North Caldwell BOE Election: Endorsement For Opper, Stroever

NORTH CALDWELL, NJ — The following op-ed comes courtesy of Robert Projansky, who said it is a “personal endorsement” not made as a representative of the North Caldwell Board of Education. Projansky currently serves as the board’s president.

“I write in strong support of the reelection of Mindy Opper and Jo Stroever to the North Caldwell Board of Education. Thanks to careful and deliberative board members like Mindy and Jo and their collaborative relationship with the District’s outstanding administration and teachers, our schools are nationally recognized leaders among elementary schools.

“However, North Caldwell is facing near and long-term challenges – whether they be related to population growth due to increased construction in the District, maintaining small class sizes, or the critical need to maintain full-day quality in-person instruction in the midst of the ongoing pandemic. These challenges continue to require thoughtful leaders who exhibit strong principles and thoughtful engagement – traits that Mindy and Jo have displayed throughout their service on the Board.

“Those who have attended Board meetings can see that Mindy and Jo are not on one “side” of any particular issue. Rather, they are laser focused on ensuring that the District provides the best possible education to our students, while supporting the administration and teachers. They consider the advantages and disadvantages of all courses of action, analyze all of the data, including parent input, and then choose the best option for our children with full transparency to the community. Whether it is through their advocacy for public hearings in advance of Board decisions, surveys (with publicly reported results) to assess public sentiment, newsletters providing advance notice of decisions or public discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of various options, Mindy and Jo consistently demonstrate their full transparency and active pursuit and serious consideration of community input.

“As a voter, I am grateful to have representatives like Mindy and Jo who answer questions openly and honestly, listen to comments from the public with the high level of respect those comments deserve and take them into account in their decision making. I would encourage anyone with questions about Mindy and Jo’s views or approach (which I have learned over the last several weeks are subject to gross mischaracterization by others) to reach out to them, as I am very confident that you will receive thoughtful, accurate and productive responses.

“This is the type of leadership that Mindy and Jo bring to the table – the leadership required to continue to support Grandview and Gould schools in the coming years. What I look for as a voter and a parent are candidates who, even when they disagree with other Board or community members in approach or worldview, recognize the validity and sincerity behind differing worldviews and work to find a fair solution that reflects community sentiment – candidates who support a collaborative environment that allows our administration and teachers to shine, our class sizes to remain small, our District to continue to receive national recognition, our property values to rise and, most importantly, our schools to support each individual student so they can reach their highest potential.

“Mindy and Jo recognize that these are the issues that should be the focus of anyone interested in serving on the Board of Education, and they have demonstrated the ability to engage in open, honest and reasoned discussion about them (and every other issue our District is facing). We need to work through all issues as a community, and we can only do that if we have faith and trust in each other and are united in the face of forces that seek to divide us. Please join me in voting to re-elect Mindy Opper and Jo Stroever for the North Caldwell Board of Education.”

• Read More: 4 Candidates Running For North Caldwell School Board In 2021

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