Hoboken School Board Profiles: Cindy Wiegand

HOBOKEN, NJ — A lot's at stake in this year's Hoboken school board election. More than 3,000 students attend the local public schools.

We asked some serious questions, some offbeat, but it's important for readers to notice whether the candidates rephrased the question and purposely declined to answer. Do they have vague ideas, or thoughts and plans?

Running for three seats on the board this Nov. 8 are:

• The "Leadership That Listens" slate, consisting of incumbent Alejandro (Alex) De La Torre Jr. along with Leslie Norwood and Antonio Graña;
• "Kids First" consisting of Pavel Sokolov, Donna Magen, and Cindy Wiegand, and
• Independent John Madigan (a former board member) and
• Independent Patricia Waiters (a former candidate).

Do you have questions? You can post letters about the election for free, any time, here at Hoboken Patch using these instructions.

Here Are Cindy Wiegand's Answers

NAME: Cindy Wiegand
CAMPAIGN WEBSITE (if applicable): https://www.facebook.com/Hobok...
AGE: 44
FAMILY INFORMATION AND WHERE ATTENDING SCHOOL (be as specific or non-specific
as you want) Married, 3 children ages 10, 7, 6 at Hoboken Charter
OCCUPATION: Consumer insights
OTHER SOURCES OF INCOME:
DOES ANYONE IN YOUR FAMILY WORK IN GOVT OR POLITICS? WHERE?
VOLUNTEER WORK, COMMUNITY POSITIONS: Current and past involvement with a variety
of education related not-for-profits, including improving literacy and providing education services
to homeless veterans and families
OTHER EXPERIENCE AND ELECTED OFFICES:

Questions about your stances in the upcoming Hoboken school board race:

1. What is the best thing about the Hoboken public schools, and what do you believe should be
improved?

Hoboken public schools are fortunate to have a thoughtful, experienced, intelligent, and highly engaged superintendent in Dr. Johnson. She cares about the students and community and hashelped to move our schools forward in her time here. The Kids First slate – which I am part of – recently had a productive meeting with her where we discussed different aspects of the school
system and how to make additional progress.
Overall academic success for all types of learners can be improved. While test scores are not the be all and end all measurement of educational achievement and outcomes, they are quite low in Hoboken and highlight the need for additional progress. We need to make sure that our teachers have all the resources and support they need. We can also tap into the unique and diverse expertise, knowledge, and skill within the Hoboken community to broaden educational offerings. I think this is a big gap today, our current board works in a silo when there is so much we can gain through collaboration.

2. What makes you uniquely qualified to serve on the board?

I have a mix of experiences and interests.

I have a lifelong love of learning across a range of topics. I have been involved throughout my adulthood with a variety of education not-for-profits in various areas.

I understand children have a natural curiosity. Our role is to nurture and foster them and doing so requires a variety of programs for the range of student interests and learning styles. And, most importantly, I believe education should be infused with joy.

With three kids of my own in school, I understand the opportunities and challenges for children today. Parents should have a voice in advocating for their child’s unique needs. Parents also need to trust that the decision makers, those on the BoE, will collaborate with the community when making changes on behalf of our children and families.

I have not served previously in elected office, another municipal board, or the public sector.
What I may lack in prior hands-on experience, I make up for with fresh thinking and a genuine
energy and desire to help. I believe new board members are needed and a new approach is
needed. If elected, I will work with current and new board members to build upon the progress
made thus far with a fierce commitment to equity, collaboration, and transparency with our
community.

With a professional background in consumer insights, I go into communities, listen, and gather
feedback and use community input to provide actionable solutions. And while students are our
focus, our schools are funded by the entire community and the voice of everyone is
important. My background in community feedback and solutions will be invaluable as the BOE
balances improving facilities and education for our children with being mindful of the financial
impact for all residents. The BOE needs to restore trust with the community following the failed
referendum.

3. If you had to vote for 3 candidates out of the current field, NOT counting yourself, which 3
would you choose, and why?

Pavel Sokolov, Donna Magen, Patricia Waiters. The board currently votes unanimously, 9-0, nearly every time there is a decision or referendum. It is important to bring new perspectives and ideas to the board. It is important to elect candidates like Pavel and Donna who, like me, are committed to transparency, educational excellence, and collaboration. We need to elect candidates who will bring a commitment to open discussion and debate about ideas. All three of these candidates are running independently from the current BOE and therefore reflect more diverse thinking on the school board.

4. Did you support the $241M Hoboken school plan, up for referendum vote in Jan? If/when it's
introduced again, what do you think should change, if anything?

Hoboken schools most definitely need infrastructure improvements, but the $241 referendum
plan was not the way to go.

