Meet The Edison Board Of Education Candidates

EDISON, NJ — Six candidates are running for three open seats on the Edison Board of Education. If elected, they'll serve the school district for three years. Patch caught up with them before the November election to ask a few questions.

Yunxia "Yuna" Chen, Elizabeth Conway, Anthony DeAmorin, Ralph Errico, Shivi Prasad-Madhukar and Harish Verma are the six candidates listed on the ballot. We asked all candidates the same four questions:

• Why are you running for Board Of Education?
• What is the biggest challenge facing schools in your town, and how will you address it?
• What three words would you use to describe yourself to someone who has never met you?
• What experience in your background has prepared you to be an effective leader?

All candidates were sent the questions at the same time, and were given the same deadline to submit them. They were given no minimum or maximum word count, and encouraged to write as much as they needed, or to keep the answers brief if they wanted to. Answers were submitted by email and are presented here as submitted. Candidates are listed in alphabetical order by last name.

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Yuna Chen

Why are you running for Board Of Education?

As a parent, I care deeply about my child's education. I actively participate in school activities. When speaking with other parents, I found many have common concerns or questions regarding our kids' education and do not have easy access to information. Sometimes we feel lost as to why some decisions were made by the school district. I believe that parents should be more involved in the education system, not passively accepting the status quo. We need to be proactive, contribute to the decision making process, and collaborate with the schools to best benefit our students. Therefore, I'm running for BOE because I want to be an advocate for the students and parents of Edison. I want to serve as a bridge to connect parents and the schools. As a parent with a young child in the school system, I have the unique opportunity to receive the first-hand feedback from parents. With a background of a PhD in Computational Chemistry from the University of Chicago, demonstrable analytical skills, and ample inter-personal experience, I'm confident that I can work well with the parents and the schools to tackle any problems.

What is the biggest challenge facing schools in your town, and how will you address it?

I think over-crowding is the biggest challenge for our schools. Our school district has over sixteen thousand students, well above the capacity of our current facilities. We need to build more classrooms, but I don't want to pass all the burdens to our taxpayers. With a $251 million school budget, I want to make sure that our education funding is not wasted and optimally allocated for education; I will also work with the board to collaborate with local and state government to get our fair share of funding and promote shared services.

The other issue is the overuse of technology. We are in the 21st century and technology use is needed. However, the heavy use of technology starting with Kindergarten needs to be re-evaluated. In my opinion, we need to bring the traditional “blackboard” based teaching back. We also need to increase "student - student" and "student - teacher" interactions. Also the devices used in our district are extremely easy to break and cost the taxpayers a lot of money on repairs and upgrades. I would also like to re-examine the number and quality of softwares being used in our district to ensure they are user friendly.

What three words would you use to describe yourself to someone who has never met you?

Integrity, Caring, Down-to-earth

What experience in your background has prepared you to be an effective leader?

I have more than ten years of professional experience as a data scientist in the financial industry. I have a good vision of the scientific and technological frontiers, so I can offer valuable input. I will also use my strong analytical skills and critical thinking skills to solve real world problems. As a manager at a major bank, I collaborate with a lot of teams, often take the lead, to get jobs done. All these well prepared me to be an effective leader.

Elizabeth Conway

Why are you running for Board Of Education?

I am running for BOE because I feel we may have lost sight of what matters - the children! The children MUST come first - their education, their needs, their safety and their futures should always be our biggest concerns. The BOE has had too much focus on the business of running the Board of Education and they need to get back to what really matters - our children and their schools. I want to enhance the “Nothing Less than Excellence” of the Public Schools of Edison Township.

What is the biggest challenge facing schools in your town, and how will you address it?

Undoubtedly, the biggest challenge facing the schools in our town is overcrowding because it impacts all areas of our schools:

• Safety
• Academic achievement
• Cultural understanding
• Student achievement
• Student motivation
• Test Scores, district rankings
• Technology
• Student and Teacher morale

I would address this issue

• Initially by:
  • Addressing the possibility of innovative scheduling formats
  • Exploring the possibility with professionals of ways to implement online courses
  • Brainstorming creative building usage
  • Involving ALL stakeholders in our town’s future by reaching out to township, county and state officials, public and private industry, business and cultural associations
• Ultimately to:
  • Create plans and actions for future building improvement -
  • Explore all possibilities & make viable options a reality
  • Locate land to build on, through land swap, donation or other possible sources
  • Investigate ways to build, whether through modular construction, building up, or to create smaller magnet schools or academy units

What three words would you use to describe yourself to someone who has never met you?

