Meet Alicia Aninowsky, Running For Little Silver Board Of Education

LITTLE SILVER, NJ — This November, three people are running for two seats on the Little Silver school board.

They are current BOE members Alicia Aninowsky (current BOE president) and Kathryn Galbavy, and Scott Galkin. Patch asked all three of them the same set of questions.

Here are Aninowsky's answers:

Provide a brief bio on yourself. Age, education, occupation and what town BOE you are running for.

I am 49 years old and have lived in Little Silver for 22 years. I am currently on the Little Silver Board of Education, and am running for another term. In 1999 I graduated from Boston University with a master's degree in physical therapy, and went on to work primarily with people who had had strokes and brain injuries. After working for 13 years, I decided to stay home to raise my two boys full time and became very involved volunteering in their schools.

Do you have children in the district or formerly in the district?

Both of my children have been in Little Silver Schools since kindergarten. My oldest now attends Red Bank Regional High School and my youngest is in Markham Place Middle School.

What experience do you have that would make you a good BOE member?

I have a long history of volunteering in Little Silver Schools that has allowed me to get to know my fellow parents, community members, teachers and school administration very well. I have been a kindergarten class mom, Bag Brigade chairperson, Little Silver 5K committee person, PTO Executive Board member, PTO Co-President, Little Silver BOE member, committee chairperson, and BOE President. I know that while our town may seem homogeneous at times, there are many differing viewpoints, backgrounds, and needs among Little Silver residents that a board member should reflect in their decision making. My experience has taught me to listen carefully to my community, and I have a record of doing that.

For current school board members, what is some of the work you're proudest of that the Board has done?

I am very proud to have a long list:
-Our Board approved long-needed salary adjustments to our instructional staff and successfully negotiated a new 5-year teacher contract this past year. The success of our schools depends so heavily on our excellent teaching staff, and I am proud of the relationship the administration and Board has with them.
- Our district maintains robust programming in the arts, music, STEM and athletics. At a time when other districts are cutting these programs, ours continues to provide these critical and healthy components to our students' development.
- Our improved collaboration with the Little Silver borough, implementing cost-saving shared service agreements, is a notable accomplishment of our current Board.
- Our Board is "data-savvy," and we use that data to drive continuous improvement. We meet with our curriculum director on a regular basis to analyze test scores and academic growth in order to support how our students learn best.
- Our Board supports staffing and programming for social-emotional wellness, anti-bullying efforts, mental health awareness and violence prevention. These programs have been shown to be critical for a safe and healthy school environment, and our Board supports them fully. We also support and encourage a strong relationship with the Little Silver Police Department, whose relationship with our kids and presence in our schools is a vital piece of our culture.
- Lastly, Little Silver Schools are ranked among the top districts in the state. I am immensely proud of our students, their families, our teachers, staff, administration, BOE and every Little Silver resident who contributes to an environment where our children, and therefore community, thrives.

Where do you think the Board needs to improve? This is for both current BOE members and those not on the Board.

I would like to increase our interaction with Red Bank Regional, our regional high school. We have liaisons to each other's Boards, but more collaboration may help ease our students' transition to high school. With a deeper relationship we may also find creative ways to share more resources, and as a result provide more for all of our students.

Looking ahead, what are some of the biggest challenges facing the Little Silver school district in the next 2 -5 years, and how do you plan to confront them?

The growing teacher shortage and budgetary constraints combine to form the most immediate problem facing Little Silver Schools. We are a high achieving district that demands a high caliber teaching staff. Recruiting and retaining great teachers is a challenge because of the teacher shortage alone. Working within a budget limited by the 2% cap makes that task even harder. Our Board is paying careful attention to legislation that addresses the teacher shortage and revisions to the school funding formula, and will support bills that are in line with Little Silver's needs. We will engage our community in these efforts when needed. In the meantime, the Board will support every effort made by our administration to make Little Silver Schools a great place to work and learn.

Everyone who's running in 2024 in Little Silver:

Red Bank Regional High School Board of Education - Vote for one

• Tara Gibb Committed. Engaged. Advocate.

Red Bank Regional High School Board of Education - Vote For One

• Steven R. Pedersen Transparency, Advocacy, Accountability
• Amanda Galante

Little Silver Board of Education - Vote for two

• Alicia Aninowsky Achievement Community Dedication
• Kathryn Galbavy Dedicated Community Leader
• Scott Galkin Decisive, Determined, Dependable

Little Silver town council: Vote for two:

• Christian M. Smith (R) Monmouth County Republican Organization
• Laurette Vilardi (R) Monmouth County Republican Organization
• No Nomination Made (D)
• No Nomination Made (D)

The election will be Nov. 5, but you can vote early in person at the Little Silver Women's Club (111 Church Street) from Oct. 26 - Nov. 3. Hours will be Monday-Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. and Sunday, 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. No appointment is necessary, according to the state of NJ Division of Elections. There is also mail-in voting.

Who else got back to Patch:

Meet Scott Galkin, Running For Little Silver Board Of Education

Meet Kathryn Galbavy, Running For Little Silver Board Of Education

Meet Steve Pedersen, Running For Red Bank Regional Board Of Education

Meet Amanda Galante, Running For Red Bank Regional Board Of Education

Steven Pedersen and Amanda Galante are running against each other for one seat representing Little Silver on the Red Bank Regional High School Board of Education. Galante is currently on the board; she was appointed in August to fill a vacancy.