The design focused too little on academics and preparing our kids for the future. The process
was done in secret and the plan was rolled-out at a time when few voters were paying attention,
knowing there would be minimal debate. The plan was severely overpriced and ignored how a
BOE tax increase of this magnitude would affect residents for years to come, including
permanent operating and related costs. Moreover, it ignored other potential tax increases
coming down the pike (both from the BOE and City). Cost of living and education are not
mutually exclusive. We need a board who can implement ideas and improvements while being
fiscally responsible.

If a second High School referendum is brought, there needs to more community input before
being introduced. Any new school infrastructure needs to be something the community can be excited about. Transparency and open engagement between the BOE and community is
essential. BOE must explain to the community the rationale and trade-offs in any new High
School plan, including but not limited to why a specific design was selected, what alternatives
were considered and why were they not chosen, and what long-term operational costs will be
and how will they affect the BOE’s budget.
Beyond those nuts and bolts matters, there also must be a significantly greater emphasis on
academic and vocational facilities and a lower price tag.

5. What is your political affiliation, if you're willing to say? Even though local school board races
are non-partisan, do you think political party matters for a Hoboken school board member?
I am not affiliated with any political party. What matters is that a candidate is committed to
educational excellence for all types of learners and can prepare our students for traditional
college, vocational training or careers, and in general to prepare students for life as a
responsible adult. What matters is that a board member is responsible with taxpayer money.
What matters is being transparent, collaborative, and open to feedback. All these qualities are
non-partisan and therefore political affiliation, in my opinion, is not a factor in school board race.

6. During the referendum period, many brought up the fact that 8 percent of Hoboken High
School students were considered proficient in math by the state. While there is often wiggle
room and extenuating circumstances with test scores, 8 percent is lower than other area high
schools, such as Union City and West New York. Do you think this is a matter for concern, and
if so, what should be done? https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/new-
jersey/districts/hoboken-public-school-district-106754

We want all students to be as prepared for the future as possible and so, absolutely, this is a
matter for concern. Even if students are on a path that does not include traditional college, math
proficiency is essential for overall success in life. The extremely low math scores merit scrutiny.
To be clear, it is not about test scores per se, it is about having confidence our high school
students have the level of math preparedness for independent living after graduation.
Some questions I would ask when thinking about what should be done: Has there been an audit
to see if there are certain topic areas of the math test scores that Hoboken students seem not to
master? If so, can we readjust curriculum to emphasize those topic areas? Have we looked to
see if other districts are using a different curriculum or pedagogical approach that is yielding
different results? Are there other districts that had suboptimal math proficiency and have
improved their scores? How might we adapt some of their wins in a way that would work for our
population? Are there different or hands-on ways we can make the connection between math
and how it will apply to real-life when students are out of school?
Are there parts of the community we can tap into—be it empty nesters, college students, recent
graduates—to offer more one-on-one learning opportunities? Programs and tutoring can be
implemented through volunteers and college collaborations at a fairly low cost and may provide
the supplemental support our teachers and students need throughout the school year and
summer.

7. The U.S. Census estimates that there are approximately 3,456 kids age 5-14 living in
Hoboken, but the population of the three elementary schools and middle school is under 2,000.
Do you think the district should try to draw more students from the local population, and how?
Do you think it should find ways to help integrate students from public, public charter, and
private schools into activities?
https://data.census.gov/cedsci...

It is important for BOE schools to be a reason residents choose to move to and to stay in
Hoboken and therefore BOE schools should be as an attractive option as possible. However,
we should not look at education as a zero-sum issue—we should have a learner-centered
approach. Different families have different preferences for what will be best for their learner.
Therefore, as a community we should support the variety of education options that exist in
Hoboken and seek more collaboration overall. The more excellent schools there are in
Hoboken—BOE and otherwise—the more it will serve to elevate and stabilize the Hoboken
community as a whole.
It is a huge missed opportunity for Hoboken that there is not more activity integration for
students from different schools; this issue is something the Kids First slate has been vocal
about. We are one Hoboken and should treat all children as such regardless of which school
they attend. The more kids get to know each other and think of each other as one unit
irrespective of where they go to school, the more likely they will want to go to Hoboken High
because it will be where their friends are going. This activity collaboration also will increase
overall buy-in and “spirit” around our BOE High School like that in other municipalities. Imagine
if Hoboken was a city where kids from all schools rallied around the Hoboken High Redwings on
a Friday night or at a debate tournament. That would be transformative for community building
and excitement around the BOE schools.

8. Should the first snow day of the year be a traditional day off, or remote learning?

Day off. Having lived through remote learning first-hand with my kids, remote learning should be discarded.