JACKSON – Two three-year school board seats and one unexpired seat are up for grabs during this year’s Board of Education election on November 3.
Tara Rivera has had one term on the board. She has been a resident of the township for more than 25 years and has two children. She has a college MA level background in education, special education and psychology.
Rivera is running on the banner of “Resilient Passionate Believer” and lives on Drew Court. “I want to continue to make a difference and have the experience and educational background to thoroughly do so.”
“I bring professional educational experience, superb advocacy skills on the local, county and state levels. I have multiple years experience in guiding the advancement of our community’s children with diverse learners. I have utilized creativity, problem solving skills, 200 plus hours of ongoing professional development training hours with the New Jersey School Board Association (NJSBA),” Rivera said.
Rivera currently serves as the county president of the NJSBA. “I participate on the state level on the Legislative Committee and the Delegate Assembly. In addition, I am involved statewide on the subcommittee of Social Emotional Learning and collaborate with other with other boards throughout the state in meetings initiatives.”
She noted that the Jackson school district is facing multiple challenges that she feels are extremely serious. “They are rooted in our current health situation of our country which leads to barriers and decisions that we need to make collectively and safe.”
“I intend to do my due diligence to protect our district to minimize any potential exposure to our community as a whole,” Rivera added.
In August of 2019 Vicki Grasso resigned from the board creating a vacancy. This vacancy was filled by Scott Sargent in October 2019 after being chosen by the board. He had previously served on the board for six years. He does not have a campaign ticket slogan. He lives on Knolls Drive.
Sargent is running for a full three-year term in the general election. His stated goal is to represent all the taxpayers of the township not just individual groups and he seeks to explore ways to increase efficiency in all areas and to ensure the safety and security of students and staff.
“Currently, the district is facing a pandemic that can be very daunting to say the least. In addition, our superintendent is currently enjoying her first year as the leader of the Jackson School District,” Sargent said.
“With my previous and current experience as a School Board member, I hope to bring institutional knowledge as well as forward thinking to the Board,” Sargent said.
Noting the district’s top priorities, the candidate added, “the challenge I see is exacting the curriculum we have in place. Our administration has provided a plan that can be adaptable as needed in order to provide a good working environment for our students.”
Sargent added, “the weakness can be the remote learning segment. I am hoping our administration will be emphasizing the need for continued follow up by our staff in ensuring that this piece of the equation is not lost or wasted.”
Challenger Anthony Mero is running on the “Achieving Excellence Together” and is a resident of Farmers Lane. “I have never held or run for office before. When there was a vacancy on the Board last year during a resignation interim, I submitted my name for consideration.”
Mero said, “I was not selected at that time, but that process reinforced my decision to seek a term on the Board.” He has a child who attends the Jackson School System. “I am able to observe firsthand the wonderful education and opportunities she is provided.”
“These come in the form of staff, facilities and resources that are all made available by the administration and Teachers of the School District, which is made possible by a Board of Education that has those best interests in mind,” Mero said.
“The Jackson School District has achieved many accomplishments, and my choice to seek a Board seat was driven by a desire to serve the township that I have been a resident of for the last 19 years,” he added.
Mero works as the chief operating officer for a community bank. “I have experience in multiple areas such as technology, facilities, operations, risk management, marketing, and compliance. I believe this experience provides the qualifications for being for the position.”
“I am a parent with a child in the system, and that makes me vested in the school system. I am also a homeowner and taxpayer in town, and that also makes me vested in the respect that the township’s school system has a direct effect on the value of property in town,” the candidate noted.
Mero added, “There is also the relationship the overall operating expense of the school district has on a resident’s tax bill (directly as a homeowner or indirectly as a renter). I won’t say, “Do more with less,” rather, “Do the best with what we have.” At the same time, we need to ensure that we challenge the state to provide what our district has a right to receive.”
“I strongly believe in teamwork, and my focus would be to provide my experience to the Board members to form a strong team. This would allow the Board to continue to build on the excellent work that has already been accomplished. I would look forward to the tasks that lie ahead, from the additional requirements mandated by the State to the funding challenges that are created by the State school aid formula,” Mero said.
When asked what he felt the district’s most difficult challenge was currently he responded it was the issue of “the state school funding formula. Everything the school district does, or can do is predicated on the amount of money that it has available and how it manages to spend it.”
“As explained by the NJ School Boards Association: There are three types of financial aid that the state awards local school districts annually through the state budget: equalization aid, categorical aid, and grants earmarked for specific district(s) and/or specific purpose(s). Grants are completely at the discretion of the Legislature and the Governor,” Mero added. Board member Sharon Dey is not seeking re-election. She had started her 12th year on the board in January 2020.
A few candidates are seeking Dey’s one-year unexpired term.
Among those running include Tzvi Herman who resides on Ryans Way. He is the only candidate registered in the race but he is facing opposition by at least two write-in candidates.
“I have been a proud Jackson resident for two and a half years and I have three children. My oldest attends a private school and my two younger ones are not of school-age,” Herman said.
Herman said he chose to run for the office because “in Jackson there are approximately 8,500 public school children in the district. In addition, there are approximately 2,400 children enrolled in private schools.”
