Meet Joan Minnuies, Running For Middletown School Board

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Five candidates are running for three seats on the Middletown Board of Education this November (election is Nov. 5, same day as the U.S. presidential).

They are: Current Board member Deb Wright, current Board member Joan Minnuies, current Board member Kate Farley, joined by a local mom running with her this year, Sara Weinstein (Today's Children First) and Mark Soporowski (Common Sense Education).

Patch asked all five candidates the same set of questions so they can introduce themselves to voters. All five candidates got back to us and submitted their answers. Here are the responses from Minnuies:

1. Provide a brief bio on yourself. Age, education, occupation.

I am Joan Minnuies, a lifelong resident of Middletown. My husband, our three children and I are all graduates of Middletown schools. Two of our five grandchildren currently attend Middletown schools. I have had the honor of being on the Middletown BOE for the past 22 years and have been a strong advocate for all students, parents and staff. I have also had the pleasure of working with young adults with intellectual disabilities for the last 20 years. Prior to that I was a para-professional for Middletown.

2. For current school board members, what is some of the work you're proudest of that the Board has done?
- I am proud that our board has hired and supported a new superintendent who put together a strong administration that has the best interest of our students and staff, and success for all as their top priorities.
- Putting police officers in our schools.
- Supporting the curriculum that best fits our district so that all students can have the opportunity to succeed.
- Bringing back art and music to elementary schools.
- Offering dual enrollment courses to our high school students.
-
3. Where do you think the board needs to improve?
I would like to see us work harder to bring back the trades to our district. I believe this will benefit many students.

4. What do you think of the Middletown school board passing its transgender student policy that some say outs students to their parents? Can you explain why you voted FOR the policy, seeing as it is so controversial?

- I voted yes for this policy because I believe parents have a right to know what their children are doing.

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

Personnel
- Securing and retaining qualified staff.
Funding
- Continuing to advocate for our fair share of state aid.
- Supporting grants that can benefit our district.
- Encouraging the implementation and maintenance of a sound budget.
Facilities
- Supporting the continued utilization of the talents that we have in our district to help get the projects completed.
- Getting stakeholders’ input and involving them in the strategic plan process.

Who else got back to us:

Meet Mark Soporowski, Running For Middletown School Board

For Middletown Township Committee, Mayor Tony Perry (Republican) seeks re-election, and he will be challenged by Democrat Mike Morris.

The election will be Nov. 5, but you can vote early in person at Croydon Hall (in the Assembly Hall), at 900 Leonardville Road, Leonardo NJ 07737, from Oct. 26 - Nov. 3. Hours will be Monday-Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. and Sunday, 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. No appointment is necessary, according to the state of NJ Division of Elections. And there is also mail-in voting.