Verona School Board 2026 Candidate Profile: Daniel Frenklakh

VERONA, NJ — EDITOR'S NOTE: The following article contains information about Daniel Frenklakh, who has filed to run for the Verona Board of Education in the 2026 general election on Nov. 3. Are you a local candidate seeking election? Send campaign news releases to eric.kiefer@patch.com

CANDIDATE NAME/AGE/TOWN

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Daniel Frenklakh, 19, Verona

WHAT ARE YOUR QUALIFICATIONS AND BACKGROUND?

My qualifications for the position include 13 years of being within the school district and hearing the appeals of students, teachers, and administrators alike. I only recently graduated in the class of 2025, so I have a unique ability to understand how board policy is actually implemented in our schools. I participated in numerous extracurricular activities that have a firm place in the culture of the Verona school district. I played football for the Verona Hillbillies as well as played in the marching band (The Marching Maroon and White). I was the Student Body Secretary my senior year, and I founded the Verona High School History Club, which became the second biggest club in our school at its peak.

Furthermore, outside my experience in the district I am an EMT on the Verona Rescue Squad, and I have interned with both the Township of Verona and one of our assemblymen, Al Barlas. This gives me a distinct perspective on how to implement additional shared services agreements and facilitate communication between these institutions. Further, I would be able to use my skills to help identify and make sample grant applications for our administration, which could help us in the upcoming year's budget. At Rutgers, where I currently go, I am also an ROTC cadet. This environment allows me to understand and internalize the concept of servant leadership, which I hope to implement if I am given the opportunity to be elected to the Board.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS IF ELECTED?

I have multiple ideas I plan to propose and advocate for if elected to the Board. First and foremost, the largest problem facing the district today is the upcoming budget. This year, we had significant problems confronting steep cost increases, with healthcare being a primary driver, that caused the district to cut multiple staff positions, especially affecting our music and foreign language programs. I would propose innovative solutions in nearly every category to lower costs and raise revenue. For rising healthcare costs, I would advocate for amending the VEA (Verona Educators Association) contract to offer a higher figure for teachers to waive their insurance and elect to choose their spouse's. We currently offer $5,000 if you opt out, as opposed to spending $42,000 on a family insurance plan. This could bring in significant savings.

Furthermore, I would advocate for a Solar PPA, which would allow the district to secure a much cheaper, more consistent rate on electricity, with no upfront costs or debt to the district. I would also offer solutions such as stipending out coaches and teachers to get CDLs, saving the district money and also ensuring there are no delays when our student-athletes are waiting for a bus to arrive for an important game.

Additionally, the district, in my opinion, has some actions they could take to become more transparent. While the current board is not closed off by any means, I would advocate for taking the next step. This would include publicizing Q&A sessions to parents with administrators and the board of education on the budget, so that we can answer questions from the community in an open and understandable way. This would be similar to what the district already does when designing our strategic plan. Furthermore, I would advocate for our public meetings to be livestreamed on Facebook and Instagram as well as YouTube, as many constituents actively use those platforms instead.

Finally, I would push for the school administration to start new test-centric programs/curriculum to prepare our students for the world beyond high-school. It's no secret that colleges are becoming less test-optional and the SAT/ACT is important as ever. Although the Board of Education does not make curriculum, it does approve it, so I would champion for administration to either offer a half-year elective called "Success in Testing", going over the Desmos calculator, the core concepts tested on the SAT/ACT, and other test-specific tricks, or I would ask if we could offer a very cheap and optional after-school program where we stipend a Math and English teacher to teach those same concepts. The only cost would be the cost of the stipend.

WHAT IS ONE THING ABOUT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT MAKES YOU SMILE?

One thing about the district that always makes me smile is how close together our community is. There's nothing quite like a Verona football game, with the band, alums, student section, and community all coming together at one time. It's truly special seeing how multiple generations interact, and it shows how unique our tight-knit town is. Whether it be the love of our community for our teachers or celebrating a student's success, it's always a great sight to see.

Learn more about Frenklakh's campaign platform and background here.

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