstrate leadership by calling attention to matters that impact them.
As an educator, my administrative team, counselors, deans and SRO have always met with the student organizers to talk about the planned protest, discuss what does a peaceful protest look like and how to exercise their first amendment right and get your message across in a safe, meaningful way. It is important to balance the need to have an orderly protest that does not disrupt the instructional day for those who choose not to participate and the need for students to organize in a peaceful way. We have worked with students on developing an understanding of the issue or concern by looking at different viewpoints, discussing expected outcomes of the protest (informational awareness, further meetings or a substantive change), listening to talking points, discussing the limits to free speech in a public school setting and developing an action plan to execute the protest, i.e. time, location, participants, agenda. Central office, BOE members, local authorities and parents were notified of the date and time of the planned protest and the safety measures put in place

With over 65% of the parents surveyed requesting to open schools, myself included to send my two returning children back to CMS and MOHS, my personal opinion is that we can open schools for the parents, like myself, who have confidence in our safety protocols, planning and preparation. My only caveat is that we provide flexible alternatives for the parents, students and staff members who are not comfortable with returning to in-person instruction.

Personally speaking, I along with my children have experienced microaggressions, overt and covert racism in Mount Olive Schools. As an involved parent I quickly addressed the issues with the appropriate school personnel, and their situations improved slightly. It saddened me this summer to hear and read the stories of so many students of color whose school experiences were marked with the trauma of racism in our schools; that while we have great teachers and administrators, they does not reflect the growing diverse student population in our schools; that our texts and curriculum does not reflect the significant contributions of people of color or the LGBTQ+ community. The research is clear, ALL students benefit from a diverse teacher corps, a culturally inclusive curriculum and multicultural reading material. Now that we have an electronic employment application system that can provide information on the ethnicity of the applicant, if they choose to answer, at Board meetings I ask, and will continue to ask, about our progress on recruiting, hiring and retaining qualified teachers of color; progress on training staff members to recognize their own implicit biases and develop a more culturally responsive classroom environment.
As a start, I am excited about the introduction of two new courses scheduled for this Fall – Holocaust Studies and the district’s first African American Studies class. Curriculum for the courses are currently under development and the teachers who will be teaching the African American Studies class are currently engaged in professional development with the Amistad Commission. I did provide some suggestions that would provide more depth to the African American Studies course, so I’m waiting to see how they are embedded into the course description, learning goals and outcomes.

Our most recent data show that out of 4,630 students, 6.6% are students of color, but only 1.4% of teachers (out of 363) and 0.0% of administrators (out of 25) are of color. Of course, we want to hire the best person for the job, but that was not an appropriate response. That response implies bias and that candidates of color do not qualify and need not apply. As mentioned earlier, administrators, school interview committees and Boards of Education in predominantly white communities must be trained to acknowledge their implicit biases about who is the “best person for the job” and who is excluded as a result of a biased lens. Unfortunately, we are faced with a scarcity across the country of educators of color. We are leaving the profession en masse for various reasons. (The Big Short, Ebony.com April/May 2018). Therefore, we have to be intentional and purposeful in our outreach and recruiting. As a Board member, I continue to press the issue at Board meeting about our progress, or lack thereof, and hold the Superintendent accountable for closing the gap between our diverse student population and the administrator and teacher ranks.

