Election 2022: Diana Orban Brown For Mendham Board Of Education

MENDHAM, NJ — Candidates are set for the Mendham Township School District Board of Education race on the Nov. 8 ballot.

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

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

Here are candidate Diana Orban Brown's answers below:

• Name: Diana Orban Brown
• Town of residence: Mendham Township
• Position sought: Mendham Township School District Board of Education

• Education: Graduate of Purdue University; postgraduate certificates from Rutgers University, NYU, others
• Occupation: Retired
• Previous or current elected appointed office: Mendham Township Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Committeewoman, and numerous appointed positions (see answer below)

Why are you seeking to run for School Board?

Mendham Township schools are excellent and award winning. The top-notch education provided to our children is an investment that most taxpayers willingly support. But all investments require critical analysis and close monitoring.

I am running on the platform “Transparency for Taxpayers.” Transparency means proactive communication from the Board to the residents, including the 75% of households that do not have children in the K-8 schools.

How? I propose live-streaming or recording and posting Board meetings, similar to what many neighboring boards of education do.

I propose a Citizens Advisory Committee to provide feedback on budget deliberations.

I propose quarterly “listening sessions” (or strategic planning sessions) where the Board meets with residents outside the confines of the structured official Board meetings.

We are doing a good job, but we can do better. Our Board can encourage community involvement, and our Board can do a much better job of increasing its dialogue with the public through proactive communication, welcoming and transparency.

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

The good news is that early testing by the New Jersey Department of Education indicates that while proficiency in math and English slipped due to the COVID-19 remote learning experience, the gap is less than expected locally and much less than the statewide average, according to a very recent presentation by the elementary and middle school principals.

Further evaluation is taking place, but teachers are already taking steps to augment learning for students who need additional support. Students at the K-8 level are resilient, and Mendham Township parents, teachers, students and the administration are highly motivated to close any gaps that might have occurred.

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

There are several challenges:

There are 20 more students this year than last enrolled in the K-8 grades system-wide. This has prompted the current Board to identify "pressure points" in the elementary school. Its proposed solution is to purchase a $700,00 residence across the street from the school to accommodate the district administrators' offices and free up space in the school building. This is an expensive and very risky move because of the local and state red tape regarding zoning, conversion of a residence to a public building, making changes to a residence in a registered historic district and many other impediments. The school board needs to exercise extreme caution and due diligence before committing to this purchase.

A second challenge is the current economy, with rising prices and interest rates, supply chain issues (pertinent to the $20 million capital improvements initiatives approved in last winter’s bond referendum), and recruitment and retention of excellent professionals whose health insurance costs may increase by double digits in the coming year.

Third, the K-8 district is about to start its $20 million capital improvements/construction project. Given the duration and cost overruns typical in public projects, close management of the project is essential. I propose frequent progress reports to the school board for the length of the project and frequent Board updates to the media as well as direct communications with the public.

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?

I have read all 70 pages of the state’s new Health and Physical Education Guidelines and have compared them to the 2014 guidelines. In my opinion, the new guidelines aren’t a whole lot different from the previous curriculum and, in fact, with a few exceptions aren’t substantially different from the health and phys ed that was taught when I was in grade school.

Parents I talk to want the schools to share more specifics of what is being taught. In light of all the controversy being stirred up in other districts about the guidelines, proactive transparency is a reasonable request. Mendham Township residents are sensible, and I trust that discussions will be calm and civil. And, it should be noted, if a parent has qualms about any particular topic, the schools have made it easy to opt out a child from a specific discussion.

As for diversity, equity and inclusion, these characteristics go hand-in-hand with social and emotional learning; in the lower grades they are designed to promote self and social awareness, relationship skills and the like. It’s updated language for what used to be called “works and plays well with others.” In the upper grades, it means emphasizing organizational skills and self-motivation and – just as important – mastering the online learning tools that will be essential in high school and college. Our school principals and teachers are on top of this, and the Board of Education should be ready to support them in their goals.

That said, the school board should invite and welcome dialogue. That’s why I have proposed – consistent with “Transparency for Taxpayers – quarterly “listening” sessions held outside of the confines of formal Board of Education meetings and available to all residents, regardless of whether they have or don’t have children in the schools.

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

I have lived in Mendham Township for almost 30 years and have served in a variety of roles for most of that time. I have been Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Committeewoman on the Mendham Township Committee governing body. I served as chair of the Township Open Space Trust Committee for nearly 10 years. I represented Mendham Township on the Morris County Open Space Trust Committee. I served on the Planning Board, the Public Safety Committee, the Finance Committee and the Administration Committee. I have the experience to navigate local, county and state processes.

I served on the Mendham Township School District Strategic Planning Committee, and the Facilities and Programs and Communications committees for the current K-8 capital improvements initiative, which I strongly supported. I support the Parent-Teacher Organization, and I believe – and promote the fact – that our elementary and middle schools are among the best in the state and have National Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence status.

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

Our students come first – Every Student Every Day – and most Mendham taxpayers, whether they have children in the school or never have had children in the schools, support excellence in education.

Nonetheless, 68% of our property taxes support our schools, with the bulk of those dollars directed to the K-8 district. This is an investment, and it demands careful stewardship.

I propose that the Board of Education seek community input from a Citizens Advisory Committee early in the budget development process – in November and December – rather than waiting until April and May when the school budget is carved in stone.

An interesting personal note: my educational experience is unique. I attended both public and parochial grade schools, including a time at an inner-city school; I went on to an all-girls high school; and I graduated from a public state university. After a 20-year career as a communications professional, I spent the past 16 years in communications and community engagement at Rutgers, considered one of the most diverse universities in the country.