Meet Brooke Richards-Patterson, Running For Old Bridge School Board

OLD BRIDGE, NJ — Nov. 5 will not only be the U.S. presidential election, but also the Old Bridge school board election.

Six candidates are running for three seats on the board. They are:

• Brooke Richards-Patterson, Transparent, Intentional, Accountable
• Jay Slade - Rational, Not Radical - current Old Bridge school board member, seeks re-election
• Kiran Venkatesan - Transforming Education Together
• Carl Von Stetten - More Student Opportunity
• Mireille Cameau-Wicks - Ensuring Education Integrity
• Richard J. Dunn - Old Bridge Education
• Salvatore DiPrima - Kids First (He dropped out of the race.)
• Kyler Dineen - Old Bridge Alum (He dropped out of the race.)

Patch asked all six candidates the same set of questions, and gave them a deadline of Sept. 29 to respond. This week, we will publish the answers in the order they were received.

Provide a brief bio on yourself. Age, education, occupation and what position you are running for. Also, do you have children in the district, or formerly in the district?

I am a single parent, 42. I am running for one of the three seats open for Old Bridge Board of Education. We moved to Old Bridge for its excellent school system, 12 years ago. My daughter started here in 4th grade, and graduated from Old Bridge High School. She is now a senior at James Madison University, for nursing. My son has been in the system since kindergarten, and is now a sixth grader in middle school.

My co-parent is so supportive of this, because he knows how passionate I am about it. He is willing to switch some parenting days so our son doesn't miss too much "Mom" time while I pursue this meaningful path. I have made so many friendships and met such diverse people, who've helped me see that we (parents) need to make some major changes in how we interact and have a say in more of what's happening at the schools.

My background is working in the medical field, from recruiting, understanding employment laws, managing, billing and customer relations since my late 20s. I worked with adults with developmental disabilities for the years leading up to that.

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

My experience would be growing up in a broken home life, and transforming into a healed, very hands-on parent. I've been the "safe" house for children, and "mama hen" in every circumstance where children are involved.

My work life has helped me feel comfortable in working with personnel concerns and to respond in a grounded, responsible manner. I have an objective approach to all scenarios and want to take this board in a more open, but wholesome direction than it's been in the past. Because I've had to deal with so many different emotions and types of human beings for so long, I am confident I am the right fit for this type of position.

This volunteer position is something you need to have thick skin for yet still be proactive, transparent and professional — all while remaining unbiased.

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

I think the Board needs to improve on being more direct with parents. Stating that items are on the website simply isn't enough. Important matters need to be better delivered to parents/stakeholders, who should weigh in on major decisions that could impact their own children, and how their tax dollars are being spent.

I think parents should have more involvement in the curriculum and major budget changes, and cuts.

I do not agree with the teachers' union endorsing any candidate for Board of Ed. I feel it is unethical and a conflict of interest, as the BOE manages teachers' contracts. I see a lot of political endorsements on the local teachers' union social media pages. If the BOE is to remain non-partisan, the Old Bridge Education Association should be practicing the same way. I would like to encourage developing a better relationship with the board members of the Old Bridge Education Association, and encourage more open dialogue with them and parents.

I've watched some BOE members be very disrespectful towards one another, and feel it is important to appoint a "Coat of Arms" for escalating conflicts. Everyone on the BOE should be held to a standard of compassion, professionalism and respect for one another.

ALL children need to be protected. ALL children deserve the best opportunities to be educated, including those still suffering from learning loss due to school shutdowns. I have personally asked if anything was done to circle back and check on the students still in school since then, and the short answer is "no." Teachers have told me “everyone is like this,” when asking about my own son’s standardized testing scores and if it’s cause for concern. That is unacceptable. It’s not their fault either.

We have to circle back and not only do something with the low score results of standardized testing, but also offer educators the tools and resources they need to help achieve success in catching up.

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

We need to reassess every expense, from outside contracts, to the leasing of a now-closed Cheesequake School, before/aftercare, and avoid going even higher in taxes than the recent 9.9 percent tax increase in the near future.

I'm an excellent match for this position because I put myself in everyone else's shoes when making important decisions. I value our teachers, faculty and administration very much and would like to work together to develop the best possible environment in our schools.

The BOE needs diverse members willing to unify and bring each strength to the table. We've had large groups of parent participants when the occasion has called for important changes at school. Let's have more of this.

I treat every child like my own. I'd love to show up and put the work in for this wonderful purpose. It would be an honor.