From recently settled legal battles over bathroom use to conversion therapy, members of the LGBTQ+ community live in a climate of hostility and disregard. It is imperative that school environments are safe, violence-free places that protect students’ rights regardless of who they are or identify as. As a Board member, I can help support this process by working with my colleagues to insure that our policies promote bias-free, safe spaces in school facilities, that allow students to affirm who they are, that our curriculum includes the significant contributions from members of the LGBTQ+ community. GLSEN has established guidelines that educators can follow. They are: 1.Set and reinforce a vision and mission statement that is welcoming and inclusive of LGBTQ students; 2. Assess, strengthen, and monitor school climate on a regular and ongoing basis; 3. Adopt and implement clear, consistent, and comprehensive non-discrimination policies; 4. Ensure that anti-bullying and harassment policies enumerate and specifically include protections for LGBTQ students; 5. Ensure that discipline policies rely on positive and restorative approaches and do not disproportionately target LGBTQ youth, students of color, English Language Learners (ELL), or students with disabilities; 6. Ensure that district and school policies are designed and implemented to support transgender and gender nonconforming students; 7. Ensure that professional development and educator resources include a focus on creating inclusive learning environments; 8. Establish a welcoming and affirming environment for LGBTQ students and their allies. (GLSEN.org)
GLSEN also provides a K-12 curriculum framework that I have used in my career. Examples of GLSEN’s guidance includes:
Early Elementary: Ensure that family studies show examples and use language that includes a variety of family structures including LGBTQ-headed families. Address identity and reflections around gender stereotypes, incorporating inclusive read-alouds, and GLSEN’s lesson I Am Me: Talking About Identity.
Intermediate Grades: GLSEN’s Identity Flowers lesson encourages students to explore their own identities and personal experiences with race, culture, ability, family structure, religion or spirituality, and gender identity and expression.
Middle School: GLSEN’s Challenging Assumptions lesson provides students an opportunity to experience what it’s like to be labeled in a negative way, and as a result, develop empathy for those who others label, even though those labels don’t fit.
High School: GLSEN’s Learning Empowerment and Self-Identification encourages students to explore how self-identification can be empowering and have discussions about what it means to be proud of the labels and identities that we all hold. They will also explore the damage that can be done when someone applies labels to another person without that person’s permission or consent.
GLSEN provides detailed resources on their website to help educators develop inclusive curricula across all content areas, which is a NJDOE requirement as of 2018.
When I was a building administrator, I supported student GSA clubs and activities such as Day of Silence and No Name Calling Week. I utilized online resources from GLSEN, Gay Straight Alliance Network, the ACLU and the Trans Student Educational Resources as valuable sources of information, my own personal education on appropriate ways to support, and to be an ally for, students who identify as LGBTQ+.

Board members do not administer the schools, but we can engage in a conversation about the disproportionality of disciplinary consequences for students of color vs. their white counterparts and revise district policies to insure that disciplinary consequences are color blind and also provide training on implicit bias. As articulated by Dr. Tyrone Howard on August 31, 2020 at the virtual Mount Olive professional development session, there is a disproportionate number of out of school suspensions at MOHS for students of color. Until I was reassigned from the Curriculum committee in 2020, I led the committee in drilling down into the numbers to determine if students are repeating disaffected behavior or the infractions are unique incidents, then asking the tough question – Why is there such a gap for students who represent 6% of the population but account for 2/3 of the out of school suspensions and how are our school leaders are proactively addressing the root cause(s).

I have been a board member for the last three years and saw two of my top concerns be addressed. Those being Full-Day Kindergarten and how the Board of Education communicates with the town. While I am glad I was able to see this accomplished by the board, there is always the next thing to do. I have enjoyed my time on the board and would like to continue helping the town move forward.

U.S. News and World Report named Mount Olive High School one of the top 10% of high schools across the country last year. While this is a great accomplishment for the High School I’d like to see the High School get even better. I also want to see the Middle School follow suit. This has started with the Innovation -N – Design Studio. My second priority would be to reach the parents of the district that do not get information from social media. For parents who use social media the amount of information available is amazing. How do we address the parents and non-parents who aren’t big social media users, how do we meet them where they are?

This year, how do we catch all the students up for the loss of learning from the 2019-2020 school year? Not only the loss of academic growth but also the social-emotional aspect. Last year was traumatic for students and we need to address it as best as we can.

They realize that education is not a destination but a journey. Students along with their parents and the staff of the district all share a responsibility to get the most out of the time in the district schools.

They have a say in the subjects that they teach. There is a concept of decentralized decision making where the subject matter experts (our teachers) have an input in what they work on. While the administration is a very talented group, when people have buy-in they tend to perform at their best.

Budget allocation should predominantly go to where it will reach the greatest amount of students. The expenditures at higher level schools also tend to be more expensive. The middle and high schools have all children in that grade. The elementary schools have the K-5 students split between four schools. With that in mind, we can not forget that the elementary schools are where our kids get their foundation of education.

The board did a demographic study this past year. At this time there isn’t a need to expand the schools. When the numbers do point to a need to expand there would be a need to see what can be done. I grew up in a town where there were two high schools and I would not support doing that. It created issues and a cross-town rivalry. With that being said, I would vote at that time based on the study and the input of the experts.

I believe that all students should be able to be part of the team. The students that have proven themselves to be the top on the team should get the “playing time”. This should be regardless of it being the football team, the robotics team or the drama club.

The gifted and talented program was revamped at the start of last year. From my understanding, the determination of who was put into the G&T program was now based on objective measures and nationally recognized criteria. The ASPIRE G&T program ran throughout the spring last year.

