Meet The Candidate: Vicki Becker For East Brunswick BOE

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — Vicki Becker needs no introduction. A 21-year member of the East Brunswick Board of Education, Becker has served as its President and Vice President a number of times. Backer is running for reelection on Nov. 2.

Since Becker has been on the BOE, the Board and undergone a number of significant changes - televising board meetings for greater transparency with the public, building and/or reconstructing five schools, and partnering with Middlesex County Community College to enhance course offerings to students.

Becker hopes to keep raising the bar in the school district. Four candidates are vying for three open seats on the East Brunswick Board of Education.

Read below to learn more about Becker and her platform for the upcoming elections in East Brunswick.

Name: Vicki Becker

Position Sought: East Brunswick Board of Education Member

Party Affiliation: The Board is non-partisan

Family: Two sons who went through the East Brunswick public schools

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?: No

Education: BA Theatre/Communications

Occupation: Director Administrative Services

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office: 21-year member East Brunswick Board of Education, current Board President

Why are you seeking elective office?

Working alongside the staff at Lawrence Brook school as the PTA President there inspired me to become more involved with the district and led to my decision to run for the board in 2000. I have always been a strong advocate for the Arts and Athletics and have supported our many course offerings and teams for these two crucial areas of our district. My leadership abilities are demonstrated by my being voted in as President of the Board by my peers these last three years and as Vice President for years before that.

Plain and simple – to be a board member, you have to love doing this. You must want to volunteer with eight other residents as a consensus-seeking group and leave your personal agendas home and do what’s “best for the kids”. This phrase has become a cliché, but as with most cliches, there is an underlying truth. I continue to love to do this and to do what’s best for the kids and I would consider myself privileged to continue to serve in this capacity

The single most pressing issue facing our board is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

So many issues but the one that comes to mind is guiding our district as we return to in-person learning. I never could have imagined leading our Board through a pandemic. What an experience this has been! We have faced unprecedented health, safety, and economic challenges. Along with the entire Board, our superintendent, administration, and staff, I have worked during the pandemic to ensure that we were meeting the needs of students and staff, all the while balancing everything with Federal and State guidelines and mandates. And our work is far from done! We have enormous challenges in front of us as we emerge from this pandemic that will need experienced people such as myself to provide the necessary guidance and make crucial decisions. We need to be able to provide not only the academic support our students will need this year as they return to school in person but more important – the social and emotional support they will need. I am so pleased with the efforts our district has taken to ensure this support will be available to every student and proud to be a member of a Board that has approved the necessary tools for this to happen.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

With experience comes the ability to help oversee the district, especially in terms of the annual budget. There is an over-reliance on funding public education through property taxes in this state and the board must always keep in mind that this is the taxpayer’s money they are entrusted with. Fiscal responsibility is not just a once-a-year task when we approve the budget, but a pledge every day to scrutinize and question every dollar that we spend.

This school district isn’t easy. Achieving excellence is one thing – maintaining it and consistently raising the bar requires constant work and diligence. We are preparing our children for 21st-century education and to live in a global economy and community which has been dramatically changed because of the pandemic. We need to ensure they have the emotional, social, and academic tools they will need. We need to constantly refine and enhance our curriculum with an eye towards the role technology plays in the classroom. We need to continue to provide quality programs in the Arts and Athletics so that all students have an opportunity to explore their interests and engage their passions. And we need to provide the necessary professional development for our staff and administrators for them to have the means they need to inspire and educate our children.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I am so grateful that the Board had the partnership of the EBEA and EBPSA during the past few years in coping with the pandemic and remote learning. In other school districts, teachers and administrators did not feel part of the process but that was not the case in East Brunswick. It is because of the incredible dedication and efforts of our staff and administrators that our students were able to be provided with an optimal learning experience. No remote session could ever replace the experience of being physically in a classroom, but our staff met the challenges head-on and used creativity and technology to get the job done. And our parents did a fantastic job partnering with our staff to provide the extra support their children needed.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I have served on every board committee and have been Chairperson of most of them. I served on the board when we facilitated full-day kindergarten, made the decision to televise board meetings so there would be more transparency with the public, built and/or reconstructed 5 schools, and partnered with Middlesex County Community College to further enhance the course offerings for our high school students.

My years in the PTA and as a member of parent booster clubs have provided me with an insight as to what parents have to deal with as they help navigate their children through this complicated world we live in.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

In regard to being a Board of Education member - "The Board doesn't run the district. The Board ensures the district is well-run".

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I know and love this district. I have a passion for public education and for volunteerism. I am a lifelong learner who learns something new every day from my fellow board members, staff, students, and residents. And I will take that knowledge and use it to enrich the lives of our students.

In anticipation of the upcoming election, Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns. We will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Thank you for reading. Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com

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