Hoboken School Board Profiles: Leslie Norwood

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 Is How Leslie Norwood Of "Leadership That Listens" Answered The Questions:

NAME: Leslie Norwood
CAMPAIGN WEBSITE (if applicable): www.leadershipthatlistenshobok...
AGE: 51
FAMILY INFORMATION AND WHERE ATTENDING SCHOOL (be as specific or non-
specific as you want): Married with 2 children at Brandt Elementary School in the
Hoboken Public School District
OCCUPATION: Securities attorney and federal lobbyist focusing on infrastructure
finance
OTHER SOURCES OF INCOME: None
DOES ANYONE IN YOUR FAMILY WORK IN GOVT OR POLITICS? WHERE?: No one
in my family is employed in government or politics.
VOLUNTEER WORK, COMMUNITY POSITIONS: I lean in! I have volunteered with
organizations including the Hoboken Public Education Foundation as a Board Member
(2017-2022), Hoboken Community Center Food Pantry, Cub Scout Den Leader, Brandt
PTO, Brandt Parent Consortium for Pre-K, Hoboken Special Needs Parent Advisory
Group, and as class parent.
OTHER EXPERIENCE AND ELECTED OFFICES: I’ve never held elected office.

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?
I’ll give you 3 of each!
3 Things the BOE Is Doing Well:
1. Raised HHS's average 3 or higher AP scores from 4.5 percent to 59 percent over 9 years and added Albert Platform review materials and practice tests this year to further improve student outcomes.
2. Leaning into STEAM education so that the Hoboken Public School District had the most elementary school teams that made the NJ STEAM TANK Regionals and Statewide Competition. Two HMS students won the NJ STEAM Tank Middle School Statewide Competition.
3. Training all K-2 teachers in the Orton Gillingham Reading Method with the goal of
continuing to improve academic outcomes in reading/ELA.
3 Things the BOE Should Improve:
1. Enhancing teacher tools such as updated curricula and training/professional development;
2. Developing and publishing a 3-to-5-year strategic plan with community input addressing topics including facilities; and
3. Improving Board transparency by posting interim financials and public documents
filed with NJ DOE, such as the Long-Range Facilities Plan and the 10/15 Enrollment
Report.

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

I think it is important to have a Board Trustee, like me, that has a deep personal focus on children with learning differences. It is important to recognize that all children learn at different paces or in different ways, and it is the Hoboken Public School District’s obligation to serve them all. Both of my children have learning differences, which has inspired me to learn about teaching tools, methodologies, education policy.
I am also a municipal bond attorney with almost 25 years of experience in state and local government finance.

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

I would vote for my Leadership That Listens slate mates, Antonio Grana and Alex De La Torre, as we are all committed to continuing the improvements to the Hoboken Public School District.

Antonio, Alex and I are running because we know what it is at stake if our Board of Education shifts from a body that is focused on student achievement and solving the very real problems our district faces, to one mired in politics. Battles overs diversity inclusion, masks, and COVID protocols have had very real impact on teacher and administrator retention in many districts in this country. We don’t want the Hoboken Public School District to go backwards.

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?

Even before I had children in the Hoboken Public School District, I believed that the decades of deferred maintenance on our school buildings needed to be addressed. I voted yes on the referendum for that reason; however, the January referendum process needed more transparency and community outreach. The Hoboken Public School District has over 3,000 students to educate from pre-K to grade 12. We need to develop and publish a 3-to-5-year strategic plan, with community input, addressing topics including facilities. My experience in infrastructure finance will be an asset to the Board and the City as we move forward to ensure that all our students have adequate facilities.

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 a registered Democrat; however, I have neither been a party leader nor am looking
at our local school issues with politics in mind.

Local school board races should be non-partisan, but unfortunately politics have come into play as the Chair of the Hoboken Republican Committee is the campaign manager for the “Kids First” slate and the Chair of the Hudson County Young Republicans, Pavel Sokolov, is the top of their ticket. I believe that they should have resigned their party leadership positions prior to running in a non-partisan 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

Student achievement is my number one concern, and there is always room for improvement. One thing that may be helpful is the addition of math specialists at each school, much like there are currently reading specialists at each school. Most of the test results people see on sites like US News or Niche.com are outdated, and date from the 2018-2019 school year. Students only recently took standardized tests again this spring. I am eager to see how district students performed and what areas of improvement will need to be focused on in the coming years.

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...

Hoboken is a wonderful place to raise children for many reasons, including the variety of educational options. Charter schools, private schools and the Hoboken Public School District all provide different options for parents to choose from for each child. The Hoboken Board of Education only has control over the budget, policies and Superintendent of the Hoboken Public Schools District. During Dr. Johnson’s tenure as Superintendent, student enrollment in grades K through 12 has risen 26.33 percent from 2014-15 to 2021-2022, which equates to about 500 students. This enrollment increase is due to the improvements being made in district schools during this time, and continued improvements will naturally lead to continued enrollment increases. As new buildings are built over the Hoboken railyard, on the western edge, and in the Northwest Redevelopment Zone, the school population will also rise.

The City of Hoboken has a duty to provide recreational and other opportunities to all children that reside in Hoboken.

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

This is the type of decision best left for the superintendent, considering the facts and circumstance at issue. However, I do enjoy a snow day with my children!