Election 2022: Thomas R. Brooks For West Morris Regional Board Of Education

MENDHAM, NJ — Candidates are set for the West Morris Regional High 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.

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

Here are candidate Thomas R. Brooks's answers below:

• Name: Thomas R. Brooks
• Age: 75
• Town of residence: Mendham, NJ
• Position sought: West Morris Regional High School District Board of Education

• Family: Wife; two grown children; six grandchildren
• Education: BA – Psychology and English; MS – Computer & Information Science
• Occupation: Retired Mid-level executive from Fortune 10 company
• Previous or current elected appointed office: WMRHSD BOE – 6 years

Why are you seeking to run for School Board?

I am running for re-election as Mendham Borough’s representative to the West Morris Regional High School District Board of Education to continue working for the students, their families, and Mendham taxpayers. I have personally witnessed the tremendous educational and growth opportunities afforded by West Morris Mendham and West Morris Central – through my wife who served as Mendham High’s media specialist for 27 years, through two children and five grandchildren who have graduated from the schools, and through my six years on the board.

I am proud of my many contributions that I have made, working with fellow board members and the administration, to position both schools to be rated among the very best in the state, not to mention the nation. I have a passion for excellence and have the experience and skills to help the board build on its success in providing every student with a comprehensive educational experience of the highest quality in a fiscally responsible manner.

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

The first may be to look at available data to determine areas of greatest loss, then develop targeted plans to address those areas, such as scheduling "catch-up" classes, peer tutoring sessions, etc.

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

Like most districts, WMRHSD is faced with a number challenges as we emerge from the pandemic – student wellness, learning loss in core subject areas, teacher burnout – to name a few. However, there is one of particular note -- the financial challenge of maintaining the district’s outstanding programs, staff, and facilities given current economic trends and the two percent cap. The economic trends include rapid inflation, shortages in key areas (teachers, nurses, drivers), unfunded state mandates, and cost increases in areas with limited Board control (Out-of-District Special Ed Tuition, health care); the cap restricts how much can be spent.

Together, these two factors contribute to a dilemma -- what to fund and what to eliminate. To address this challenge, the Board needs to explore alternative revenue opportunities, look for innovative ways to attract and retain staff, and make strategic investments in costly service areas; this will take creativity, teamwork, and leadership.

As Finance Committee Chair for the past three years, I am proud of what we have done to implement a number of cost-saving initiatives, to include joining a co-op health plan, refinancing our outstanding debt, introducing programs to bring back OOD placements, and executing an Energy Savings Plan which funded a number of facility improvements (LED lighting, boiler replacements, building management system) through long-term energy reductions. If re-elected, I will re-double my efforts to work with the administration to find additional ways to sustain the district’s achievements.

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?

Most of the controversy about the new state curricula in sex ed and health revolves around the elementary and middle school requirements; little has changed in the high school requirements. At West Morris Mendham, the sexuality unit of the Health curriculum is covered in a two-week session; parents who are uncomfortable with the concepts taught in this session may opt their student out of the unit, with an alternative course of study taking its place. The board has recently upgraded the district website to make it easier to view the curricula for each subject area, as well as the associated texts.

The overall goal of the district is to provide a safe environment for all students to learn and grow. Part of this challenge is to provide the best qualified educators to challenge and teach skills to prepare students to be productive members of the world community; another part is to provide an environment that is inclusive, that lets students explore/discuss/argue different points of view without fear of criticism/retribution/ostracism.

I believe that the district takes this challenge seriously and actively promotes such an environment through student assemblies, staff training, and committees that focus on wellness, inclusion, and diversity.

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

I am a retired mid-level executive who worked for a Fortune 10 company for 28 years, followed by twelve years with a related firm. I managed diverse teams responsible for programs that included computer center operations, yellow pages publishing, software development, and multi-billion-dollar telecom proposals to U.S. government agencies.

The work was extremely challenging and highly complex, but afforded me the opportunity to hone my skills in leadership, problem solving, teamwork, and consensus building – all of which are critical in working collaboratively with fellow board members and the administration to ensure continued success of our programs. Experience matters!

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

I look forward to representing the Mendham community as a member of the WMRHSD Board of Education for another term. I think my contributions over the past six years on the Board have contributed to the continued success of our educational programs and the improvement of our school facilities. My commitment: to provide financial and educational stewardship to help ensure that every student has the best opportunity to learn and grow.