Bloomfield Board of Education Candidates Answer Questions About Teacher Salaries, Academic Achievement

The seven candidates running for three seats on the Bloomfield Board of Education are participating in a survey being published in four installments. Sections 1, 2 and 3 covered Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Transparency and Good Governance, and the Superintendent Search and Oversight.

The three members of the board elected on November 4 will be one-third of the nine member board that will select a new Superintendent after the recently announced retirement of current Bloomfield Superintendent Sal Goncalves on June 30, 2026.

Six of the candidates are running in two slates: 1) Stronger Schools Now Slate, including Deanna Wilson, Kerri Joyce, Jelani Jeffrey; 2) For the Students Slate, including Andrew LoMonte, Quan R. Miller, and Thomas Heaney. Ben Morse is running as an independent candidate, listed on the ballot as One for All.

Teacher Salaries and Academic Achievement in Bloomfield Schools

Bengals Connect developed these questions regarding teacher compensation and academic strengths and weaknesses in Bloomfield School District:

• What is your perspective on current teacher salaries in Bloomfield? Are teacher salaries competitive with neighboring districts? Should they be? What role should the school board play in negotiating teacher contracts? What factors should board members consider when approving teacher contracts? How can the board provide transparency regarding teacher salary contracts?

• What are the academic strengths of the school system? Do you feel there are any areas for academic improvement in the school system? Topics to cover might include current reading and math proficiency scores, AP scores and AP course offerings.

Deanna Wilson
Stronger Schools Now

What is your perspective on current teacher salaries in Bloomfield?

To my knowledge, teacher salaries are based on tiers, in order for me to say weather or not they are competitive with neighboring districts, I would have to know how many teachers are in certain tiers then research the tiers of the other districts. When approving contracts board members should consider compensation structures, retention/turnover data, cost of living, budget sustainability, alignment with instructional goals and equity.

What are the academic strengths of the school system? Do you feel there are any areas for academic improvement in the school system?

I believe our school system is performing well overall in both reading and math. Students are showing steady growth in these core areas, which reflects the district’s strong instructional foundation. However, there is always room for continued improvement. Expanding academic support programs like the Back Stop tutoring program which can help reinforce key skills and ensure that all students receive the individualized attention they need to succeed. Also, offering and supporting students in AP courses. This can ensure they are where they should be along with ensuring that students are being challenged as well.

Kerri Joyce
Stronger Schools Now

What is your perspective on current teacher salaries in Bloomfield?

I think Bloomfield’s teacher salaries in Bloomfield are not competitive at all. In fact, this is a contributing factor in why I’m running - my son’s special needs class last year had no teacher for several months supposedly due to a teacher leaving for a better salary. The class also had insufficient paraprofessionals - these are all budget related issues. I’ve heard from many teachers in the district that they could make better money elsewhere. This is a huge problem for our students, especially when it trickles down to our most vulnerable kids not receiving the support they are legally required to receive.

What are the academic strengths of the school system? Do you feel there are any areas for academic improvement in the school system?

There is always going to be room for improvement, no matter how strong a school system is. So yes there are absolutely areas for improvement in our schools, and not just on the special education end of the spectrum. I hear from other parents in the community that their above-average students aren’t being challenged enough. We cannot forget about the needs of students on this end of the spectrum as well. We need to find ways to diversify the curriculum, whether it be offering more AP classes, more enrichment classes, more electives in middle school and high school, to support our overachieving students as well.

Andrew LoMonte
For the Students

What is your perspective on current teacher salaries in Bloomfield?

Bloomfield teachers do incredible work to ensure that our students are successful. They should be paid a competitive salary as they are the backbone of our district.

Are teacher salaries competitive with neighboring districts? Should they be?

In terms of state averages, Bloomfield teacher’s salaries fall below. They absolutely deserve to have a competitive salary with neighborhood districts so we can keep our phenomenal teachers.

What role should the school board play in negotiating teacher contracts?

