Central Regional School Board Candidate Night: 3 Takeaways

BERKELEY, NJ — Seven candidates are vying for two seats on the Central Regional Board of Education. Four of these recently attended a "Meet the Candidates Night" hosted by the Central Regional Education Association (CREA) and PTA.

The four candidates who attended are running mates Megan Bowens and Danielle Grochowicz, Lisa Vargas (running alone) and Carol Cousins, who is running with Kia Phua though he was unable to attend.

Also running are incumbents Merissa Borawski and Heather Koenig. The two put out a statement prior to the event saying they declined the invitation because the CREA is appealing the dismissal of ethics charges filed against them. These charges stem from controversy two years ago where the two went under fire for sharing racist social media posts. While the School Ethics Commission said that the posts were "divisive, inflammatory, and hostile," they determined that because Borawski and Koenig shared them on personal accounts, it didn't violate the School Ethics Act as it was not made in a professional setting. This decision is under appeal.

Here are three takeaways from the event.

Transparency And Community Engagement

"Central Regional is a cornerstone of this community," Bowens said when asked about her priorities. "We would like to improve this cornerstone by strengthening its relationship with the community."

She said that transparency is part of this, and it's important to her and Grochowicz. The two of them said they aim to improve communication and collaborate with the school board, staff and families. They said they want to improve how they get information out to parents.

"I think it's most important that board members have a heartbeat on what's happening in the schools, not that they're always there, but they need to have a heartbeat on what the children are experiencing, so that they can address issues," Cousins, a former educator of 37 years, said.

Cousins added that as a resident of Holiday City, there is often a disconnect between what happens in the district and what the senior communities know about. She said that if elected, she would be accessible to them and help reach out to them.

"I say this all the time to my daughters: 'get involved, it's the best thing you can do,'" said Vargas, who also said she would be "so accessible, you'd be sick of me" if elected. A longtime Berkeley resident, Vargas previously served in leadership roles within the PTA.

Student Safety

With mental health being a growing issue for young people, candidates emphasized that they supported initiatives to enhance school safety and improve student mental health services.

Vargas said she would "promote emotional support systems for students to encourage strong partnerships between schools and families, with emphasis on collaborative decision making."

"I believe in creating an inclusive environment where every child feels valued and supported," Bowens said. "Addressing issues like bullying and racism is also critical."

She said she wanted to strengthen policies and provide professional development for staff to foster a positive school culture.

Grochowicz mentioned wanting to complete a "multi-layer security perimeter to complement the efforts to counteract some of the internal threats" like bullying.

These can be achieved through grant funding, she said, to offset some of the tax burden.

Achievement And Morale

The candidates agreed: morale and achievement are linked together. The school's new superintendent, Michelle CarneyRay-Yoder, has implemented initiatives to improve morale. Bowens said she wants to ensure the positive impacts are actually occurring.

Academic achievement is not the only important thing, Bowens said - she also wants to see that students are "excelling in extracurriculars."

Cousins commended the district's teachers, saying that her granddaughter - a student - has teachers stay after class to work with her when needed.

"I do think that morale is a big deal," Cousins said. "You know, when you feel good about yourself, when you get up in the morning and you're ready to go, you're ready to work."

This extends to teachers as well, she said. The staff also has to feel good about themselves to set the tone for students.

Grochowicz said she and Bowens wish to implement a committee of teachers who could provide "transparent feedback" to the school board without fear of consequences.

"They're the people who are making things happen, are seeing what's going on, are identifying the issues and they're living it out," she said. "They should be able to have a safe space to discuss with board members and have no fear of retaliation."

Watch the full video below.