Election 2022: Haddonfield School Board Candidate Mark Cartella

HADDONFIELD, 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 of Mark Cartella, running for the Haddonfield 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: Mark Cartella
Age: 38
Town of residence: Haddonfield
Position sought: Haddonfield BOE
Family: Married to wife in our 15th year of marriage. We have 4 children; two boys and two girls. 3 of the 4 children are now in Central Elementary. The youngest one will be once they’re of age.
Education: Mechanical Engineering, Drexel University
Occupation: VP of Development and Construction at Alterra Property Group

What previous or current elected/appointed offices have you held? Board Member of former HOA.

Why are you seeking to run for the school board?

My motivation for running for board can be summed up by my campaign’s slogan “For Families. For Teachers. For Haddonfield.”

The Haddonfield School District has done an amazing job of making their curriculum transparent once it’s fully developed. That said, I’d like to see that level of transparency also applied to the curricula’s development and application in the classroom giving all parents and guardians more opportunity for meaningful contribution.

As a son of two NJ educators, I believe teaching is arguably society’s greatest profession. Teachers and administrators must be respected, properly resourced, and compensated. Unfortunately, however, teachers and administrators alike have been leaving the profession at an alarming rate. Over a half million teachers have quit the profession in the last two years, leaving school districts across the country struggling to find qualified replacements. Of all areas impacted, none were more severe than math, science, and special education. Teachers deserve better and I believe there’s an opportunity at hand for Haddonfield to serve as a model school district within the state to better support our teaching professionals and stop the hemorrhaging. We must recruit, retain, and train the brightest and best. Our students deserve it.

Haddonfield would not be the exceptional town it is without its public school system. It’s critical that Haddonfield continues to build upon its legacy of excellence in education in an ever more competitive world with equal opportunity for all its residents from different walks of life, backgrounds, and upbringings.

What sets you apart from the other candidates?

Professionally, my entire career has been in the private sector. As head of development at Alterra Property Group, I manage hundreds of millions of dollars in real estate development projects spanning multiple asset classes. I have an extremely talented, diverse team of development professionals as my direct reports. In short, I have the leadership and vision to efficiently execute our district’s objectives effectively stewarding our community’s resources.

On a personal level, I’m one of the head coaches of Haddonfield Youth Wrestling and am active in several charities throughout the region.

In summary, my unique skill set, and experience will be an asset to the BOE while offering more balance and diversity in thought.

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

As I mentioned previously my campaign is for family, for teachers, and for Haddonfield. The issue is not so much about sexuality in schools, rather it is about parents losing their autonomy of actually being parents and conceding parental authority in their children’s upbringings. Edicts such as this should not come down from a state level, without proper discussion and collaboration with families, teachers, and the community. If elected, I promise that everyone will have a voice and decisions will be made in an open forum in Haddonfield, not via a memo sent to us from Trenton.

What is your stance on the bond referendum?

The bond referendum is necessary for the long-term sustainability and viability of our facilities and programs. From 1st class buildings and fields to full day kindergarten, an early learning center, and redevelopment of the former Bancroft site, the list of initiatives in the community is long. With resources always being finite, I look forward to working with the town and all its stakeholders to responsibly and sustainably deploy the capital that is raised if the referendum is approved. As Head of Development and Construction at a Philadelphia real estate company I do this type of work for a living. Interestingly, Bancroft is a former client of mine. I lead the closure of their Haddonfield campus and the development of their new campus in Mt. Laurel consisting of a new school building and first class indoor and outdoor facilities. If elected, I’d employ my professional experience working on behalf of our district and the community at-large stewarding its resources to responsibility and sustainably improve our real estate assets.

How should those who vandalized the football field on graduation night be punished?

The vandalization of the football field was very unfortunate and certainly not a proud moment for our town. That said, I defer to the judgement of the local authorities and others in decision making capacities to decide what consequences are appropriate and which are not.

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

More transparency in curricula development and its administration in the classroom for parents and guardians giving them opportunity for meaningful contribution. If elected, I would work with my fellow BOE members to establish dedicated department heads/managers whose responsibility would be to develop highly focused and precise interdepartmental content within their respective areas of expertise. Interested parents and guardians would have the ability to participate in each curriculum’s implementation by way of committees.

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?

Coming out of these past two, very difficult years, I’d like to see a refocus, reevaluation, and recalibration of curricula particularly in STEM, coding, and special education while not forgetting or ignoring the lingering trauma the pandemic has caused. Unfortunately, these areas have suffered the greatest decline in performance metrics in all levels of education.

Adequate safety is another huge concern of mine. Our school buildings were built in a time that had much different safety challenges than we do today. If elected, I’d have a comprehensive facility safety assessment performed while partnering with law enforcement experts to develop modern safety protocols across the district including the latest in security technology. I’d also push to have a stronger presence of SROs (School Resource Officers) and implement NJ’s Class III SRO program.

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

Teachers are amongst our greatest assets, and they must be treated accordingly.

An inclusive, apolitical education system is the cornerstone of our society. Lest we forget that.

I’M…FOR FAMILIES. FOR TEACHERS. FOR HADDONFIELD.