The school board has a seat at the collective bargaining table when negotiating teacher contracts as well as other stakeholders. The board’s role is to ensure that any final agreement is fair, fiscally responsible, and supports our district’s educational missions.

What factors should board members consider when approving teacher contracts?

There are many important factors to consider when negotiating and approving teacher contracts. These factors include fiscal sustainability, fair compensation that helps retain and attract quality educators, and ensuring the contract supports student achievement, manageable class sizes, and professional development opportunities. Having the support of the teachers’ union reinforces my belief that strong partnerships between the board and educators lead to better outcomes for students.

How can the board provide transparency regarding teacher salary contracts?

The board provides transparency by publicly disclosing the results once an agreement is reached. While confidentiality is necessary during negotiations, once finalized, the board should clearly communicate how the agreement aligns with district goals and benefits the educational environment — always keeping its focus “For The Students.”

What are the academic strengths of the school system?

The Bloomfield school system demonstrates strong academic performance in several ways. Graduates attend some of the nation’s most prestigious universities, NJSLA testing scores reflect solid progress in many areas, and the district’s growing and expanding Advanced Placement (AP) course offerings provide more opportunities for college readiness. Additionally, Bloomfield’s commitment to vocational and trade programs ensures that non–college-bound students also have meaningful pathways to success.

Do you feel there are any areas for academic improvement in the school system?

My goal as a board member is to make sure that the Bloomfield School district is constantly improving. High-stakes testing, especially when tied to graduation, can create unnecessary pressure and may not fully reflect student ability. The district should focus on early identification of students who need additional support and provide targeted interventions. Staying current with proven teaching methods and evidence-based instruction is essential to improving student outcomes across all grade levels and ensuring every learner reaches their full potential.

Quan R. Miller
For the Students

What is your perspective on current teacher salaries in Bloomfield?

I believe Teachers should be paid like professional Athletes, they put a lot into these kids, kids are our future; so essentially teachers shape what the world will become, that’s a Big Task.

Are teacher salaries competitive with neighboring districts?

Surrounding towns are paid higher than Bloomfield.

Should they be?

Absolutely they should be.

What role should the school board play in negotiating teacher contracts?

I will fight to raise teachers pay in every way possible.

What factors should board members consider when approving teacher contracts?

We should see if the contracts are fair and make sure they are getting what they deserve.

How can the board provide transparency regarding teacher salary contracts?

We can keep them informed every step of the way, call me, I’ll tell them what’s going on.

What are the academic strengths of the school system?

The talent that our Bloomfield teachers have is our biggest strength.

Do you feel there are any areas for academic improvement in the school system?

I believe for our special needs kids we can implement “ DIR” Developmental Individual Relationship based model, it really works. We can also teach topics that will better prepare them for the future, like Taxes and real estate

Thomas Heaney
For the Students

What is your perspective on current teacher salaries in Bloomfield?

Bloomfield Teachers are underpaid.

Are teacher salaries competitive with neighboring districts?

It is common understanding that neighboring districts pay relatively the same as Bloomfield but in regards to state salary averages, Bloomfield teachers are underpaid. Relative to private or charter schools, Bloomfield teachers are underpaid.

Should they be?

No, Bloomfield teachers should be the best paid in the state.

What role should the school board play in negotiating teacher contracts?

The school board has a seat at the collective bargaining table when negotiating teacher contracts. There are several other stakeholders who are a part of the process. Once seated at the negotiating table any board member must not divulge any details of pending agreements, even to other board members.

What factors should board members consider when approving teacher contracts?

There are a myriad of factors to consider when negotiating teacher contracts. It starts with good training for the board member who is selected to represent the board at the table where the negotiations take place. Just selecting that board member is a process.

How can the board provide transparency regarding teacher salary contracts?

The board will disclose the results of the contracts once there is an agreement. The BOE knows before going into negotiations that they represent the best interests of the taxpayers and they do it For The Students.

What are the academic strengths of the school system?

