Bernards Township School Board Election 2023: Debbie Marcus

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Bernards Township's general election on Nov. 7 has six candidates running for three open seats for the Board of Education.

Deborah "Debbie" Marcus is running for one of the three, three-year seats along with Lawrence Rascio and Erin Weber. Opposing candidates include Janice Corrado and David Shaw (who are running as a team) and Jennifer White.

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Debbie Marcus

Age: 52

Town of residence: Basking Ridge

Position sought: Bernards Board of Education

Family: Husband-Alex, Children: Zach and Eliana (in college), Judah (12th grade)

Education:

• Yale University, BS in Mechanical Engineering
• University of Pennsylvania, PhD in Higher Education Administration
• Dissertation on Scientific Literacy for non-science majors

Occupation:

• Previously: college dean’s and programing officer at various universities
• Currently: stay at home mom

Previous or current elected appointed office: None

Campaign website: securingkidseducation.com

Why are you seeking election for the Bernards Township Board of Education?

As my kids progressed through the school system, I saw a lot of great components of our district, but also areas that should get back on track. On the curricular side, we need to put the focus on academics again. Our teachers are burdened with more and more non-academic content, taking time away from core subjects that students need to learn in order to succeed in challenging careers. On the budgeting side, we have significantly fewer students than 10 years ago, yet our administrative level remains at a high level. We may indeed need current staff levels, but our ratio is more than peer districts and should be explored — perhaps rebalanced toward areas where student needs are identified, such as counseling. In general, I look forward to providing logical and relevant insight for the multitude of issues facing our school district, from budgeting to curriculum to student support.

Transportation is a statewide issue. Do you feel transportation issues are being handled well by the Board? Why or why not? If not, how do you propose improving it?

Bussing affects a large proportion of students every day. I do like how the Board is discussing changing the number of multiple bus runs within our tiered system, likely allowing for later morning starts. For further improvement, the Board needs to keep an eye on whether the proposed 24-truck bay “warehouse” is built in town and how that might lengthen routes coming from the Hills. My colleague, Erin Weber, does this type of logistics planning for a living and I look forward to working with him on bussing route issues, if needed.

Security at schools remains a high priority. Are you happy with the district’s security plan for students and staff? If not, what would be your alternative?

I am glad we recently added officers to elementary schools AND to hear that they are being well integrated into the school community with assemblies, Q&A’s, and get to know you activities. It’s great to have a first responsder on site who can help with more common issues like conflict resolution or occasional student squirmishes as well. Safety requires security. Nothing is 100% but it is important to have a first level of protection — someone who can observe the daily scene and suggest even additional areas for improvement.

Censorship of books and curriculum has recently risen as a topic of discussion on the Board. How do you feel about how the Board is handling this?

The Board is ultimately responsible for textbook selection and approving curriculum and thus should not simply rubber stamp everything. New Jersey towns have a high level of local control, which allows taxpayers to decide what is the best fit for their community. It is important to note that choosing one textbook over another is what is done for every subject and has nothing to do with banning. Perhaps the PROCESS of approving items should be improved by communicating expectations more clearly along the way. But in the end, once a decision has been made, we need to move on. For the textbook options there was a thorough discussion and a democratic vote by elected officials.

Trust and transparency are a high priority for voters. Do you feel the Board is transparent or how would you like the Board to improve this?

The Board has improved transparency but could continue in that direction with more access. One way which should be used more often is to switch to a consent agenda format, where all committee reports are online beforehand and do not need to be read aloud at the meeting. This would also make BOE meetings more efficient. Another way to be transparent and accessible is something parents suggested to me: an anonymous form for communication. Obviously those anonymous people then wouldn’t be able to receive a personal response, but some people are not comfortable putting their name on an email regarding sensitive topics. This new input format would allow them to communicate their ideas. In parallel, for people who do communicate directly by email, there should be a timely response.

What other issues do you feel need to be tackled on the school board?

We need to make sure we evaluate state guidelines and only incorporate ones that fit our community and that are age appropriate. We need to contain costs for all taxpayers, and explore areas where we can repurpose salaries to identified areas of need, such as additional high school counselors. We need to aggressively pursue guarantees in state funding reimbursements that we are entitled to for Special Needs programs. I had children in the PreSchool PALS program and, while we definitely have good resources, the process for obtaining them could be improved. On a smaller scale, a parent group requested better syncing with homeschooled kids for their access to AP tests, which seems very doable.

What sets you apart from the challenging candidates?

My education and college work background provide needed perspective and insight on best practices for guidance in efficiently maintaining our district’s excellent programs. My mechanical engineering background means I am comfortable with everything from analyzing budgets to judging construction bids. My PhD in Higher Education Administration means I am knowledgeable on pedagogical and business aspects of running a school. I have taught at the college and preschool level, providing many learning experiences. My involvement in PTOs, Girl Scouts, sports teams, NJYS and more over the years helps me understand all the wonderful programs our community’s kids can enjoy. My work as a Yale College admissions officer, and as a career counselor elsewhere, could allow me to help the high school guidance office aid students in preparing college applications, and also support a greater variety of alternative track options for post-secondary students.

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

I am honored to be running on a platform with two other amazing community members. Larry Rascio is a one year incumbent who has already saved taxpayers over a million dollars by moving our savings into a different type of account. Erin Weber is a logistics manager for a major telephone company. He will be fantastic at proactively managing the issues inherent in aging buildings. With my academic focus, we really form a trifecta of complementary skills to positively impact our district. We humbly request that you vote Column A for Education so we can secure a solid future for our community’s kids.