Bernards School Board Election 2022: Suzanne Schafer-Skalski

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Bernards Township Board of Education general election on Nov. 8 has nine candidates running for four open seats.

Suzanne Schafer-Skalski is running under the campaign slogan "Education For All" along with Guddia "Herpreet" Singh, Erica Blackman, and Janice Corrado.

Another group of candidates running under the campaign slogan "For Bernards Children" includes Csilla Csipak, Nimish Amin, Keith Molinari, and Lawrence Rascio.

Deborah E. Penner Smith is also running on her own under the campaign slogan "Special Education Teacher."

Schafer-Skalski is vying for the one, one-year unexpired seat up for grabs.

Are you running for office in Basking Ridge? Contact Alexis Tarrazi at alexis.tarrazi@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Basking Ridge Patch.

(All of the candidates were given the same questions)

Suzanne Schafer-Skalski

Age: 53

Town of residence: Basking Ridge

Position sought: Board of Education

Family: Husband, Mike Skalski, daughter Sarah, 19 and son John, 17

Education: BS Cornell University, Human Development. MS University of Rochester, Higher Education Administration

Occupation: Undergraduate Admissions assistant director, Rutgers University

Previous or current elected appointed office: Current BOE member

Campaign website: Bernardseducationforall.org

Why are you seeking to run for School Board?

I am running for BOE because I believe that we need to support our students in their pursuit of educational excellence, and also prepare them to face the challenges of the 21 st century. This includes understanding and appreciating the diverse world around them through critical thinking and creative problem solving.

School finances have been an issue raised recently. Do you feel the Board and administration are handling this properly? And why?

Bernards Township School District is considered to be one of the most conservative and highest rated districts for financial management. Our AAA bond rating from S&P reflects this fiscal management, and we were able to contain costs to raise the budget by just .75% this past year (although allowed to go as high as 2%). While not everyone agrees on every budget expenditure, we seek input into expenditures – for example, we will be holding a public meeting for input on future capital projects and reserves.

How do you feel about the current sex-ed curriculum in the district?

Our Health and Wellness curriculum is one that focuses on student health and safety, and the new standards do the same. I support parent’s choice to opt their students out of portions of this curriculum, and I believe in trusting and supporting our teachers to address health topics in an age-appropriate way. I do not support allowing small special interest groups to dictate or censor curriculum for everyone.

Would you be in favor of a later school start time for students?

Yes, I have been a strong proponent of this for many years because it is tied to the wellness of our students. We were in discussions and investigating the opportunities and challenges of a later start time for the high school when covid hit, and now that we have emerged and settled into our new rotating drop add schedule at the high school, I believe it is time to revisit this planning.

What other issues do you feel need to be tackled in the school district?

Our district has had a wonderful focus not just on student achievement and excellence, but also on ensuring our students have social and emotional wellness as they move through their years in our schools. I believe we need to continue that focus on the individual student, and make sure that our students feel valued; appreciated for their individual traits, included in our schools and community, and recognized for their character. We want them not just to be successful, but to become good neighbors and citizens of our town.

What sets you apart from the other challenging candidates?

My career in college admissions gives me great insight into what our outcomes we need to have for our students to maximize their opportunities for the future. I have been the chairperson of the Wellness committee, where we focus on efforts regarding social and emotional learning (SEL) and will continue to support that work. In addition, my variety of volunteer work in our district and another district, combined with my education and career at both the secondary and higher education level, is an asset to our Board of Education.

What else would you like to share about yourself or your campaign?

Our community, like all around the world, has been through much over the past few years, but we have emerged from the pandemic with strong and forward moving schools. I am running to ensure that the district continues it excellence, for the benefit of our students, our community, and our future. There are those that, by their own stated platform, would slash spending, cut programs, censor curriculum, discourage and frustrate teachers, and in doing so, will drive the quality, excellence, and reputation of our school district down. I do not want to see that happen to our amazing district or students and am proud to run as part of our Education for All campaign team.