The three words that I would use to describe myself to someone who has never met me are: educated, determined and honest.

What experience in your background has prepared you to be an effective leader?

I have been involved in many leadership roles over the years, perfecting my leadership skills through practice.

• Starting before getting involved with children and our town, I worked with building management in NYC.
• I worked as a Girl Scout Leader, developing youth leaders.
• I served as a PTA and ETPTAC Officer, supporting the local schools.
• I served on several youth athletics boards.
• I was elected and served as a Union representative.

Each of these experiences has taught me important skills in leadership, which all have been vitally important to me.

Anthony DeAmorin

Why are you running for Board Of Education?

As a resident of Edison for over 30 years and a 1999 graduate from Edison High School, I have seen the slow decline in our education system over the many years since. One of the biggest factors for my candidacy was lack of school security. I was a senior at Edison High when the Columbine massacre occurred. I remember having conversations with fellow classmates and doing what kids do; playing the what if game. With that tragedy being what many consider the first mass school shooting in modern American history, we as students knew then that if something were to happen in Edison, the result would be catastrophic. And nearly 20 years later, with countless number of innocent lives of defenseless children lost, very little if anything has been done to protect students and faculty. Not until some brave politician somewhere decided to put an end to the lack of incompetence of their fellow peers and begin to secure our schools. And of course in the copycat world of politics that we live in, many others began following from behind and slowly began taking action. We can consider ourselves extremely fortunate and lucky not having to deal with similar acts of terror in Edison. It was at this point when it became crystal clear how much we politicized our children’s education to the point that the DMV had armed protection before anyone of our schools. The safety and security of all students and faculty should be our number one concern in 2018 and every year that follows. No exception. So I propose a question. If not one of our elected members could stand on principle with common sense and logic guiding them to have the understanding of placing a Childs life before any of their own political lives, then how in the world can we expect them to handle any other important matters with any competency?

What is the biggest challenge facing schools in your town, and how will you address it?

There are many other important issues that are imminent to our education system in Edison. But the hiring of the right individual for the position of Superintendent stands alone. Whoever is decided on to fill that position, will play a leading role in the future direction we take as a district that will impact everyone from students, parents and teachers and the community as a whole. Having a vibrant and thriving education system leaves such a positive impact that trickles down for all residents to benefit. We need a superintendent who has the ability to understand our demographics while possessing innovative skills that look beyond any surface. if we begin to actually look deeper into what is the driving force behind bad policy, you will soon notice all the rules and regulations that Trenton constantly imposes on the local municipality. Unfortunately, it is met with very little resistance. And what you will soon begin to realize how we are slowly we are surrendering our own authority and power as a local jurisdiction and handing it to the halls of Trenton. From the curriculum that is imposed to what your child can eat on the school lunch program and everything else in between is being decided for us by taking the voice of the people and those we elect locally. I stand with our parents and teachers, who have a much better understanding and knowledge deciding what is best for the students and children of Edison over any self-serving bureaucrat in Trenton or in D.C. Our great teachers, who are on the front lines by having the responsibility of educating our future generation, are constantly losing more freedom and flexibility inside their own classroom. And as a result they lose the one unique quality most all of them have; the ability to actually teach. They are not free to dive deeper in a specific topic or subject matter that they may feel needs further discussion. Their curriculum is pre-written prior to the new school year and before meeting a single one of their new students. Every school, class and child is different from the next. What one class’s strength may be another class’s weakness. It is time we look at each student as an individual and not grouped into categories that are almost impossible to break out of.

