Bridgewater-Raritan School Board Election 2022: Sally Bartlett

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Bridgewater-Raritan Regional Board of Education general election on Nov. 8 has seven candidates running for four open seats.

Sally Bartlett is running for one of the three, three-year full-term seats representing Bridgewater.

Opposing candidates include Saad Toor, Steven Singer, Emily Calistri, Lynne Hurley, Lanfang "Lucy" li, and June Wang.

There is also one, one-year unexpired seat representing Raritan open. There are no candidates for that seat at the moment.

Are you running for office in Bridgewater? Contact Alexis Tarrazi at alexis.tarrazi@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Bridgewater Patch.

(All of the candidates were given the same questions)

Sally Bartlett

Age: 44

Town of residence: Bridgewater

Position sought: Board of Education

Family: Husband – Jason Bartlett, 2 daughters aged 14 & 10

Education: B.A. in Psychology from Drew University in Madison, NJ

Occupation: Pharmaceutical Market Research

Previous or current elected appointed office: None

Campaign website: www.BartlettForBOE.com

Why are you seeking to run for School Board?

I’ve been involved in our school district in varying roles and am looking to contribute more actively. I want to help our district to continue to grow and flourish. I’m passionate about my children’s education and want to do what I can to help keep our district competitive and enriching.

School security has been an issue raised recently. Do you feel the Board and administration are handling this properly? And why?

I think it's vital for stakeholders to have a forum to provide input into school security. This is an important, if not perhaps one of the most important, duties entrusted to our administrators and educators. With that said, I do not believe the court of public opinion is the appropriate place for such discussions. Open and transparent discussions should be occurring between the Superintendent, police forces, and the mayors of both Bridgewater and Raritan so all voices and opinions can be heard. It is also, however, important to remember the duly appointed responsibilities of all parties involved. School security very clearly falls under the responsibilities of our Superintendent. Mr. Beers was hired by our Board of Education because of his extensive knowledge and experience. While all interested parties should be given the opportunity to provide input, the final plan and its implementation fall to Mr. Beers. The role the Board of Education can play is to help communicate appropriate elements of the plan to the public once it is finalized and help them understand the great care and due diligence that was put into implementing the plan. I do believe that process has already started with the in-depth introduction of our security staff and their extensive and impressive backgrounds - from military service to Presidential details, to extensive law enforcement experience.

A referendum is in the works looking to focus on fixing school building infrastructure and adding full-day kindergarten. How do you feel about this?

I think the offering of full day kindergarten is well overdue in our district. With more and more households featuring both parents working, it is increasingly difficult for parents to manage the short school day of half day kindergarten. Of greater importance though, is the additional hours of education that full day kindergarten will provide to our youngest students. Our kindergarten teachers do a phenomenal job of packing that half day chock full of learning but imagine how much more they could accomplish and how much more our kindergarteners could be prepared for primary schooling if they had double the time in school.

As for the referendum in general, I think this is the exact right time to implement the needed upgrades and repairs that the referendum would fund. Nearly anyone who has students in our school district or has visited any of our buildings can agree that our infrastructure is aging and in dire need of repair. With us reaching a point where we are offloading the cost of the previous referendum and with the proposed referendum likely to be tax neutral, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where the referendum will not lead to a better educational experience for our students. Besides needed repairs, the referendum will also help ensure we remain a competitive school district by providing classrooms, labs, and sports facilities that align with current educational needs and are in line with those of other school districts.

What other issues do you feel need to be tackled in the school district?

I would like to see a continued focus on student mental health, especially after the adversities the pandemic put on so many students. Much support is needed to help our students tackle challenges they are facing and to ensure they have a way to seek help.

I would also like to help with efforts to ensure equity within our district – that all of our primary schools and both of our intermediate schools have equitable offerings, facilities, and staff – as this is not currently the case.

What sets you apart from the other challenging candidates?

I have lived in the BRRSD school district (in both Bridgewater and Raritan) since 2006. My husband and I chose to settle in Bridgewater after getting married specifically for the school district and the wonderful things we heard about it. I've always thought it extremely important to be actively involved in my daughters' educational experience. My children attended The Learning Gate, the only not-for-profit daycare and preschool in the county whose mission it is to cater to the underprivileged and provide them with high quality, affordable childcare. While attending first at their Bridgewater location and then later at their Raritan location, I joined their Board of Trustees (the not-for-profit equivalent of their Board of Education) and was the President of the Board of Trustees for 6 years - even after my children had aged out of the program and entered public school.

Once my daughters entered the public school system, I first got involved by being a class parent. After finally leaving my position at The Learning Gate and wanting to be more involved, I joined the PTO of Bradley Gardens School as their Vice President for 3 years and as their President for 1 year. Serving on the PTO was a great honor and offered a window into the happenings at our schools and an introduction to administrators at nearly all our schools by being a member of the Council of Schools. I am also a Girl Scout leader to an awesome group of young, independent girls who are already working hard to change the world.

What else would you like to share about yourself or your campaign?

I have a history of working/volunteering in our education system for over a decade. Anyone who knows me will vouch for my ability to get things done - even in the face of adversity. I value the opinions of others and am always looking to learn from their experience and wisdom. Most importantly, I passionately care about our students, their well-being, and the quality of the education they receive. I believe our teachers are one of our most valuable resources and it’s important for our district to make them feel appreciated. I also think parents are an extremely important stakeholder in our district and have a wealth of knowledge and skills to share to help our district continue to flourish. I believe that there is always room for improvement, and I would love to help our district build on the work that's already been done before me and continue to develop and grow.