Tonya Y. Williams: Scotch Plains School Board Candidate

SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ — The Scotch Plains School Board has six candidates vying for three seats in the upcoming election on Nov. 2.

Incumbent Tonya Y. Williams is one of the candidates running. The other candidates include:

• David Levine
• Karen Kulikowski - incumbent
• Debora Brody - incumbent
• Timothy J. Mehl, Jr. - running under the slogan "For Our Kids"
• Michael R. Gromek - running under the slogan "Achievement, Community, Tradition"

All of the candidates are running for the three, three-year seats on the board.

Are you running for office in Scotch Plains? 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.

Tonya Y. Williams

Name: Tonya Y. Williams

Age: 52

Town of residence: Scotch Plains

Position sought: Third term on the Board of Education

Family: Daughter Toni, Sons, Aidan and Jayson

Education: Kean University

Occupation: Realtor and local business owner

Previous or current elected appointed office: Board of Education member

Why are you seeking to run for school board? I am the Chair of the newly formed committee Wellness and Equity and I look forward to moving the committee forward with our local partnerships, The REAL parents, TRHT and SJM , there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.

What is your stance on masks in schools? I do agree with parent choice however, the CDC recommends all schools require universal masking and additional prevention because masks alone are not enough in the pandemic.

Should schools offer a virtual option? Kids should be in school, however, if there are people that are immune-compromised I would vote for an exception. We all did virtual learning and we got through it but kids should be in school. Supporting the families and children that are hesitant about going back to school and slowly acclimating them back to school would also be ideal.

What other issues do you feel must be tackled in the school district? Diveristy, inclusion and equity is always going to be ongoing to ensure all children have access and opportunity to resources, learning about other cultures. There is a focused efforts on increasing diversification of our staff and we are still recruiting for male teachers and minorities. Our partnership with Rutgers Behaviorial Health and Student Assessment Specialists has been always been priority and will continue to tackle what needs to be identified for our special needs families.

What sets you apart from the challenging candidates? I am a huge advocate for our children, schools and families. I am not here for just one issue but all issues to continue to move our schools forward. It looks easy from the outside but it takes a lot of collaborative efforts from everyone. I graduated from SPF in 1987 and my goal was to raise my children in an environment that could provide the same unique feeling of community that I loved. And 20 years ago as a single mother I have not regretted the sacrifices I made to raise my 3 children here.

What else would you like to share about yourself or your campaign? I am an active community member and a devoted citizen in Scotch Plains since 1982, When I went to my 10 year HS reunion years prior, classmates asked me, "why did I remain in Scotch Plains, there is no "nightlife." I said I am here to raise my children. And I watched many of them return later on to do the same.

We are a community that our children can walk home from school or walk downtown for pizza and know they are in a community. I was instrumental in advocating the renaming Park Middle School to Malcolm E Nettingham.