Teachers are also put into some really impossible working conditions as they MUST adhere to ridiculous pre-determined time sensitive curriculum. This all being imposed on them while being understaffed and left without many of the basic standard classroom supplies. Many of our unselfish educators, who sacrifice by ending their summer breaks early for classroom preparation, end up spending hundreds of dollars of their hard earned money before the first day of school begins. Unacceptable! This is all due to the clear lack of leadership and accountability among many of the status quo board members. Most candidates can’t wait to scream out loud how they are the ones “for the teacher” when lobbying for union support. So to be clear, I will be looking to support a new Superintendent who can bring the right type of experience guided with common sense and wisdom with a stomach and willingness to push back against bad policy while communicating to the people the case for more liberty. So while I began becoming tired of pounding sand to some of the irresponsible behavior we have currently in our local government, I decided to use my frustration in a much more constructive way. By declaring my candidacy and run to for a seat on the Edison Board of Education. And either due to the lack of awareness or complete incompetency, these issues rarely, if ever, get brought up by any current or past members. No lively discussions or debates are brought up to combat these growing issues. I believe new life is needed in many of the seats being currently occupied on our school board. But it will be the voters of Edison who will ultimately decide to agree or disagree with that assessment.

What three words would you use to describe yourself to someone who has never met you?

Energetic, passionate, trailblazer

What experience in your background has prepared you to be an effective leader?

I believe that all of my life’s experiences up to this point, led always by my strong faith in God, to give me the strength and wisdom in retaining all the knowledge of all the lessons I have learned to assist me in a more virtuous cause. In return, without any hesitation, I will always choose the side of liberty over all the different sides and faces of tyranny. So rather than cherry pick my own life’s resume and prematurely self anoint myself as the next George S. Patton, I will defer to the people In which I surround myself with, to grade in my ability to lead.

Ralph Errico

Why are you running for Board Of Education?

I'm running for the Board of Ed because I want the BEST for ALL of our Children, Parents, Taxpayers, and Staff. We have made very good strides over the last 3 years that I've served and I would like to continue that progress over the next three years. Currently we are rank #23 in State as a School District. We have 22 more spots to rise until we ALL hit our goal! #1

What is the biggest challenge facing schools in your town, and how will you address it?

We have Two:

* Search for a Superintendent. We will soon be in the process of advertising for a permanent Superintendent. We need to find someone that knows our District and will work with ALL our Stakeholders.

* Overcrowding of our Schools. With our ever increasing enrollment we are have run out of space. We are approaching 17,000 students and fast. I was proud to be appointed by our Board President, Jerry Shi, as Co-Chair, along with Our Council President Ajay Patil to our Over Crowding Committee. We are working with the Community and our Local Government to come up with with ideas to solve this current and future concern of the board. I have submitted our report and we are currently looking at solutions to this big problem.

What three words would you use to describe yourself to someone who has never met you?

Active. Listener. Friendly.

What experience in your background has prepared you to be an effective leader?

I have served a Total of almost 6 years on the Board of Ed and with my experience as a Teacher, Asst. Principal, and Principal I bring knowledge of Education and Supervision to our Board. Over the years on the Board I've Chaired Contract Negotiations, Over Crowding Committee, and Personal Committees. I believe with my experience and continued work with other Board Members we will achieve that #1 goal!!!

Shivi Prasad Madhukar

Why are you running for the Board Of Education?

I first got elected in 2015 and am running for re-election. What drew me initially was our burgeoning school population. Increasing taxes to tackle the problem did not seem attractive given the already high taxes in the town. Steering the focus on the State that was not honoring the funding formula seemed a better option. I voiced these concerns and became a founding member a new “equitable state aid” committee set up by the then Board of Education President Dr. Frank Heelan in 2015. I championed the initiative on fair funding and set the ball rolling in Edison. In my first year, I prepared a presentation to impart knowledge to my fellow board members on the school funding law and how Edison is being short-changed. My hard work came to fruition when the state decided to honor the formula and gave Edison an additional $3.5 million this year. My key aim in running for BOE is to continue to fight for our due share.

As chair of curriculum committee, I have worked tirelessly to ensure every student is given opportunity for academic success. The motto of my campaign is “Every Child, Every School." Some of my advocacy and influences include “no homework policy” during spring and winter break to reduce student stress, introduction to cursive writing in the elementary school, expanding crisis counselors, a new fitness center, introduction of dance curriculum, addition of guidance counselors, relaxing placement criteria, pull out from I-Ready program, and many others.

Along with successes, there have been challenges. I am running for a second-term because one term is just not enough to meet all goals. Besides, overcrowding and fair funding, I want to steer the conversation towards the following issues -- safety and security, reducing over-testing, balancing technology, supporting children who are falling behind, increasing subscription transportation routes, air-conditioning and most importantly bringing a new era of transparency and communication. I want to see Edison among the top ten school districts in the state. I know we have the potential and we can do it! My line number is Six and I am running on a slate with Paul Distefano.