The greatest tool in the world is just that, a tool. Without the proper training on how to utilize it to its fullest potential, it’s wasted money. Mount Olive should be proud of the opportunities we provide for the students. If you have ever had a chance to hear the alumni panel you will see our students have experiences that their peers never heard of. We should continue to provide the best tools for students and train our teachers to use them to their fullest potential.

There are policies in each school to keep all our students safe. As long as the protest does not go against those policies, the administration should work with the students.

I believe that students should be in class. The data shows that the end of last year hurt students across the nation academically. The emotional impact on students not having the socialization will not be known for some time. But we also have to take into account that not all families are comfortable with sending students back. That is why I think the hybrid approach that we are working takes all families into account.

I am not an educator by trade. For me to suggest what curriculum should be used would not do our students and/or teachers any good. As a board, we need to put our trust into the administration to use their expertise to ensure that all of our students are getting the best possible education possible.

I think it’s more of a recruitment issue than a hiring issue. If the recruitment of new teachers takes place at the same colleges year after year, we are going to get the same type of applicants year after year. There were plans this year to expand where recruitment took place but COVID derailed that initiative. To address this issue the district needs to expand recruitment. Another step that was taken to address this was the implementation of AppliTrack. With this system, the district is able to better advertise and track applicants. Once we do get our applicant pool, I do agree with the principle, the most qualified applicant should be hired.

I think all students need to feel safe at school. As I stated in a previous question, I would have to put my trust in the administration to ensure the most appropriate curriculum is being taught in all schools as I am not an educator.

I would expect that the administration of all schools would enforce the disciplinary rules the same for all students regardless of what ethnicity, race, gender etc.. All students and parents deserve a single set of rules that apply equally for all.

We would like to represent the Mount Olive community to ensure that the schools continue to improve the student experience, building on the social and emotional aspects of our children’s lives. Providing opportunities for staff recognition and development. Maintaining and building top notch facilities, while being fiscal stewards of the taxpayers.

Providing a safe environment so students can explore and grow academically, socially, and mentally, while allowing for their positive contributions to society.

Recognizing and engaging people that do not feel their child(ren) are getting an equitable education and making sure all students are provided program offerings that inspire learning for college and career readiness.

they meet or exceed their personal benchmarks and expectations by providing them the tools and opportunities that allow for long term success.

they are given the tools and guidance that allow for a transfer of knowledge so their students will succeed to their highest potential.

Prioritization of funds and the misconception that the high school receives more funding is just that, a misconception. There are more staff, facilities, and programs required as students and programs mature during the K-12 experience. With that being said, the allocation is always more toward the 9-12 grades in any district nationwide.

The board will have to assess the moving target of population growth as this will happen during the next decade. The building of new schools is always a monumental task and should be looked at after all other remedies are evaluated.

The assumption in this question is that the Robotics team is to large and that is what is causing the perceived under performance. As board members, we would welcome the opportunity to assess the program before making any assumptions or policy.

The ASPIRE programs meets all of the state standards for G&T. Additionally Rhonda and I were on the BoE and supported the Superintendent in establishing WINN time and bringing in differentiated programs that benefit gifted and talented K-5 students such as ST Math and Achieve 3000.

Prioritization should take place at the moment of need.

Every moment should be considered a learning moment. The school district does have a policy regarding student protest. In the optimal world one would hope that the students would engage the administration and staff so organization, planning and safety of the student body can be considered and maintained.

The safety, health and welfare of the students, staff, and administration needs to be the top priority of Board of Education. Our personal beliefs have no place in this discussion.

The district needs to evaluate the current environment to ensure that appropriate “anti-anything” policies are in place and appropriately communicated to and followed by students, staff and administration.

Hiring the best person for the job is always the most appropriate answer. It is concerning if the principal answered that race, religion, sexuality would be the driving and deciding factor of any hire.

As the comfort level of our children increases regarding transgender and non-binary, the acceptance level has and will increase. Asking a child to introduce themselves while asking what pronoun they would like to be called is acceptable. The teachers need to feel safe, appropriately prepared and trained that asking these questions regarding gender or pronoun is acceptable.

Just like all policy if there is a perceived issue it needs to be investigated and remediated.

