Brick Board Of Education Candidate: Melita Gagliardi

BRICK, NJ — There are six candidates vying for two seats on the Brick Township Board of Education — seats being vacated by incumbents Karyn Cusanelli and George White.

We are profiling each of the six candidates. Responses are in their own words, with edits for grammar, spelling and punctuation.

Melita Gagliardi, 35, has lived in Brick Township for 7 years. She has two children who attend Emma Havens Young Elementary School.

She is a graduate of Georgian Court University and has been a special education teacher in the Jackson School District for 14 years. "I have been devoted to the school community. I have worked to combat bullying in the schools by organizing Middle School Mix-It-Up Day, a nationally recognized anti-bullying program," she said. She volunteers with the Lion Pride Mentorship Program for at-risk youth, is the coordinator of the annual Run for Vets breakfast for veterans in Jackson. She volunteers at a class mom for her children's classes and is actively involved with the Emma Havens Young PTA, helping with the gift auction, Holiday Fun Day and other community events.

What do you feel is the most important quality I would bring to the Board of Education?

I bring knowledge and experience about education from many perspectives. I am a parent of two children that attend the Brick public schools, educator and a taxpayer. My work ethic and dedication to education will make me an effective board member.

If you are elected to the Brick Township Board of Education, will you have any conflicts that will force you to abstain from voting? If so, what are they?

I do not have any family members working in the district.

Property taxes are a huge concern, but there is also significant concern about the state of the facilities, which have been neglected or shortchanged for decades. How would you balance the need to address critical issues with the concern over property taxes?

Failing to maintain our buildings and grounds is a false economy. Problems that could have been prevented, or fixed relatively inexpensively, grow and become more expensive when maintenance is delayed. I will work with the administration to develop a regular maintenance plan and the first priority will be anything affecting health and safety. By fixing problems in a timely manner, the interests of taxpayers, students and staff are all protected.

There has been much discussion about teacher salaries at recent board meetings. What do you propose to balance the need to manage costs while maintaining experience?

We need both the experience and knowledge of veteran teachers, and the new energy and enthusiasm of recent graduates. I believe that we need to examine each school, department and program and make sure we have the right mix. In a program where students are having difficulty, and there are no or few experienced teachers, we should hire more experienced teachers. In other cases, where we have veteran teachers available to mentor, new graduates should be hired.

What in your view what is the most important thing that can be done to improve student achievement, and how would you prefer to see that measured?

We need to provide good leadership, hire quality personnel, offer support to our teachers, and forge productive partnerships between home and school. We need to de-emphasize standardized testing, and encourage an overall picture of a student's progress. We should develop a collaborative assessment for a full picture of each student's achievement.

Patch graphic; photo provided by Melita Gagliardi