“There are many mandated services that the Board of Education is tasked to provide to private school children and to ensure that all children in Jackson receive the services they are entitled to, an advocate on the board of education is needed,” the candidate added.
He added that “the district needs someone who is familiar with the inner workings of the private school system to ensure that the services are being provided in an efficient way that works for everyone.”
Herman added that a better understanding of growth in Jackson would “go a long way to ensure that our entire district will run smoothly. With a seven-member board, at least one member with an experienced understanding of the needs of twenty percent of children is essential.”
“As a conservative millennial, I believe that I can bring a fresh perspective to the board. Recent data suggests that for children born in 1940, 90 percent went on to make more money than their parents. That figure has fallen to only 50 percent for children born in 1984,” Herman said.
Herman added that “according to recent data that number continues to decline. I believe that action must be taken to educate our children in a way that’s appropriate for the 21st century. My hope that as a member of the board of education in Jackson I can do my part to reverse that trend.”
“My profession as the president of a small business helps me understand how to budget and plan efficiently in these troubling times. I believe my unique experience and skillset will be an asset to the Jackson school board and to all the children in the Jackson school district,” Herman said.
He said there were two distinct issues that the pandemic has brought about in the school district. “The first issue is how to properly educate our children without putting them or the teachers in harm’s way.
The second major issue facing the district was financial. “The S2 funding formula cuts have burned a hold in the Board of Education’s budget. There is speculation that the state’s budget shortfall due to the pandemic may cause additional future cuts. With the private school enrollment growing exponentially year over year, there will be an additional budget shortfall as the state funding formula does not appropriately account for private school children relative to the mandated services they receive.”
“I will do my best to ensure that both public and private school children receive the funds necessary for a quality education,” Herman added.
Allison Barocas is running as a write-in candidate. “I couldn’t be more excited about this opportunity to join our hometown Board of Education. I’ve always been very active in my children’s lives when it came to school events and I’ve also helped with our community as well.”
She added that while she learned of the vacancy after the deadline “I figured why not run as the write-in? I am in the process of putting together a separate Campaign page. I am also putting together Zoom calls so I can get to know everyone in Jackson and learn what’s important to you and our children as it relates to our schools.”
Barocas and her husband have been Jackson residents for 17 years and have two children currently in the Jackson School system. “I have a Bachelor’s Degree in biology from Cornell University and a Master’s Degree in biology from Fairleigh Dickinson University. In addition, I’ve been working for the pharmaceutical industry for 20-plus years.”
“My areas of expertise are analyzing and interpreting data and contract negotiations. Coming from a family of educators it has been instilled in me to always look at the solution rather than the problem and to focus on what results can be achieved,” Barocas said.
As a board member I would like to preserve the STEM classes without” sacrificing the fine arts and athletics programs in our schools. With my organized analytical skills I can look at the data to help drive the curriculum and ensure that the curriculum remains dynamic and adjusts to the needs of the students.”
The candidate expressed that “now more than ever the curriculum needs to become more fluid since remote learning may be part of the new normal. I would analyze available technologies to arm our teachers with the necessary tools to motivate and engage our students during remote learning.”
“I’d also make sure our teachers are getting the training and development needed to execute this enhanced technology curriculum. We also must stay focused on the future to secure a quality education for our Jackson students, which will give them a competitive edge in the ever-changing world around them,” Barocas said.
Her volunteer services include HC Johnson Elementary School PTO Board Member, Head Coach for Flag Cheer at JYFC, talent show dance coordinator for 4 years at HCJ Elementary, as well as several years as class mom for my children.
Barocas said she recently ran the Jackson Adopt an 8th Grader 2020 Facebook page “which brought smiles to so many faces and ensured the children graduating this year were recognized and celebrated during the pandemic.”
“With the landscape of education changing so much right now, it is more important than ever to ensure that we have people in place that care about our children and the future of this town and will work hard towards continued prosperity for both,” she added.
Also running for the seat is Mike Braun. “What a great opportunity to step into a role that I had been considering for some time. My wife and I chose Jackson as the place to start our family and moved here in 1999. We are members of St. Aloysius Parish and recently, I joined the Knights of Columbus.”
Braun said, “I have always had a love for community involvement. Over the past 15 years, I have coached hundreds of athletes while volunteering my time at Holbrook Little League, Jackson AYF and the youth soccer program. Community involvement has been part of my life and I believe it is time to take my contribution to the residents of Jackson to the next level.”
He added, “our oldest daughter is a 2018 graduate of Liberty High School, our son is a current senior there, and our youngest daughter is entering 7th grade at McAuliffe Middle School. Our three children have had wonderful experiences in this school system, and I want to do my part to ensure that these experiences are available for the children of Jackson for years to come.”
Braun works as a second grade teacher in the Holmdel Public Schools system where “I have gained extensive knowledge of school infrastructure.
“We have great teachers and administrators here in Jackson and I want to do my part to support the wonderful programs for our children. Having a strong relationship between the Board of Education, administration, teachers, and families is vital to providing the best education for Jackson’s children,” he added.
Braun said, “with a Master’s degree in school administration and principal’s certification, experience on multiple school and district committees, plus being a parent and a teacher, I feel that my experience will enhance the Jackson Board of Education in a meaningful way.”
