A New Era of Choice for Colts Neck

Colts Neck, New Jersey is known as a town of red-blooded Americans with traditional and conservative values. The lack of conservative representation on the Colts Neck Township’s Board of Education was an issue that many constituents raised during the pandemic. They, including myself, felt that they were not being heard by the Board and that their concerns regarding their children were falling on deaf ears. This is what inspired me to run for a seat in 2021. I was successful, and am approaching the end of my three year term. This time around, I am running for a very different reason, on a ticket named “Achievement Through Unity”. Furthermore, our town faces a very unique election, where there are multiple conservative slates of candidates.

Change can oftentimes be a good thing, but sometimes in the pursuit of greener pastures, we lose sight of just how good we have it. In 2021, change was necessary. Tracy Kramer, my current running-mate, was the only outspoken Board member regarding the barrage of COVID mandates our state was facing. Once I was sworn in, I swiftly helped remove the grossly unnecessary plexiglass dividers from childrens’ desks, and assisted Tracy, alongside my other running-mate Amy Dimes, improve the transparency and accessibility of the Board. Amy created the concept of “coffee chats” to offer a more informal question and answer based event, aside from formal Board Meetings, for parents to meet with Board Members and Administrators. I helped form and lead the Parent Advisory Committee, which helped parents collaborate with the Board and Administrators on areas of growth in our District. All the while, Tracy focused her energy on saving taxpayer dollars while addressing major infrastructure needs and launched our Energy Savings Improvement Program (ESIP) to bring roof repairs, solar panels and air conditioning to our schools. As a team, we helped ensure that the Board handled the incoming controversial health curriculum changes appropriately. We were able to achieve our goal of being compliant with the State, while keeping our town’s values at the forefront.

New members in 2022 and 2023 brought additional change. During that time, Tracy, Amy and I proved our dedication, commitment, and values. Last year, a focus was put on Policy 5756, and as a Board we were able to abolish it. This year, a landmark achievement was a zero tax impact budget, which was voted for unanimously. We began to livestream and record our meetings to achieve even greater transparency and accessibility. Fresh ideas have been contributed during these past three years, and now it is time for this Board to unite and focus on putting in the work and time to achieve even more.

Values are not on the ballot this year. Instead, experience and qualifications are where the tickets differ. Tracy Kramer, Amy Dimes, and myself will be able to provide continuity to a Board and to a District that truly needs it. Vanessa Dawson, our running-mate, brings eighteen years of career experience in education to the table. While fresh perspectives are valuable, it’s crucial to maintain a balanced mix of experienced and new board members to ensure effective governance. The continuity we offer, combined with Vanessa’s fresh approach, will be vital for both our children and our staff. We should feel grateful to have a choice between two slates and one candidate running independently who all appear to have many of the same goals and visions for our District. The most efficient way to achieve those goals is to keep as many members on the Board with experience as possible. A vote for Achievement Through Unity is a vote for advancement, growth and continued improvement. Disclaimer: These views are my own as an individual and candidate and do not reflect those of the Colts Neck Township Board of Education.