What is the biggest challenge facing schools in your town, and how will you address it?

Overcrowding is the single biggest challenge facing our schools today. The solution to addressing overcrowding is twofold -- reducing the number of students and/or increasing the available space. For reducing the number of students, a new re-registration policy to identify children not living in our district but attending schools here may be pertinent. For increasing available space, I will look for more creative ideas such as approaching the State to chip in. In any closed space, there is a safety stipulation on maximum allowable persons on the premises. So why not in our schools? School overcrowding issue will have traction if it is presented as a safety issue. We can petition the State for a one-time construction grant. Another way to do it would be to seek donations from successful alumni, and from other businesses. We can name parts of our building after entrepreneurs/businesses to honor their support. However, before we start seeking grants we have to undertake a demographic study that projects student population growth over the next 5-10 years. This will provide guidance in terms of our future need and prevent us from making a blind plunge and thereby curb expenditure that is avoidable. In the short-term, I will look for other creative solutions such as staggering class ending times to reduce confusion in the hallways, and voluntary online learning options for those interested, seeking requisite state waivers, etc.

What three words would you use to describe yourself to someone who has never met you?
1. Ethical
2. Knowledgeable
3. Problem Solver

What experience in your background has prepared you to be an effective leader?

I have a Master’s degree in Public Administration with specialization in public policy from New York University. Some of my key courses at NYU included Managing Public Service Organizations and Public Budgeting, which are essential skills for any leadership position in a large entity handling a big budget. For the past more than a decade I have been working as a policy analyst at a New Jersey focused public policy research group. I have been an active parent in this district since 2006, beginning as a newsletter writer at MLK Elementary School. I have served in various capacities in the school PTOs, including being the President of a middle school PTO. Besides coordinating fundraisers to raise money for school activities, I have led numerous initiatives and been an advocate for the community at BOE meetings. I believe in leading from the bottom and that to be an effective leader, one must learn to follow. Effective communication, transparency and using critiques as a path to growth are essential characteristics of a leader. In all my experiences, professional or voluntary, people have looked up to me as someone they could trust and believe in.

Harish Verma

Why are you running for the Board of Education?

I am running to challenge the status quo of ever increasing budgets that do not produce results for our students. Unfortunately, there seems to be an unwillingness on the part of certain incumbent Board members to question the status quo, which has left us with soaring property taxes and unaddressed overcrowding. As a resident of Edison for 24 years, I believe I share the frustration of my fellow residents as we witnessed the Board increase property taxes by nearly 5% this year alone. Unfortunately, neither the tax payers nor the students are benefiting from this out of control budget. Instead of money going into classrooms, the Board’s spending for years has benefited vendors who are left unaccountable.

What is the biggest challenge facing schools in your town, and how will you address it?

Overcrowding is the biggest challenge facing our District. Addressing it will involve continuing the Board’s efforts on the Overcrowding Taskforce, an initiative that my running mate, Ralph Errico, co-chairs. This requires us to keep all options open, including the building of a new school, exploring the benefits of extensions to current buildings, or building up. It also requires fiscal responsibility. We need to find savings in the budget or alternative revenue sources which can be dedicated to this effort. We can also look to P3 programs and State funds. The one thing we cannot do it simply pass the cost to our taxpayers, especially those on limited or fixed incomes.

What three words would you use to describe yourself to someone who has never met you?

Innovative, Integrity, Independence

What experience in your background has prepared you to be an effective leader?

First, I know this town. I have been a resident and taxpayer for decades. I am also a local realtor for over 15 years, and with this, I bring specialized knowledge base as to the geography of and the land use in Edison. This is key skill set when it comes to addressing overcrowding.

Second, I have demonstrated the ability to bring people together. As the President of a local neighborhood association, one of my priorities was to build consensus. It required finding areas where people with very different viewpoints could reach a rational and reasonable compromise.

Finally, in my business, I have vast experience negotiating with vendors and other professionals. This is a skill I will utilize to tackle to the School Board’s bloating budget. There is a tremendous amount of waste and abuse in the current contracts and we need to send the vendors we contract with a message that Edison’s taxpayers are not an open checkbook to pad your profits. We need to make sure we are getting the best quality of service for a reasonable price

All candidate images submitted by the candidates and used with permission.