Bernards Township School Board Election 2023: Jennifer White

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

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

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Jennifer White

Age: 58

Town of residence: Basking Ridge

Position sought: Board of Education

Family: My husband and I have four sons all who have attended or are currently attending school in Bernards Township

Education:

• Connecticut College BA, Child Development, 1987
• Columbia University/Teachers College MA, Reading Literacy with emphasis on Learning Disabilities,1989
• Bank Street College of Education, MED Educational Leadership, 1998

Occupation: Former Elementary Level Teacher

Previous or current elected appointed office: Currently serving 6th year on the Board of Education

Campaign website: jenniferwhiteforboe.org

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

When I first ran for the Board of Education 6 years ago, I was spurred on by my displeasure with state mandates for high stake testing known at the time as The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC). As a former educator and a parent, I felt I could help shape policy that would put Bernards Township kids first. You could say I was championing parental rights before it became a cultural buzzword! My six years on the Board of Education have positioned me to understand parental rights within the framework of what is legal and that is an important distinction.

Now, I want to ensure our schools stay robust in every area, especially curriculum. A student today playing ball in the GAGA pit at Cedar Hill playground could be the very person to find the cure for Alzheimer’s disease. The lead in this year’s musical could be a future Tony winner. A student council representative could be a future legislator. I believe, in fact, that each of our students will shape the world in a positive way if our schools give them the means and opportunity to define their own success. We are among the top school districts in the state, but that only happens when we respect our teachers, foster communication with parents and commit to maintaining the best educational practices. I believe when we invest in our schools, we are investing in our future and the future of Basking Ridge.

I have become increasingly concerned with the lack of productive conversation and public discourse that has taken place this year. Students need to be taught how to disagree in a respectful manner and to be given tools to navigate a plurality of opinions, personalities, and ideological beliefs. We, as a Board of Education, need to set this example and I feel some of that has been lost. The best decisions often grow from meaningful discussions that include compromise and that is the direction I would like to see our Board of Education take.

I have three children who graduated from Ridge and were well prepared for life post high school. From academics to extracurriculars, they were nurtured, inspired, and encouraged by outstanding teachers, and developed a deep connection to their community. I want my youngest son to have the same opportunities. I am running for re-election to make sure the personnel, programs and services which are the heart of our district’s success remain in place for every student.

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?

This is a nationwide issue as there is a critical bus driver shortage. Bussing is an administrative responsibility. Our administration and transportation director have been working tirelessly to troubleshoot problems as they have arisen, and this fall has gone smoother than last fall. I am pleased that improvements such as a notification system have been put in place to alert parents to a late bus. I am pleased that we were creative in providing waivers to those willing to give up a child's seat on the bus that was not being used. I am pleased that incentives are available for staff who would like to get a CDL license. In terms of changes, going forward I would like to see all buses equipped with GPS navigation so children do not need to be on the bus any longer than need be. Beyond that, there is much that is still up in the air such as: will we be changing the start times, will our bus contracts be renewed or will we need to go out to bid, what information will the demographers report provide that may shed light on whether we can consolidate routes? It would be dishonest for any candidate to say that they have the solutions to the bussing issue without having the answers to all these unknowns. But I am eager to explore potential remedies to the nationwide bus problem as we are provided with this information in the coming months.

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?

In my tenure on the board, each year additional security enhancements have been put in place at all the schools. The safety of students and staff is of utmost importance and I am pleased at the improvements we have made over the past few years from adding a double entry buzzer system at each school, to limiting entry points at the schools as well as administration continually updating the crisis management plan so all staff are aware of protocols in place at each individual building. This fall we added Special Law Enforcement Officers (SLEO’s) at each of the elementary schools. I am looking forward to hearing how this is going at the schools and the student’s experiences. My hope is the officers become an integral part of the school community and a positive role model for the students. I will always support initiatives to keep our children safe as the oath I took as a board member is to ensure that every student feels safe to learn and thrive in their educational environment.

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?

I have been very disappointed the past few months with the way censorship of books and curriculum has been handled. It is apparent that some board members have allowed their personal and political agendas to cloud decisions. While I fully understand each individual board member may have personal opinions, we all need to be able to set those views aside to represent all the students. It is a grave disservice to students to avoid tackling controversial topics as this is part of developing critical thinking skills. Our teachers are skilled experts and it is frustrating to me that their voices have been ignored and their recommendation of textbooks rejected. It is the responsibility of board members to ask questions and share concerns, but it is also our job to listen to the explanations the experts provide as to whether material is or is not used in the classroom and how material is actually handled as opposed to the misinformation that has been continually spread the past few months. It is a very slippery slope and I fear what comes next. Will literature circle books be removed from the curriculum? Will books in libraries be banned? Will classrooms have books removed? I fully believe in the importance of parent choice and voice and I encourage parents to dialogue with our wonderfully dedicated teachers in order to maintain a partnership. But I believe we should be wary of the voices of a few dictating the choices of the many.

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?

I believe trust and open dialogue are essential and voters absolutely should demand it. This is one reason that when I report on the details of the Wellness Committee, which I chair, I include all the details of our discussion including dissenting opinions. The community has the right to understand what has gone into decisions and how we arrive at them. Unfortunately, this is the first time in all my years attending meetings and serving on the board where board members have blatantly conducted business outside the parameters of the boundaries set forth by the Sunshine Laws, which prohibits conducting business outside of committee level and open public meetings. I would like to see a return to respecting the oath of office as it does not benefit the students when the full board is not working with the same information and it certainly is not transparent for individuals to withhold information from the full board. I cannot fathom how anyone would think otherwise. Transparency does not mean that we agree on all the issues. But it does require us to engage in thoughtful conversation and to share these discussions with the community.

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

We need to start by acting as a fully functioning board who abide by the oath of office and code of ethics, especially the Sunshine Laws. All members must be provided with the same information in order to make the best decisions. It has been a huge disservice to staff and students that this has not been the case the past months. We need to return to the days when the full board fully discussed issues, even those we did not agree upon and then come to a consensus that best serves the district. Anytime a board member refers to the “majority board” as a voting block it should be a red flag to residents.

Once we can ensure the board can work collaboratively, openly, and honestly, then we need to tackle the very real issues that we should be spending time on, such as creating a sustainable budget, addressing student wellness, and exploring which programs are helping our children, ensuring we are proactively addressing learning loss, continuing to expand our career pathways programs, and exploring steps to maintain our reputation of academic excellence. Unfortunately, much of this was set aside the past few months as personal politics and ideologies interfered with the work the board of education should be doing.

What sets you apart from the challenging candidates?

Having been a board of education member for 6 years brings experience, knowledge of the history of the district, and full understanding of governance, policy, and process. I have had the opportunity to participate in all committees as a member or an alternate and have chaired the Wellness Committee, the Curriculum Committee and the Advisory Committee which has evolved into the Superintendent's Advisory Council. I have been both liaison to the PTO’s and the Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (SEPAC) in addition to being a member of the BTAA and BTEA Negotiations team. My time on the board has enabled me to build respectful, collaborative relationships with teachers and administrators that make it possible to work together in a collegial manner which is crucial.

I truly understand the role and our constraints within our role on the Board of Education. We are a policy making body whose focus is to meet the best needs of the students. We take an oath of office to represent the student’s best interests and not let partisan politics or special interest groups influence us. Our job is “not to administer the schools but together with fellow board members see that they are well run.” No individual board member is responsible for successes, failures, or decisions. We are a team and need to get back to working together as one. I do not believe that all the other candidates are willing to abide by the oath of office.

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

This election is more important than ever. In all my years attending board meetings and being on the board of education I have never been so concerned for the future of our children and the school district. I moved to Basking Ridge specifically for the excellent schools and dedicated teachers who are instrumental in all our students’ successes. My children who have graduated were so well prepared to handle life beyond high school. Each was provided with incredible experiences from academics to extracurricular opportunities and I want my youngest son, as well as all students, to have the same options. I care deeply about the Bernards Township School district. The collaboration and partnership that exists between teachers, parents, Board of Education and PTO’s as well is what makes our district so special and I will do all that I can to see that these relationships are maintained and nourished.