Colts Neck Board Of Education Election 2026: Thomas Colella

COLTS NECK, NJ — Candidate Thomas Colella is running for election to the Board of Education in the General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Colella is running for one of three open full-term seats on the board alongside Alicia Raia-Hawrylak and Camila Fernandez-Cohen under the "Act for Excellence" campaign.

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The three will face off against Vincent Rugnetta, Angela Mansour and Alice Dean Finney, who are running under the "Colts Kids First" campaign, as well as David Hauss, Michal Mateusz Kalisz and Alainah Robillard, who are running under the "Education First" campaign.

Ahead of the election, Patch posed several questions to Colella about his campaign platform, experience and what sets him apart from other candidates running. His replies are below.

Editor's Note: The following article contains information about one of the candidates running for the Colts Neck Board of Education in 2026. Responses are written as received by Patch and only edited for style.

Patch has contacted all other candidates in this race with the same questions and will post replies as they are received.

Are you running for election in Colts Neck? Contact Sara Winick at sara.winick@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Patch.

Thomas Colella

Age: 33
Town of Residence: Colts Neck
Education: Bachelor's in History from Ramapo College, Masters in Social Studies Education from Rutgers University, Masters in School Administration from Rowan University
Occupation: Teacher of Social Studies at Rumson Fair Haven High School (RFH)

What drove you to seek public office?

When my family moved to Colts Neck five years ago, we did so because the school system was exceptional. But within the last three years, there has been an increase in personal and political agendas from the single party controlling the Board of Education.

This has caused the once stellar reputation of the Colts Neck schools to suffer on both the local and national stage, and I am afraid that if it is allowed to continue, then it will drive away the teachers, administrators, and support staff whose experience and passion for education created the outstanding academic excellence that attracts many families to our town.

I am proud to be running alongside Alicia Raia-Hawrylak and Camila Fernandez-Cohen, who each bring decades of experience in the world of education, and will help our Board become one that focuses on academic excellence above everything else.

What sets you apart from the other candidates?
What sets me apart from the other candidates is my willingness to always look for a collaborative solution beyond the contentious argument.

I don't believe that the "my way or the highway" approach or the "love it or leave it" mentality is what this town, or any town, really wants — especially on a school board! Unfortunately, our town has become embroiled in such partisanship that many believe every election, every town meeting, and every Board agenda needs to be a competition — often with ugly results and even uglier optics.

I am passionate when I speak at Board of Education meetings, but I have only ever tried to do so to promote the removal of such partisanship in favor of actually finding solutions that are favorable to everyone. I will always fight what I feel are injustices to our students, parents, or teachers, but I will also always try to find a return to the important issues at hand and the many ways we can come together to tackle them. To put it simply, I am bored of politics in our Board of Education!

While I might not agree with many positions, policies, and proclamations made by our Board in the past few years, I am also not looking to swing in the opposite direction as a candidate or sitting member myself. I am simply running to return to the focus on our students above all else, and I hope that my election can make that happen.

What are past accomplishments or experiences that make you qualified for this position?
I have been a Social Studies teacher for more than twelve years with degrees in History, Social Studies Education, and School Administration.

In my district, I have written scores of curricula ranging from In-Class Support to Honors to Advanced Placement. In my department, I have planned and run professional development on the use of technology and how academic integrity is changing in the world of AI. In my own classroom, I have written grants to incorporate novel teaching methods and materials, including trips to museums, historical board games, and even virtual reality goggles.

These experiences have given me insight into what makes a district successful at every level, from the classroom to the Board of Education itself.

As the founder and advisor of the Social Studies Honor Society at RFH, it is a key priority for our students to engage in civic education.

Every year, I help student leaders run a Voter Registration Drive where we register every single Senior to be an active and informed voter. We have hosted legislators from both parties to talk about their experience in New Jersey politics. For the 250th anniversary of America's founding, we hosted a panel of historians to discuss how New Jersey played host to local heroes such as Joshua Huddy and several Native American tribes.

As a member of this Board, I want to encourage and promote examples of civic engagement such as these to our Colts Neck students who are surrounded by opportunities to learn about their community and improve it every single day.

If elected, what will be your top priorities in your new role?
My top priorities for this position are to be proactive and creative in how we can handle the rapidly changing landscape of both Colts Neck and education as a whole.

Local issues include increased development — which has been the topic of complaint at our Board meetings for years — but no meaningful plans have been discussed in terms of how we can handle the influx of more than 200 new students to our district. There will be serious needs in terms of budgets, transportation, materials, staff, and space, and we need to start having those conversations now if we are to successfully navigate the next few years.

Educational concerns include the meteoric rise of Artificial Intelligence, the dramatic increase in costs of healthcare for our staff, and the New Jersey school funding formula which dictates how much state aid our local district might receive. Again, these are topics that have been on the horizon for years and should have been discussed and planned for by our Board way sooner than now, but we currently have no working policy for AI for our students or staff, have no long-term stability in terms of healthcare coverage for our teachers, and have not collaborated in a constructive manner with the state Department of Education about how state aid will be distributed to our district.

My priorities will be to finally address these long overdue topics as well as to continue to plan for future developments that might arise.

Name one thing about Colts Neck that always makes you smile. There is nothing else that comes close to the exceptional park system we have here in Colts Neck and Monmouth County as a whole.

My children never get tired of going to the playgrounds, trails, and recreation areas offered by our town and county. These community areas help enrich the lives of our children, who can appreciate the beautiful town they live in and learn through the nature all around them.

I hope that my kids can continue to enjoy our weekends out and around the town (when it isn't raining!) just as much as they enjoy their time in school during the week.