I am running for school board because as a proud member of “Marauders For Life” I feel I can help the Mt. Olive School District to continue to progress as it becomes one of the best schools not only in the state but in the nation. My family has gone through or is still attending Mt. Olive School district and it is one of the reasons we decided to move back to our hometown. In addition, I have been very vocal in the past of the decisions made by previous boards and it is unfair of me to complain unless I am willing to work for change.

My main priorities if elected for the BOE are to facilitate the needs of the administration and the staff as they continue to provide an engaging, enriching and effective curriculum to students, provide a diverse spectrum of engaging extracurricular activities that promote the application of lessons learned in the classroom to real-life scenarios, and accommodate the needs of all students as they strive to achieve their own personal achievement milestones. All the while exercising fiscal responsible to the taxpayers of this town.

Obviously right now the most important issue facing the district is providing engaging, enriching and effective academics while accommodating the diverse spectrum of extra curricular activities during a global health crisis. A task that is only made more difficult by dynamic and strict state regulations, the limitations of virtual learning, unforeseen and unexpected variables that inhibit well laid plans and the public’s unrealistic expectation of a clairvoyance guiding all decisions. It is a difficult task and all efforts are being made to do just that while trying to find new and innovative ways to nurture the social and emotional needs of the students while distant learning.

I feel that a student will take a large step towards reaching their potential when they understand that there is no such thing as FULLEST potential. A student’s individualized “line of highest potential” is not stagnate and should move as the student progresses academically, athletically, socially, emotionally, etc…… When they have mastered one goal they should set another. Always looking to be a better person than the day before. With that being said, as educators, administrators and representatives we need to understand that sometimes Maslov’s hierarchy of needs has to precede Bloom’s hierarchy of education learning objectives. We need to understand that if a student struggles reaching the top of Maslov’s pyramid, then they will find it difficult to reach the top of Bloom’s. We need to be empathetic to that.

As previously stated in regards to students, I feel that a teacher will take a large step towards reaching their potential when they understand there is no such thing as FULLEST potential. A teacher’s individualized “line of highest potential” is not stagnate and should move as they continue to progress professionally. Teachers must continue to learn through experience, professional development, peer collaboration, continuation collegiate academics, pages of books, etc…. What I will say is that having worked numerous jobs that span the spectrum of colored collars, I have never seen a group of workers that understand the need, the benefit and the desire to continue to learn and improve. A philosophy they pass on to their students through instruction and embodiment.

Without being privy to the information on the allocation of funds and without a clear understanding, I can only speculate on the prioritization of budget allocations. What I can say is that the learning objectives for elementary school students vary from the complexity of the learning objectives for secondary school students. This requires the use of more expensive and varied teaching resources. Also there are additional and more complex extracurricular activities which play a large role in a well-rounded student. However the allocation of less funds to the primary school grade levels should not take away in any part the importance of primary education. For me these grade levels are the most important as they lay the foundation for all future learning. Just like a house, you can spare no expense on the building and its decorations but if it is not built on a strong foundation, then everything else will be askew or even crumble. So this is a testament to the primary school teachers of this district and all they accomplish on a smaller budget.

I,like many, believe that any increase in number of students generated by new developments has a considerable impact on the ability of local school districts to provide a thorough and efficient education for their students. Therefore a valid public policy of the State and in the public interest, municipalities should be enabled to levy impact fees on new developments in order to make those improvements in the local infrastructure or to build new or expand existing school facilities which are necessary to accommodate the new development.

As the only team in the Mt. Olive school district that competes internationally, I am a huge supporter of the Robotics team. I would love to support any initiative that would provide more opportunities for members of the robotics team. One of the things that I liked most about the robotics team is that it is made up of various departments. There is operations, design, engineering, construction, scouting, media, marketing, etc… It is unfortunate that we can not accommodate all of the students that want to participate in the former parts of the team as they are the most visible and most desired. However the latter teams are just as important. In the NBA we see and idolize the 15 people on the team but without the corporate offices, coaches, trainers, etc… behind them, they can not be successful. Maybe we can emphasize the importance of those latter teams and provide more opportunities in those programs. In addition, if we can find more opportunities (as we did with the expansion with underwater robotics) such as Odyssey Of The Mind, Quizbowl, Stemanities Research Competition, etc…, we may be able to create interest that would allocate students to other intellectual based competitions.

Having three children who went through the Gifted and Talented program in the elementary grades, I have first hand experience with the strengths and weaknesses of the program. However without more information about the budget and data analysis on the effectiveness of the program, I can only speculate. However, I always think any program can be improved if the budget allows and there is a strong return on investment. If the data justifies and the budget allows I would spend money to improve content, facilitate more opportunities for learning and train personnel to better identify candidates for an expansion in recruitment.

