Brick Candidate Profile: Madeline Colagiovanni-Iannarone

Profiles of the candidates for the Brick Township Board of Education are being presented for informational purposes.

Responses are unedited.

Candidate’s Name: Madeline Iannarone

Employer/Job: Brick Township Recreation Department

How long have you lived in Brick? Since the 1960s.

Have you ever held elected office or served as an appointee to any government board (where and when)?

I am a member of the Brick Municipal Alliance Committee.

1. With all the concerns that Brick students are not keeping pace academically with their peers, what do you feel is the best course of action to help them improve?

First, I think it’s important to reiterate how Brick Township has a significant amount of students who graduate, go onto higher education, and mold successful careers for themselves. For example, many of our teachers in the district are graduates of Brick High School and Brick Memorial High School. As with anything, there is always room to improve, and it’s important to acknowledge there are some rising problems in Brick, which comes with being such an economically diverse community. I hope to work with educators, parents, students and local businesses in the community to come up with multiple programs to enhance the services our schools can offer.

2. Governor Christie has said he wants to drop the state’s support of Common Core. Do you feel this will help or hurt the goal of improving students’ preparation for college and the working world?

Overall, this is an important matter being used as a national political topic of discussion. Unfortunately, this is a decision that can’t be made within the realm our local government. Eventually, this will be worked out at the state level with some involvement of the State Board of Education. Whether it’s decided to keep Common Core or not, the most important position is to ensure we are providing the most effective form of early preparation to students before moving on to college and the working world.

3. It’s no secret that residents of Brick (like so many towns) believe we are spending too much in taxes to support the schools. How do you propose to balance the voters’ desire for no increases with the needs of students and the buildings and grounds where they are educated? What is your top priority?

The real issue here is our district isn’t being allocated the proper or fair share of state education funding. The best course of action in keeping balance is to go to the State Department of Education, and demand a change in the funding formulas. In the meantime, we are potentially missing chances to add additional funding to our local budget by not taking advantage of energy conservation opportunities and other grants. Overall, the top priority is always the health, welfare, and safety of our students.

4. Why (in 75 words or fewer) are you the best candidate for the school board?

I feel it’s time to give back to the community who has given so much to me and my family, and to help bridge the gap between the Board of Education, the Administration, and the employees. Having a daughter with Down syndrome currently in our schools, I am an advocate for our families and children with disabilities in the community. Most importantly, I am not a polished politician; I am an independent candidate, who chose to solely run and fund my campaign. If elected to the Board of Education, I will be representing and working for the employees of the school system, and for the residents of Brick Township. I will only have answer to you, myself, and the taxpayers.