Scotch Plains-Fanwood Board Of Education Profile: Amy Boroff

SCOTCH PLAINS/FANWOOD, NJ — Scotch Plains-Fanwood Regional School Board has five candidates vying for three seats in the upcoming election on Nov. 3.

Amy Boroff and Margaret Maggie Savoca are running for the one, three-year seat to represent Fanwood on the board.

Dr. David Levine, Evan Murray, and Karen Mitchell are running for the two, three-year seats to represent Scotch Plains on the board.

Are you running for office in Scotch Plains-Fanwood? Contact Alexis Tarrazi at alexis.tarrazi@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Scotch Plains-Fanwood Patch.

Amy Boroff

Many of you only know Amy Boroff as one of Fanwood's representatives on the Board of Education. Some of you remember me as the owner of Be Craftful that laughed and danced at birthday parties with your children; a former Fanwood Recreation Commissioner; an Art Enrichment teacher at the JCC; a fellow parent at Back to School Night. I graduated UMASS with a degree in Elementary Education and remain committed to Mindfulness, Communication, Equity and Special Education.

As a BOE member, I quickly learned that along with responsibility comes restraint — especially in turbulent times like now, as we face a pandemic. Because of policy and privacy laws, I am not able to engage in conversations related to the BOE on social media or elsewhere. Often to a fault, I believe, and communications is one of the things I'd like to continue to work on should I get re-elected. I serve on the newly re-started Community Relations Committee where we continue to make progress to better our communications. We've seen great changes like the new website, the creation of an @SPFProud Twitter account and working closer with the PTA — but we also know that we can do better and I look forward to working with the newly hired Communication Consultant that I voted in favor of. In my real life job, I work with nonprofit organizations to develop and execute Communications and Fundraising strategies. I know we can do better as a district and having a professional guide us, is something I’m really looking forward to.

The passion I had for education when I joined the BOE in 2017, has developed into a sincere commitment that I take extreme pride in. We've accomplished a lot in the short time I've been on the Board of Education. Facing the challenge of school security, we worked with town leadership to place security officers in every building, the emotional and wellness of our students remains a priority and as such we have counselors in every building and our teachers continue to engage in mindfulness initiatives. We have formed meaningful committees with community members to learn and listen on how we can do better as a district as it relates to racism, equity and social justice. I've had the opportunity to visit classrooms and see programs introduced to combat racism, but know there is a great deal of value in our partnerships with organizations like THRT, SJM and REAL parents which will help accelerate our goal to an equitable education for all students. Equity plays a part in every decision we make as a district and that is why I am eager to serve on the newly formed Wellness and Equity committee.

I know that this is a difficult time for everyone, I live it myself. My daughter started 9th grade this year, a momentous year that despite all efforts, is simply not the same virtually. I, like so many parents in our district, struggle with balancing my work schedule and my daughter's school schedule and am constantly wondering what else I should be doing to help her. I remind myself daily, we will return to normal, this is just temporary.

As a Board member, I often have to make difficult decisions that not everyone agrees with. Now more than ever, we need to keep the consistency of the Board so that when we do return to normal we can cohesively work together with respect, trust and confidence. I am running to renew my term on the Board of Education because I am committed to better communication, passionate about the wellbeing and equity for our children and know that my strengths in these areas will result in better outcomes for our community.