Susan Kanter: Princeton Board Of Education Candidate Profile

PRINCETON, NJ —There is a contested race for the Princeton Board of Education election this upcoming November election with four candidates vying for the three open seats.

Susan Kanter is one of four candidates running for the three, three-year seats in the election being held on Tuesday, Nov. 5. The other three candidates include: Gregory Stankiewicz, Debbie Bronfeld, and Dafna Kendal.

Here is a look at who Kanter is and why she is running. Candidates were asked to answer the same questions and each candidate profile will be posted on Patch's site as it gets closer to the election.

Susan Kanter

"All of Princeton's children deserve healthy, safe, and engaging schools. For 15 years as an active volunteer, I have worked to support and improve the Princeton Public Schools. I have extensive experience collaborating with families, teachers, staff, community members and administrators on urgent issues facing our district. Now I would like to deepen my involvement by serving on the Princeton Public School Board of Education to ensure that the full potential of every child is achieved in a manner that is healthy and joyful.

I have lived in Princeton for more than 20 years and my three children recently graduated from PPS. After my public school education, I graduated from Duke University in 1981 with degrees in economics and political science and worked for 23 years as VP of Operations at a large multi-national wholesale firm in NYC, where I was responsible for budgeting, projections, and personnel for a $250 million division. After retiring from that position, I volunteered extensively in the schools: five years as PHS PTO Co-President; five years as John Witherspoon Middle School PTO Treasurer; and five years on PTO Council. These roles allowed me to give a voice to issues at PHS, while staying current on issues at the elementary schools and JWMS. Currently, I serve as treasurer for both the 101: Fund and the Princeton Children’s Fund — two organizations that help to provide vital financial support and mentorship to families living in financial insecurity.

Through my work in the PTO, I have found that the most impactful solutions are achieved when both community and stakeholder input are solicited and carefully considered. For example, as a parent representative on the PHS Bell Committee — which changed the start time and schedule at PHS to promote student wellness — I observed the impact of creative, thoughtful change that was well researched, student focused, and collaborative.

It is this type of planning and collaborative work that is needed to tackle our district’s greatest issues of equity, achievement, budget, wellness, facility planning and sustainability.

In the last few years I have co-led the PHS PTO to support initiatives to enhance our community. These included the Homecoming football game under the lights; the initiative to provide a welcoming environment for new families; a student-led sustainability initiative to end disposable plastic water bottle use at PHS; Special Education PTO programs that educate our community as a whole; and programs that give voice to the issues of income disparity and race.

Last year’s referendum roll-out demonstrated the need for more communication, community partnership, research and planning. I led more than a dozen tours of PHS for our community bringing more than 500 members of our community through the high school as the BOE coalesced around a scaled-back referendum that addressed some of the facilities’ most urgent needs. From that experience, I understand even more fully how important listening, outreach, transparency, accountability and communication are for the community to have confidence in the BOE’s decisions.

My passion is that each student finds joy, achievement, and connection in our schools, and I intend to do the hard, detailed work to arrive at solutions that satisfy the needs of our students while being accountable to the Princeton taxpayer."

— (If you are a candidate and would like to participate in the election profile, email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com)

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