Manchester Township School Board Election 2023: Laura Wingler

MANCHESTER, NJ — Election Day 2023 is near, and Manchester Township voters will be going to the polls to cast their ballots for candidates at the local, county and state levels.

The three, three-year terms on the Manchester Township Board of Education are the only contested races in Manchester, and there are six candidates seeking the three seats. School board seats are volunteer positions and are supposed to be nonpartisan entities.

Patch sent a questionnaire to all of the candidates seeking their responses. Here are the replies from Laura Wingler.

Your Name: Laura Wingler

Age (as of Election Day): 38

Campaign Website: Putting Kids First — Manchester Township

Family: I reside in the Pine Lake section of Manchester with my husband, Rob Wingler, and our kids who currently attend the Manchester Township School District: my stepson Robbie (12th grade at Manchester Township High School) and daughter Ally (4th grade at Ridgeway Elementary School).

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? This includes any relatives who work in the government you're running for. No.

Education: Master's of education in instructional design & technology from American College of Education and an master's of fine arts (terminal degree) in creative writing from Western Connecticut State University; bachelor’s degree in English from Rider University.

Occupation: Employed by Ocean County College since 2018 as a faculty member and Lead Instructional Designer; previously worked in the business world in account manager and marketing development manager roles for 12-plus years.

Previous or current elected or appointed office: Manchester Township Board of Education for 3 years

Why are you seeking elective office?

I'm seeking re-election for a second term to the board of education in MTSD. Our students are the future and everything we do within the schools should be centered around their success. As an educator myself, I have a deep respect for teachers and their passion, and I want to continue to serve in a way that advocates for them and their students to access quality education and services, and to support the staff that makes it all possible.

I’ve completed all of my NJSBA school board training, Governance 1-4 and continue to participate in training and professional development opportunities to do my best to represent the community.

What I love most about being on the BOE is serving with members who bring different perspectives and experiences to the role which I believe keeps us objective. We learn a lot from each other in how we approach the unique situations that come to us.

Since starting on the BOE in 2021, there have been open seats each year which has resulted in changes and influxes of members. Being a school board member is a serious commitment that takes up a minimum of 15-20 hours of volunteer service each month between going to events, committee meetings, reading documents, presentations, e-mails, reading and re-reading agendas, and attending regular board meetings.

I am dedicated to the role, I ask a lot of questions, and want to continue volunteering my time to putting our students first. This is also why I am running with Poss and Adkinson on the “Putting Kids First” slate because they share my views on objective leadership and nonpartisanship.

What do you see as the role of the Board of Education?

The role of the board of education is defined for members by policies and the code of ethics. It is not to run the schools since that is the job of the superintendent and the administrative team but to make sure the schools are run well. This includes hiring/firing and evaluating the superintendent, being a voice on school policies, and using objective judgment to approve and question action items put forth by the district's leadership.

The Manchester Township Schools are predicted to see an increase in enrollment over the next 5 years. What steps do you think the district should take to prepare for that?

The district recently conducted a feasibility study (September 2023) that presented the board with data that predicted that in 2028, the district is projected to enroll 2,897 students, which is only a few more students than we have now (2,894).

While that number is very likely to be higher, it is important to plan to meet the needs of our students using data. Conducting this study was a step in the right direction to identify scenarios and their possible outcomes when determining expansion or reconfiguration for the school district and gave the board an idea of the parameters they have to work within. It also gave scenarios to take off the table.

The district will need to continue to monitor the enrollment of the district and current housing projects to determine appropriate solutions that could include adding classrooms, adding wings to existing buildings, or space within the district to meet the needs of the students if there is a need.

I believe the current board of education and district leadership is on top of this and is continuing to research ways to prepare for an influx and have fiscally responsible plans in place should the need to implement such plans arise. There are also numerous grants and programs available that the district can apply for to help with this. The administrative team in Manchester is always seeking and sourcing grant funds to help drive down costs and remain fiscally responsible.

At the moment, there isn’t data for a major increase but planning and preparing for it will keep the board ahead of any surprises.

What do you believe is the most important issue for students and families in the Manchester Township Schools?

Change! There has been a lot of change since the pandemic between changes in the district’s leadership, the board members serving, the student population, changes in our special services and special education numbers, changes that impact the school’s finances and changes in expectations for what education looks like after the pandemic.

During my three years on the BOE, I have watched our enrollment shift, demographics change, learning deficits grow, and our school leaders try to adapt to meet the needs of every student. I’ve seen things like health insurance premiums skyrocket and unforeseen financial obligations spread across our school budget. After sitting through three full years of budget meetings, I’ve seen how a $60 million budget gets sliced away with only a small percentage of it funding the day-to-day necessities within the schools. I’ve seen how our school funding formula shakes up that budget and the small fraction funding the schools.

Our town is in a transition right now and finding ways to grow and continue to meet (and exceed) the needs of our students is critical. These next three years are going to be important to deciding the future of Manchester and this election is going to be critical since it is inevitable that 3 open seats will bring more change and with it — substantial voting power.

Finding continuity and stability through all of this change is needed to lead us into the future.

With that said, I’m not about changing our schools. I think we have an incredible school system with dedicated staff and a commitment to academic excellence. I’m confident that our students will continue to thrive in the schools that they love where learning and community is at the forefront of everything we do.