West Morris Regional Board Of Education Candidate Profile: Lisa Woodring

LONG VALLEY, NJ — Candidates are set for the West Morris Regional Board Of Education race on the Nov. 8 ballot.

In anticipation, Patch sent questionnaires to each of the three vying for the three open seats on the Board of Education, asking them to share facts about themselves and why voters should choose them to represent the regional school district.

The responses received will get published between now and Election Day.

Are you running for office? Contact Vianella Burns at vianella.burns@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Patch.

Here are candidate Lisa Woodring's answers below:

• Name: Lisa Woodring
• Town of residence: Long Valley
• Position sought: West Morris Regional Board of Education seat, representing Washington Township
• Party affiliation: Republican – although school board elections are nonpartisan
• Family: Husband Gary and three sons who are West Morris Central graduates
• Education: Bucknell University - BA in Mathematics and BA in Economics
• Occupation: Home - Community Volunteer
• Previous or current elected appointed office: Current Vice President of the West Morris Board of Ed

Why are you seeking to run for School Board?

I am running for re-election to the West Morris Regional Board of Education to continue working for district students, their families, and for Washington Township taxpayers. I love our town and am especially passionate about our schools!

My motivation for running is to be sure that West Morris Central continues to be the pride of Long Valley, and the reason that our property values stay strong. Our Board consists of representatives from our town as well as Chester Township and Borough, and Mendham Township and Borough. Despite the other towns having a 5-4 majority on the Board, I have been a collaborative leader on the Board for the benefit of Washington Township.

I have also worked with our administrators to provide the best possible academic and extracurricular experience for students, while practicing good fiscal stewardship. For the last 9 out of 10 years, the budgeted tax levy increase from the West Morris Regional District has been at 2% or lower.

I ask for your vote in order to keep our high school on its upward trajectory. Go Wolfpack!

COVID-19 resulted in learning loss for many students. What will you do to ensure students bounce back?

We have all heard about the nationwide learning loss that our students are dealing with as a result of the pandemic. In our district, we are committed to getting our students back on track in all areas of study. We are particularly focused on Mathematics.

The West Morris Regional High School District (WMR) educates students from four different K-8 sending districts, each with their unique math program and pathways for their various levels of students. So, it is nothing new that WMR must have an agile math curriculum, especially for freshmen, that supports all math aptitudes.

Before Covid-19, our district was perennially praised for its ability to get students where they need to be in their junior and senior years, regardless of their level of entry as freshmen. Now, after 2+ years of undeniable learning loss at WMR and in our sending districts, our Math Supervisor and educators are prepared to support our students with robust supplemental programming, especially for our freshmen and sophomores.

Based on results from New Jersey’s Start Strong assessment, given to students this past spring, the district is implementing the following established and new supports:

- Targeted supports for individual students and classes of students based on their skill gaps
- Algebra Accelerator classes
- Geometry Extension classes
- Summer Math programs
- Our Math Resource Rooms, staffed with a Math educator, every period in both buildings

What other issues do you feel need to be tackled in the school district?

The financial constraints on districts pose the biggest challenge for school boards in New Jersey. While the 2% tax levy cap (NJ law since 2014) has kept property tax increases somewhat in check, there is no such cap on district expenses.

Health care costs, prescription benefit plans, transportation, out-of-district tuition for special education students, and other areas continue to increase at far higher rates, and school districts are restricted on the revenue side of the ledger due to the 2% cap.

The good news is that the West Morris Board of Ed., working with the superintendent and administrators, has constructed smart, conservative budgets during my years on the Board. This means that we have been able to deal with the financial pressures mentioned above without cutting student academic or extracurricular programs.

As our district population has decreased over the last few years, we have added to our capital reserves, allowing us to maintain and improve our facilities. When our population starts to increase again, we will have our large improvement projects behind us, and will reprioritize our spending, increasing staff as needed in order to educate the larger number of students. Planning ahead is key.

What is your view on the sex education curriculum that Gov. Murphy put forth earlier this year? What is your position on inclusion and diversity? Is the district doing enough? Not enough?

My peers and I on the school board recently reviewed and approved all curricula for 2022-23, including Health, without objection. Even so, our district recognizes that the sex ed topic is a personal one for many families. At West Morris Central, the Human Sexuality unit of the Health curriculum is covered within a two-week session for students.

The curriculum for the unit is available for viewing on the district’s website under the Academics tab. Any parent who is uncomfortable with the concepts being covered can opt their student out of that unit of health. If opting out, a student will complete an alternate course of study during that two-week period.

Since West Morris Regional is a public high school district, we educate all students who reside in our towns. The Board takes seriously its obligation to ensure a safe and inclusive atmosphere for all students to learn and reach their potential. Any time a student or group of students tells us that they have been ostracized or demeaned at school, it hurts.

We sometimes question whether we do enough, however we do attempt to address these issues with student assemblies, staff training, and committees made up of students and administrators who discuss the overall student experience, as well as the specific experiences of minority student groups.

What special qualifications do you bring to help meet the challenge?

While I’m not an accountant or financial planner, I graduated college with degrees in Mathematics and Economics, and I enjoy using those skills to analyze financial challenges. With ten years of experience on the Board, five of them as a member of the Finance Committee, I am now well-versed in the district budgeting process.

While I work diligently with our administrators to provide an excellent academic program for our students, the other important part of my effort is to be sure that Long Valley taxpayers are considered and protected. I take that charge seriously, and will continue to advocate for our town and strongly represent Washington Township in all Board of Ed decisions.

In addition, I have chaired the Education Committee on the Board of Education for several years. This committee tackles all issues regarding the district's educational programs and the overall student experience. I believe I possess excellent listening and communication skills, which serve me well as I work to guide the committee, and build consensus with my peers on the Board.

What else would you like to share about yourself or your campaign?

School Board elections are non-partisan, meaning that school board candidates do not run as Republicans or Democrats. However, given the times, politics and culture wars have brazenly invaded our school board elections. I believe that political influence has no place in our schools or on our Boards of Education. I urge you to reject the campaigns of fear and anger that are being waged by some Board of Education candidates.

We have an excellent teaching staff at West Morris Regional who work hard to educate our students without indoctrination, and without teaching their individual views on politics, religion or morality. Our students consistently tell us that they are very prepared for the academic rigor in their colleges and universities – better than most of their peers. This is due to the strength of our educational programs and dedication of our teachers.

I believe that we must continue to let our expert educators make decisions about curriculum and books, with oversight from the Board of Education, whose nine members represent families by reviewing and approving curricula. All Board members recently approved district curricula for 2022-23, paying close attention to our English, History, and Health areas. If parents have a complaint concerning curriculum or books, they may bring it to their building principal, or use the formal process available to them as part of district policy.

What I want to share here is that, no matter your political party or affiliation, you can vote for me, a moderate Long Valley Republican, and be assured that I will continue to give time and effort toward providing an excellent education and experience for all students and families, for the best value. As a School Board member, it is my ethical obligation not to administer the schools, but to work with my peers to see that they are well run.

West Morris Central and West Morris Mendham attract top tier educators from our area, and are the envy of many of our peer schools – let’s keep it that way! Thank you