Meet Sara Weinstein, Running For Election To Middletown School Board

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Nov. 4 will be an election for Middletown Township Committee and school board.

There are seven candidates running for three seats on the Middletown school board:

James Cody, Chris Aveta and Sara Weinstein (running together on the Students, Parents, Taxpayers slate), James Dobis, Erin Torres and current Board members Leonora Lacqua-Caminiti and Joe Fitzgerald.

Patch asked them all the same series of questions, and all seven got back to us. We will be publishing their candidate profiles. Here are Weinstein's answers:

Your name, age and office you are running for. Do you currently hold this office and if so, for how long? Both years and terms.

My name is Sara Weinstein and I'm a 43-year-old mother running for the Middletown Board of Education.

Have you ever run for elected office before? Please list all races and their outcomes.

I am not currently on the board, but did run last year.

What is your occupation?

SVP Sales, Health in the Data/Advertising Technology space.

What part of Middletown do you live in? How long have you lived in town?

I have resided in the Village section of Middletown since 2016.

Do you have children in the district, or did your children attend Middletown schools in the past?

My son attends Middletown Village Elementary School.

What specific skills or accomplishments can you cite that would compel voters to elect you to the Board of Education?

In addition to running a growing division at my company, I am an active community member via volunteering opportunities at my son's school and participation as a member of the Stakeholder Engagement Committee. I am also a member of the Shared Services Committee, an advisory board that helps to facilitate communication and partnership between the BOE and Middletown leadership. Last, but not least, I work as the Fundraising Lead for the River Plaza Lincroft Chargers.

My experience as a mother in our district combined with the knowledge I’ve gained from countless discussions with parents and taxpayers across town, has compelled me to use the skills I have garnered in sales and management roles to help our district get back to where it needs to be. We need people to bridge the gap between disparate parties, via robust communication, to ensure we find solutions that put the education and overall well-being of our children at the forefront, while ensuring community support is not taken for granted.

I’m a proven leader that isn’t afraid to roll up my sleeves and do what it takes to find creative solutions to our district’s problems. My goal is to focus on getting back to basics in our schools by eliminating wasteful spending and putting more money towards our children’s education. We need to focus on our classrooms by supporting and expanding all subjects and disciplines, to properly champion and nurture the children of our community.

Please list the 3 biggest issues the Middletown school district is currently facing.

1. A massive tax hike that afforded us no new teachers, no new programs and no improvements to our facilities.

2. Poor communication between the administration, BOE and community, fueled by an inability to provide and utilize technology in an efficient manner.

3. Aging facilities that are not properly supporting our childrens’ education and inefficient spending on properties that are not yielding any benefit.

Joe and Leonora joined a majority Board vote earlier this year to increase the Middletown schools property tax by 10.1 percent. Many residents, notably seniors but also others, pleaded with the board not to increase the tax, and also the district warned it would not prevent the future closure or consolidation of some schools. To the others not currently on the board: Would you have voted for the 10.1 percent tax increase or not? Please explain why or why not.

Absolutely not! 10.1% was egregious and is hurting our community. The cost of living in our area has already skyrocketed in the last five years; there were alternatives that current board members chose not to implement that would have been better for all.

In the past year, what mistakes has the Middletown BOE made? Or, asked another way: Where could the Board have done better?

Communication and accountability to prevent this mess we now find ourselves in.

What's your favorite thing about living in Middletown?

Having grown up in North Jersey I find my new hometown to be superior to anywhere else I’ve lived in this state. The history here, the people, the variety and convenience of everything this area has to offer is second to none. And of course our proximity to the Shore!

Meet Joe Fitzgerald, Running For Re-Election To Middletown School Board