Get To Know Hillsborough School Candidate: Bonnie Kole

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — Bonnie R. Kole is one of the six candidates running for election in the contested 2018 Hillsborough School Board election being held on Tuesday, Nov. 6.

In Hillsborough/Millstone School District, there are six candidates vying for the two three-year seats on the board. Candidates include: Jane M. Staats, Brett Cooper, Dana Boguszewski, Lisa Maroun, Christopher Pulsifer and Bonnie R. Kole.

Additionally, there are two candidates Thomas J. Zobele and Joyce Eldridge-Howard vying for the one one-year unexpired term seat.

Bonnie Kole

Description:

My name is Bonnie Kole, age 62 and I am a professional educator.

Why are you running for the school board?

I am running for the school board since I believe I bring a unique and comprehensive perspective to my candidacy. I think we need to have a township resident on the board with extensive experience as a professional educator. I am certain it would give a reality check to board discussions when needed.

I also had approximately 10 years of experience in corporate purchasing and facilities prior to becoming an educator; consequently, I have an in depth knowledge of the infrastructure of buildings, working with architects and space planners, understanding building maintenance, vehicle fleet management, large capital purchases, the bidding process, and how to purchase (or lease) wisely. I know the questions to ask, and because I am also a professional educator, I know what it is like to work in a school building for at least 180 days a year.

I am running for the school board, because the Hillsborough Township Public Schools provided my son and daughter with exceptional academic experiences. The experiences enabled them to graduate with a strong academic foundation and balanced with a real world perspective. I want to bring all of my professional experience (plus my voice and heart for the children, instructional staff, support staff, administrators, parents/guardians and community) to our school board. We live in very trying times, and believe me, being a teacher is not easy; and being a parent/guardian is not easy; and being a building administrator is not easy; and being a superintendent is not easy; and being support staff is not easy; and being a bus driver is not easy.

I am hopeful that you will let me give voice to your voices; and together, we will strive to make our schools responsive to ALL our children by keeping them safe, healthy, happy and world ready.

What experience do you have that would help you serving on the school board?

Please consider that I have lived in Hillsborough for almost 34 years, had both of my children go through the Hillsborough schools from Kindergarten through Grade 12, and served as the HSA President at Triangle School; additionally, I have worked as a teacher (on the elementary and middle school levels) a certified reading specialist, and a high school department administrator in public school districts in NJ. I have served as a literacy project specialist for the NJ Department of Education, as well as a Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction for NJ State approved private special education schools. I have also taught as an adjunct instructor at The College of New Jersey, Montclair State University, and Raritan Valley Community College.
I have taught in a modern day one room schoolhouse, as a teacher to children in the cast of a Broadway show. I would also like to add that I have served as an educational advocate working with parents and their children to find resolution, when differences of opinion evolve between home and school.

To put it simply, I have had a wonderfully varied professional journey in education and I am passionate about education.

What issues would you like to see addressed if elected?

If elected, I would like to focus on literacy across the curriculum, as well as ensuring that our elementary and intermediate literacy programs are balanced and address the needs of all of our students. I also would want to ensure that we provide exceptionally supportive and relative professional development to our teachers and administrators. I also would want to take a very close look at school safety on many levels, including social/emotional well being, keeping our schools free of vaping and other similar challenges. I would like to expand arts education in our schools, because for many students, the arts provide a special pathway for engagement to those who feel isolated, invisible or on the outside looking in. We need to elevate our arts programs, while maintaining our athletic programs.

I want to see home, school and community come together, not just at the Board of Education meetings, but as a unified triangulation to help our next generation be ready for a world with so many unknowns.

I hope I can count on you to count on me.

— (If you are a candidate and would like to participate in the profile, please email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com)

(Image provided: Bonnie Kole)

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