Election 2023: Isabel Vieira For Washington Township School Board

LONG VALLEY, NJ — Election Day is nearing, and Long Valley voters will soon head to the polls to cast their votes for three seats on the local school board.

Patch sent questionnaires to all candidates, seeking their responses. Here is the response from candidate Isabel Vieira.

Editor's Note: Patch emailed all candidates at the email addresses listed for their campaigns in the clerk's office. The responses will be revealed between now and the general election on Nov. 7. These comments will be published with just minor stylistic changes. Candidates who wish to participate but did not receive an invitation should email vianella.burns@patch.com.

Name: Isabel Vieira

Age: 54

Town of residence: Long Valley

Family: My husband and I have lived in Long Valley for over 20 years and have three children.

Education: I attended the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in Manhattan. I graduated with a major in international trade and marketing and a minor in buying and merchandising.

Occupation: I am a residential and commercial mortgage banker/lender. I have been in the mortgage financing industry for 30 years.

Previous or current elected appointed office: None.

Why are you seeking to run for the school board?

I am running for the Washington Township K-8 Board of Education because, as a parent, I am a firm believer that a teacher, educator, administrator or any employee of school district keeping anything from a parent (especially 5 - 13 year olds) is wrong. Nothing good ever comes of keeping parents in the dark - about anything. Parents and teachers should always work together and this collaboration will always inevitably be what is in the child's best interest.

I also want to work to ensure that our district's test scores and ranking go back to the higher numbers of prior years. Having a great school system is not only what parents want, but is the foundation of a desirable town. It ensures property values are maintained and what families seek among their top reasons when looking to move.

Being fiscally sound is also what has driven me to run for school board. Having a balanced budget amid the state's cuts is crucial to the performance of our school system and should be a concern for every taxpayer in town.

What, according to you, is the biggest issue facing the school district currently? How do you plan to tackle it?

The biggest issue is the test scores and how they've decreased over the last few years when compared to other districs. As I proposed in the Q&A session on Oct.10th, I want to explore ways to get those scores back up along with our district's rankings, without any material increase to our bottom line. For example, collaboration with Chester and Mendham school districts to discuss their successes and establish common curriculum by 8th grade, especially in ELA and math as Washington Township students in K-8 will eventually attend the same high school district. Having an alignment between school districts will help prepare our students for the next level and ensure they are not behind academically.

What special qualifications do you bring to help meet the challenge?

Working with an extremely diverse socio-economic client base for over 30 years, I am always thinking outside the box getting their loans to closing. Problem solving is part of my job, on all levels and aspects of their financing.

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

I would like to assure ALL voters that a vote for me, John Oldmixon and Jen Ryan is a vote protecting your parental rights - especially in K-8 grades where children are 5-13 years old. We did not seek public donations and our campaign is self-funded. No one tells us how to campaign, what to say, how to say it, what issues to discuss, designs our signs, etc.

Over the past few months we have been engaged with local parents and teachers to discuss their concerns and what is working well. Please visit our website at www.WTBOE23.com for more information about our campaign and remember to vote Oldmixon, Vieira, and Ryan on November 7th!