Mahwah Board Of Education Candidate Profile: Prema Moorthy

MAHWAH, NJ — Candidates are set for the Mahwah Board of Education race on the Nov. 8 ballot.

In anticipation, Patch sent questionnaires to each of the four candidates 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 township's school district.

Prema Moorthy looks to hold onto her seat against two other incumbents and one newcomer.

Here are Moorthy's responses:

Name:

Prema C. Moorthy

Age:

54 years old

Town of residence:

Mahwah

Position sought:

Full term on Mahwah Board of Education

Party affiliation:

Non-partisan

Family:

Married for 30 years with 2 children, 23 & 21 years old, who graduated from Mahwah public schools.

Education:

Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology

Occupation:

Consulting Forensic Psychologist, Court Assessment Program, WJCS Hartsdale

Why are you running for this office?

I have been a Mahwah resident for over 30 years, and both my children went through the Mahwah schools. I believe strongly in public education, and giving back to one’s community. I have served on the Board for six years, and I have developed strong working relationship with my fellow trustees, and administrative team. I have seen ideas that I have brought forth to the Administrative Team be implemented over the years. I continue to enjoy working hard for the taxpayers of Mahwah to maintain fiscal responsibility while providing academic rigor and excellence for the students in our district. During my second term, Mahwah developed our Strategic Plan, or blueprint, which serves to guide and inform all future decision-making for our district. There are 4 general areas of the Strategic Plan: Facilities, Social Emotional Learning, Curriculum & Instruction, and Community Relations. We have made significant strides in all of these areas, but we continue to have working goals and objectives that need to be met. Having been on the Board when we first started process of developing Strategic Plan, I’m hopeful to continue to serve as a Board member until 2025, which would be the end of my third term, to witness full execution of the Strategic Plan, and see first-hand the revolutionary things that will continue to happen within our district and for our students.

What do you feel is the most important issue facing constituents, and what do you intend to do to repair or resolve it?

Learning losses related to the pandemic and disrupted delivery of education & how to best address gaps for students on an individual and grade-level basis. This can be addressed with tiered system of support, that addresses individual learning gaps, and what strategies need to be implemented for each student. There is current focus on developing and implementing this type of support structure for our students. There is also an increased focus on data assessment and creating data teams to develop and implement these strategies of support. As Chairperson of the I&C Committee, I remain steadfast with regards to addressing this goal and ensuring that all students are provided with a level playing field to maintain academic excellence in our schools.

What differentiates you from other candidates?

Experience. I have served on the Board of Education for six years, and I have served on various Board committees, including Negotiations, Technology, Community Relations, and Instructional & Curriculum. I have been Chairperson of Instructional & Curriculum for the past three years, and am honored to currently serve as President of the Board since January of this year. I have vast knowledge of the workings of an effective school board, and this past year, I have put that knowledge into action by working collaboratively with fellow board members, building consensus on hot button topics, and providing strong leadership when needed. I have demonstrated my commitment and hard-working nature, and continue to remain passionate about taking Mahwah into one of the top 5 high-performing school districts in Bergen County.

What other issues or ideas do you feel deserve attention?

1. Maintaining safety & security of our schools

2. Expansion of real-life learning experiences such as short-term externships, long-term internships, and vocational training/apprenticeship programs.

3. Staffing needs, & attraction/retention of qualified teachers who want to remain in our school district over time, because with stability and consistency of teaching staff, our schools continue to thrive.

4. Equity Audit & their recommendations because all students must feel accepted and safe in our schools, regardless of gender, race, religion, disabilities, or being differently abled.

What accomplishments in your past demonstrates that you are the best candidate for this job?

I have been an active member of Mahwah schools community from the time that my children started attending school. I volunteered early on with the HSO organizations on individual school basis, and eventually joined the Mahwah Schools Foundation(MSF) to continue my fundraising efforts for all students, Kindergarten through 12th grade. Upon joining the MSF, I became co-chair of what is now known as The Thunderbird Run, and served in that capacity for several years, until joining the leadership team, and becoming President of the Mahwah Schools Foundation. As President of the MSF, I provided guidance, support, and leadership to my team ensuring that we successfully ran multiple fundraising events including the Run, Gala, 50/50 Raffle, and Golf Outing. Our continuing efforts to raise monies for the schools was distributed back in the form of teacher grants for new and exciting pilot projects. Several of the piloted programs taken on initially through teacher grants eventually became absorbed by the Board of Education due to their success. Within the same year, in 2016, I transitioned from the MSF to running for trustee position, and have served on the Board of Education ever since. I have developed strong working relationship with members of the Mahwah community, law enforcement officials, and township leadership over the course of many years of volunteering, and these collaborative relationships allow us to get things done and ensure that our schools are run efficiently and effectively.

Do you want to tell voters anything else about you or your positions?

I am hard-working, committed, and invested in ensuring that the Mahwah schools are serving all of its’ students in the best possible way. I believe that most importantly, we must keep in mind our fiscal responsibility to taxpayers while maintaining academic rigor and excellence for our students, and truly hope that one day the Mahwah schools become the flagship district for all of Bergen County.