The Bloomfield school system has many academic strengths. One place to look is where some of our graduates are attending secondary education. Students from Bloomfield are in places like Princeton, NJIT, Johns Hopkins, Harvard, Yale, and many other universities of note.

Another place to see the academic strength of our school district is in our NJSLA testing scores.

Still another example of our strengths is the trade school availability for our non college bound learners.

There are more indicators, such as growing and expanding AP course offerings.

Do you feel there are any areas for academic improvement in the school system?

There is always room for academic improvement.

High stakes testing, especially when mandated as a graduation requirement, are detrimental to students.

We need to better identify those students needing help so we can offer them targeted intervention.

Staying current with proven teaching methods is key to improving academic achievement.

Ben Morse
One for All

What is your perspective on current teacher salaries in Bloomfield?

The Board voted unanimously to approve the 2024-2029 teachers' contract. One sign it was a good contract was that it was completed soon after negotiations began. The numbers matched for both sides from annual raises to increasing starting salaries, all projected to keep within our 2% tax cap.

In case folks want a closer look, here are our negotiated contracts.

https://www.bloomfield.k12.nj.us/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=364906&type=d&pREC_ID=693329

Teacher Contract

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rowwjs6bfKvcksn1Y_dNx2iswcvrcGrX/view

Are teacher salaries competitive with neighboring districts?

Yes.

Should they be?

Yes.

What role should the school board play in negotiating teacher contracts?

The Board should have members present during negotiations to make sure all stakeholder voices are represented. Board members with experience negotiating in addition to having also been trained by the NJSBA should be on the negotiating team.

What factors should board members consider when approving teacher contracts?

Board members should look at comparative contracts around Essex County to get an understanding of the labor market. In addition to salaries, there are a host of other items to negotiate from when the first day of school should be to club and sports coach stipends. Not to mention healthcare, longevity, education incentives and the all important salary guide are key discussion points and factors a Board member should consider when reviewing a contract to vote on.

How can the board provide transparency regarding teacher salary contracts?

Negotiations are a topic Board members are not allowed to talk about publicly. The transparency comes about when the negotiations are finalized and there's an agreement.

What are the academic strengths of the school system?

The strength of the district is the breadth and depth of opportunities offered in the high school. If a student wants to pursue music, theatre, sports, mechanics/robotics, mathematics, the range of liberal arts, there is a class, club or sports program for you. I met a music teacher at Six Points pub for a happy hour root beer and I asked him how I could tell we had a good middle school music program. His answer was that since the high school music program was winning awards in state competitions, it meant the middle school was preparing students well to succeed in the high school. All-stars aren't just born in high school. I could say similar things about our robotics, coding and theater programs. With our graduates going on to be engineers at MIT and mechanics at UTI, musicians at Julliard and teachers from MSU, the range of directions our graduates go in is a testament to the K-12 program we have put together.

Do you feel there are any areas for academic improvement in the school system?

If elected, one goal for my next term would be to see us have 100% of our students at grade level for ELA and mathematics by the end of 3rd grade. I believe we can do this through High Impact Tutoring, interventionist strategies and a commitment from parents/caregivers to support students as much as possible. It may not be possible but it's a worthwhile goal to pursue.

Candidate forum and election details

The candidates participated in a forum on October 25, 2025 hosted by Bloomfield Pride, Bloomfield DEI Network, Bengals Connect, Bloomfield for Preschool Expansion, and Bloomfield Restorative Justice Partners, which can be viewed here.

Election Day is November 4, 2025. More information about in-person and vote-by-mail options can be found here: https://www.bloomfieldtwpnj.com/1541/Voter-Information

For this section, responses from Jelani Jeffrey are still pending. His responses will be added when they are received. For more information about his candidacy, he shared answers in sections 1, 2 and 3 of the Bengals Connect survey.

The author is a part of Bengals Connect: Inside Bloomfield Schools, a Facebook group for residents of Bloomfield, New Jersey who want to be better informed about how our school district operates. Our goal is to engage in discourse on issues in our district and to take meaningful action to advocate for children in our town. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1109538377349858/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT