Bernards Township School Board Election 2024: Michael Talbot

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Bernards Township's general election on Nov. 5 has five candidates running for three open seats for the Board of Education.

Michael Talbot is running for one of the three, three-year seats along with incumbent Robin McKeon and Brett Omelianuk. Opposing candidates include Yijia Liu and Pankhoori Agarwal Gupta.

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Michael Talbot

• Age: 47
• Town of residence: Basking Ridge, NJ
• Position sought: member of the Bernards Township Board of Education
• Family: Wife: Loree, Daughters: Amelia and Lenora
• Education:
  • Bachelor of Arts: Rider University: Double major: History and Secondary Education
  • Master of Arts: Rider University: Educational Administration
  • Master of Arts: Monmouth University: History
• Occupation: Teacher for 25 years; Middle School/High School History/Civics
• Previous elected/appointed office: n/a
• Campaign website: talbotomelianuk.com

Why are you seeking election for the Board of Education?

I am a public-school teacher, starting my 25th year of teaching history and civics in East Brunswick. During my time as a teacher, I have come to understand that the most effective boards of education work with all stakeholders to make decisions that maximize the opportunities for each student to achieve their own goals. Board members must be open to listening to everyone’s opinions and concerns. They need to make decisions based on facts and data with the education of all our students foremost in mind. As a teacher I know how schools work. I have been on the "front lines" and have worked with parents, community members and others to educate students. I know that students in my classroom today have different needs than even a few years ago. Technology has created opportunities and challenges to students, teachers and society as a whole. I have spent a lot of time working with students - even the most at risk - and I want to bring that experience and passion to the Bernards Township BOE.

This past spring the Board wrestled with a large deficit in revenue during the budget process. How do you plan to address this in the coming years’ budgets?

There are no easy answers to this issue - nor are there any that will please everyone. The one thing I am sure of is that we need to focus on long range planning in order to stabilize our tax base. The 0 percent tax increase of the recent past may have felt good in the moment but obviously it was not sustainable - especially during inflationary times - and it resulted in an almost 4 percent increase the next year - which was not fair to taxpayers and their need to plan their family’s budgets.

The BOE needs to look at and analyze data regarding the needs of our students - not just the number of students in each building as their needs have changed since COVID and with the prevalence of technology.

We must be mindful when allocating taxpayer money and keep our increases as low as possible. The current board has done some things that will help in this area - hiring in house maintenance staff and social workers to replace outside contractors, as well as implementing our new bussing schedule.

Basking Ridge is one of the best places to raise and educate children and our schools need proper funding. I will work with our administrators and other board members to try to find creative solutions to this difficult issue - while keeping our ultimate goal of providing opportunities for all students to succeed.

The district recently switched to triple-tiered bussing to address transportation issues. How do you feel about this change?

Change is hard and I understand that there are members of our community who are not happy with this change. However, there is a nationwide shortage of buses and bus drivers and our BOE had to do something to close a large budget gap. They had also been looking at changing the start time at Ridge HS for several years, in order to give students a little extra sleep in the morning.

Ultimately, I feel the board did a good job explaining all the issues, and why they made the decisions that they did. If I am on the board I will follow this model and make my decisions transparent. I realize not every decision will be popular with every member of the community; however, I will always make it clear why I made the decisions I made.

A recent facilities condition assessment in May found that the district may need in excess of $35 million for repairs and upkeep of school buildings. How do you feel about the current state of the school buildings?

Our schools are aging. There is no disputing that fact. We have to be proactive and implement the 5-year strategic plan adopted by the current board and start working on one for the next 5 years. NJ provides grants to schools to be used for facilities improvements and I would encourage our Business Administrator to continue to be aggressive when applying for grants. We need to keep money in our capital reserve accounts in order to qualify for ROD grants. The current board has hired an in-house plumber who is able to do other maintenance, and maybe that will help. I applaud them for thinking outside the box and looking for solutions to ongoing issues such as shortages of maintenance workers. Inflation and supply chain shortages have set us back for a while but with proper planning and smart spending we can maintain our schools into the future.

What other issues would you like to tackle if elected to the Board of Ed?

1. We must focus on student wellness. I just finished reading the book The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. We know that instances of anxiety and depression among our student populations have drastically increased since 2010. I have seen it happening in real time over the years I have been teaching. If a student is suffering from mental health issues they will not be able to learn well in school and if that is happening then the BOE needs to give the students and educators the tools to address the issues. To be clear: I am not advocating that we supersede parental control - we are partners with parents - because we all want what is best for our students.
2. The BOE must reestablish trust between its members, the administration, teachers and community. In my opinion, that trust was damaged a few years ago when the BOE made decisions that undermined the expertise of our administrators and teachers (rejecting textbooks and undermining state mandated health curriculum). I trust the teachers to know how to discuss sensitive or controversial topics and I believe that the vast majority of the members of our community do as well.

What sets you apart from the challenging candidates?

I have spent my entire career as a public school teacher. I am in the classroom with students every day. I know how public schools work and that good boards of education make decisions that positively impact every student in the district. Conversely, ineffective or dysfunctional boards can be disastrous for students and taxpayers. Our school district is excellent. It is one of the main reasons people from all over the country choose to move here. The field of education is facing countless challenges and I want to make sure we attract and retain the best teachers. This starts with an effective board that respects the teachers and allows them to do their job. As a teacher, I know the most effective boards communicate, collaborate and arrive at decisions that maximize the budget to the benefit of as many people as possible. If elected to the Board of Education I will work to ensure every student in our district is fully prepared for their future.

Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself or your campaign?

Politics has no place on a board of education. As a teacher I keep my political opinions to myself. I am very careful in my classroom to make sure that I am teaching my students how to think - and not what to think. I teach them how to do research and to formulate their own opinions. The Board of Education Code of Conduct states that, "I will refuse to surrender my independent judgment to special interest or partisan political groups or to use the schools for personal gain or for the gain of friends." To state the obvious: It is essential for every Board Member to follow the official Code of Conduct. To do otherwise would be a disservice to our students and our community.