Election 2022: Haddon Township School Board Candidate Kristyn Souder

HADDON TOWNSHIP, NJ — In the 2022 general election, residents of South Jersey will be voting for state and local officials. Patch has asked candidates in contested races to answer profiles about their campaigns.

Here is the candidate profile for Kristyn Souder, running for the Haddon Township Board of Education.

Editor's Note: Patch sent out emails to all candidates to the email addresses listed for their campaign provided to the office of the clerk. The responses received will be published between now and Nov. 8 general election. Local candidates who would like to participate but did not receive one (for whatever reason) can contact Michelle.Rotuno-Johnson@patch.com.

Name: Kristyn Souder

Age: 38

Town of Residence: Haddon Township, New Jersey

Position Sought: Haddon Township Board of Education

Family: Husband (Tim) and Daughter (Abigail, 3rd grade at Thomas Edison Elementary in Haddon Township)

Education: Graduate of La Salle University in Philadelphia, PA with a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science and Digital Multimedia

Occupation: I am currently in my second year as president (volunteer) of the Thomas Edison Elementary School PTA in Haddon Township, and volunteer weekly in the Edison library. I also volunteer for our local Girl Scout Troop. Previously, I was an Information Services Developer for Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (7 years).

What previous or current elected/appointed offices have you held?

This will be my first time serving in public office, although I have served in several elected positions in other organizations. Besides serving as president (and previously, vice president) of the Edison PTA, I also previously served on the Board of the Directors for ten years for Zenkaikon, a regional non-profit.

Why are you seeking to run for the school board?

I am deeply invested in the school district both as a district parent and a resident of Haddon Township, and I have regularly attended Board of Education meetings for several years. While I believe the current board and administration have done well leading us through the pandemic, there is always benefit to new people and ideas. We have a very active school community that cares deeply about our district. I would like to be a voice for that community and all the diverse perspectives they bring to the table.

What sets you apart from the other candidates?

I strongly believe in the strength of our community to work together to find solutions to the issues facing our district. Multiple times our district has spent thousands of dollars on outside consultants to come up with solutions for our district, and they haven’t always hit the mark. Our community is creative and diverse, and I believe it has knowledge and skills that are underutilized. I would like to bring our community members to the table more frequently — including them in long-term planning, brainstorming, and problem-solving.

What is your stance on the sexual education curriculum that Gov. Murphy put forth earlier this year?

I agree with the opinion of the New Jersey Education Association on the revised Health and Physical Education curriculum standards. These standards were adopted by the New Jersey State Board of Education in 2020 for implementation this year. These standards do not dictate a specific curriculum, but rather provide guidelines for the district to develop its own curriculum. We have a diverse community in Haddon Township, and it is important for us to provide a safe and inclusive learning environment for every student. Students are going to encounter classmates from a variety of family units - single parents, grandparents, two moms, two dads, adoption, fostering, and more. They should know that any type of configuration - as long as there is love - can be a family, even if it does not look like theirs. The revisions to the Health and Physical Education standards require students to be able to "demonstrate ways to promote dignity and respect for all people (e.g., sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, differing ability, immigration status, family configuration)" - a goal we should all strive for. Students should know that whoever they are, and however they feel inside, they are okay, and they are welcome.

Finally, research has continually shown that children who know the proper terms for body parts and have developmentally appropriate health education are less likely to suffer abuse. I fully trust our teachers and administrators to implement the new curriculum standards in an age-appropriate manner that keeps all of our students safe.

What is the most important issue in your district and how do you intend to address it?

Our district needs a full day Kindergarten and Pre-Kindergarten program. There is state aid currently available to our district for implementation of full day Pre-Kindergarten, but we currently do not have the classroom space, and must implement a full day instructional Kindergarten program to qualify. A full day, no cost Kindergarten and Pre-Kindergarten program will benefit our students and families, put us on even footing with other neighboring districts, and allow us to fully utilize available state funding to the advantage of our community.

If I am elected, I will advocate for making this issue a priority. It was stated at a recent Board meeting that six to nine additional classrooms would be needed to implement full day Pre-Kindergarten. I would work with the Board to identify or acquire this space, possibly as part of the bond referendum the Board is looking to put forward in the next year.

What other issues do you feel must be tackled in your school district that have not been discussed already and how would you tackle these?

1. I believe fiscal transparency is very important. It is well-known that New Jersey has high property taxes, and our community should know that their money is being utilized appropriately and responsibly to benefit students. In particular, I would like to be able to provide more transparency on the annual district budget. Rather than a high-level overview, I would like to see a more detailed drill-down into individual line items provided to the community, while excluding or aggregating any confidential items. Much of this information is already provided throughout the year in bits and pieces through Board meeting agendas, but it is not compiled. Along those lines, I would love to see a digitally published "Annual Report" that provides information in one place and highlights the successes in our district to the wider Haddon Township community. Providing more information to the community would also provide more opportunities to utilize our community's available knowledge, skills, and dedication to come up with creative solutions to district issues. As shown in previous district focus groups, our community can come up with great and innovative ideas when given the opportunity.
2. Many of our schools are getting older and have some areas either in need of repair, or that are out of date. I would love to see our district upgrade the infrastructure in our schools to be more modern and efficient (during the pandemic, for example, our HVAC systems were not able to support the recommended MERV-13 filters). Not only will this improve student health and safety, but almost certainly save the district money over the long term. To fund some of this work, I would investigate available grants for energy efficiency, as well as pandemic-related funds for improving air quality.
3. Student safety is a prime concern of parents. While I know the district is working on this topic, I would also like to see us implement a program such as Know the Signs (from Sandy Hook Promise) or Safe Storage education (e.g., the Be SMART program).

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

I would like to thank the many Township residents who have supported my campaign so far. I look forward to serving our community on the Haddon Township Board of Education.