This one is easy. Although technology, equipment and expensive learning tools are good tools to assist students with learning, dollar for dollar there is NO better return on investment than a patient, caring, dedicated, knowledgeable, engaging and effective teacher. I can not remember from my days at Mount Olive High School the color of my textbooks, the number of computers, what was the most state of art piece of equipment in the school, or the number of stairs on the bleachers. What I do remember is Stanton, Ruggerio, Devoe, Diablis, Moylen, Milstein, Connors, Picker, Mureski, Sully, Ondilla, Orlando, Nelson, McLaughlin, Pierson, Schilling, Deibel, Haun, Kresge, Cleffi and Sherence. The PEOPLE that taught and/or coached me. The people that took that moment and or moments to care. Their lessons in academics and life are priceless to me and although their lessons weren’t always learned the exact moment they were taught, they resonate in my life today. Those lessons and moments of caring have made me who I am today.

I feel students should vocalize their desire to assemble to the school administration. I understand this removes the shock factor but when staff is required to move quickly and reactionary, the message can get overshadowed by the disciplinary actions of the administration. Working in collaboration with administration and staff, students can be empowered to create a social activist platform farther reaching then a small moment in time. Although a strong showing of solidarity can be awe inspiring, true social activism is multifaceted. A student-led committee collaborating with administration can work on various ways to promote their social, political, economic, or environmental reform with minimal impact to the education atmosphere for those who chose not to participate.

I believe the safety of the students and staff is priority number one. Being a teacher in a district that is providing in-person learning with asynchronous virtual learning for all students, my personal opinion is that we can open schools for the parents who have confidence in the safety protocols that have been enacted. There has been so much effort made in both the planning and preparation to provide a safe school environment but each individual family needs to make their own decision based on their own needs and beliefs. So, during this time we should also provide alternatives for the students, teachers and parents who are not comfortable with returning to the school for in-person instruction. This is the plan that is in place now and should remain till this crisis is over.

My belief is that any education of students and/or staff coupled with any engagement in the process of ensuring an anti-racist school community can only benefit all involved directly and indirectly. Programs geared to educate, improve communication and create a strong conceptual framework for thinking about ways to move from passively racist practices to actively anti racist ones can only provide a more empathetic and compassionate understanding of all individuals.

This is less of a question then a slight at an individual that I worked with previously and hold in high regard. You do not provide irrefutable evidence or data to support the claim. Just an accusation of an individual and district of being racially insensitive. What you do provide as evidence is simply a statement which you attempt to paint as racially incentive. Instead it should be seen as an example of a color blind administrator making every attempt to ensure that the staff he employs is best suited to engage their students and provide effective instruction. During my tenure at Tinc Road school, I worked with various individuals of color and no one saw them as a person of color but a professional, a peer and as a part of the Tinc Road family. So with that I say, we live in a world where accusations are splashed across the headlines in bold text and retractions are hidden in the fine print of page 5. We need to be careful how we attempt to describe an individual and/or a district. If you can provide me further corroboration to support your claim, I would be more than willing to investigate and address because I will not stand for any injustice in any form; discriminatory, defamatory or disciplinary.

I feel we need to make Mt Olive schools welcoming for all students and that includes our transgender and non-binary students. We need to be empathetic to the emotional and physical needs of them and all our students to ensure they can reach their true potential. I can not speak to the right way of teaching understanding and acceptance of gender diversity. I don’t feel I have enough information and/or knowledge to provide an educated opinion. This is a decision that needs to be made by a committee that seeks counsel from members of the transgender and non-binary community and others, that thoroughly researches the social emotional needs of all communities, participates in valid discourse on the best way to address, and collaborates to provide a conceptual framework that addresses the needs of all communities with empathy and tolerance.

The way this question is worded it implies that there is a clearly defined indication that the BIPOC are being disproportionately affected by the current disciplinary system. I am not aware of that being the case. With my ties to the Mt Olive community, I would expect to have heard of that investigation and its results at which time I would be rightfully outraged. However, I have not heard of anything. If I am provided corroborating evidence to substantiate this accusation, then I personally believe that the district and its representatives are morally and duty bound to investigate. With that being said, I return to my previous statement. I do not tolerate any injustice be it discriminatory, defamatory or disciplinary.