There is Always Room to Grow

October 13, 2014 – Florham Park, NJ – The General Elections on November 4, 2014 are less than one month away. One of the questions to be answered on that date is who will take the two seats available on the Florham Park Board of Education. “The answer is up to those registered voters who take great pride in the future of our community” said Kristina Heinold, a candidate running for one of the open seats.

Candidate Alita Thomas decided to be part of the ballot because she felt a need to be part of the governing body that oversees and makes decisions regarding the Florham Park Public School System. “Both Kristina and I look at our children and watch the daily development and routine of life as they know it, and, said to ourselves, we need to be a part of this process for them,” said Thomas. “Our kids are the future generation of doctors, lawyers, business owners, teachers, public officials, policemen, firefighters or whatever other vocation that life calls them to become. We have the most at stake and the most to lose if we are not part of this great educational experience our children are receiving each and every day.” In this fast paced world, and ever evolving technology within the school system, students are now required to master new skills and techniques as part of the New Jersey Core Content Curriculum standards, PARCC testing, as well as other challenges. “We feel the need to be part of this democratic board that oversees how these things are implemented in Florham Park,” said Heinold.

In addition to the elected school board officials, the Florham Park community also expressed the need for a permanent superintendent. “No school can reach maximum potential without a passionate, effective and invested leader who is committed long-term” said Thomas. Parents initially voiced their concerns over this issue back in October 2013. In April 2014, the current board of education approved the search for a permanent superintendent. Keeping in line with this effort, in June 2014, the board of education announced they hired Lead Advantage, LLC, a private firm to aid in the search. Costs for such private search firms cost thousands of dollars. “Many K-8 districts such as ours develop their own in-house search committee and use their own stakeholders to expedite this process without added burden to the budget and taxpayers” said Heinold. As of the last board of education meeting on September 15th, the search firm was in the process of gathering a group of stakeholders which leaves both women wondering if this is a reasonable time frame and acceptable amount of resources and dollars in order to secure a solid leader for our schools.

“Nothing is perfect and there is always room to grow and learn. This is what we tell our children day in and day out. Whether you are 8 or 80, you are learning and growing every single day.” said Heinold. “As parents of young children in the district, we have a vested interest in making the Florham Park Public School System the best it can be. By running for the Board of Education we are hoping to lead by example and do our best to support this district,” said Thomas.

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Mrs. Thomas holds her law degree from Widener University School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Spanish from Muhlenberg College. Her years in the workforce include working at a Pennsylvania County District Attorney’s office, acting as a judicial law clerk for two terms, and advocating for the defense of medical malpractice cases on behalf of physicians and hospitals. Mrs. Thomas set aside her career a few years ago to focus on her family. In this time period, she became a certified substitute teacher and is actively involved in many aspects the Florham Park PTA including four years as a class mom. She is also co-leader to Florham Park’s Den 4, Pack 2 of the Boy Scouts of America. Mrs. Thomas, has resided in Florham Park with her husband Gene and son Michael for 5 years.

Mrs. Heinold holds her Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Finance from Villanova University. For the past 15 years, she has worked in various sales and marketing roles at Novartis Pharmaceuticals. While Mrs. Heinold is a working mom, she is also involved with many aspects of the PTA such as co-chairing the fall fundraiser and Teacher Appreciation Week, soliciting for the spring fundraiser and acting as class mom for the past 4 years. She is also co-leader to Brownie Troop 95048 of Girl Scouts of the USA in Florham Park. Mrs. Heinold, her husband George and 4 children, ages 3 to 8 have lived in Florham Park for the past 10 years.