Brick School Board Election 2022: Frances DiBenedictis

BRICK, NJ — When voters go to the polls Nov. 8, they will be asked to choose people to serve on the Brick Township Board of Education.

There are two seats open this year, each of them three-year terms. The Board of Education is an unpaid elected position.

Four people are seeking election to the board: Frances DiBenedictis, Madeline Iannarone, Erin Wheeler and Maureen Molz.

Patch asked each candidate to answer questions to give voters information about who they are and their stances on various issues. We are printing their responses in full, unedited except for spelling or punctuation.

Here are the answers for Frances DiBenedictis, who goes by Fran. She is 40.

Tell voters about your family: In my family it is my husband, 2 daughters ages 11 and 7, and myself. We also have 2 Rottweilers who are family as well. My husband grew up in Brick. We wanted to create the fond memories he had for our children, so we moved back.

Tell voters about your education:

What is your occupation? My occupation is stay-at-home mom.

Previous elective office, if any: I have never held or ran for any other office.

Do you or anyone in your family work for the state, county or local governments? No.

Why are you running for the Board of Education? I am running because I see a huge need for change. We can’t just sit back and watch our parental rights squashed.

What do you feel is the most pressing issue facing the Brick Township schools and what do you want to do about it?

There is a lack of transparency. A lot of half-truths or skirting around facts are occurring. Our parents, students, teachers, children, grandparents, and taxpayers all just want the truth. I will always be honest and forthright.

The Brick Township schools continue to suffer cuts under S2. These cuts could cost the district dozens of teachers’ jobs in the next two years. What do you think the district should do to address the financial crush the cuts are creating?

To start we should stop spending money on frivolous things, such as SEL surveys that most parents don’t want.

The school district – like districts all over – has dealt with vocal criticism of curriculum, including social-emotional learning, which has been part of education for years. As mental health concerns and bullying continue to skyrocket, do you feel efforts to address kindness and empathy in school are misplaced?

Teaching students to be kind is great. The problem is when half of the very precious time allotted for learning is taken up by SEL. Our test scores are terrible! We have so much Covid learning loss. We need to get back to reading writing and arithmetic!

If you could change one thing about how the Brick Township schools are being operated right now, what would it be?

I would concentrate on academics.