Candidate Profile: Agnes Sym For Millburn Board Of Ed 2021

MILLBURN, NJ — Agnes Sym has almost 20 years of experience negotiating deals and problem-solving as a practicing attorney. She believes her expertise as a lawyer will benefit the Board of Education and allow her to effect change in Millburn's education system.

Sym is one of eight candidates vying for three seats on Millburn's Board of Education this election season.

Read below to learn more about Sym and her platform for the upcoming election on Nov. 2.

1. What is your background?

"As a practicing attorney for almost 20 years, I would like to offer up my legal skills and expertise to help our school community. After having worked at a couple of large law firms in both Boston and New York, most recently White & Case, I moved in-house and became a transactional attorney in the legal department of Fidelity Investments. I’m bringing my skills and expertise as an accomplished lawyer who day in and day out negotiates deals and resolves problems by being collaborative and creative to find the middle ground for all involved parties."

Related: Meet all eight Millburn Board of Ed candidates running this November

2. What goals do you want to accomplish on the BOE?

"I understand that it takes a tremendous amount of time and energy, as well as a significant amount of coordination, to bring about even small changes that can be effectuated by the board. I would like to help continue the progress that the board has made to maintain the excellent quality of education offered today and improve the mental health of our students.

"In addition, I would like to help the board navigate some potential changes to our children’s learning environments. We need to ensure that we maintain academic excellence despite any potential increase in student enrollments from new housing developments. We should also help our high school students stay competitive despite changes resulting from the pandemic, such as SAT testing being optional or test blind colleges not even reviewing submitted test scores.

"At the same time, we still have to continue the focus on student mental health, and consider broadening that focus to elementary school students especially after the pandemic."

To learn more about Sym and her platform, follow her campaign on Facebook and her website.

3. What is the number one problem you feel needs to be addressed in Millburn's education system?

"Improving the mental health of our students, especially at the high schools. The good thing is that our district realizes that there is a growing concern about the level of stress, especially at the high school. We – the educators, students and parents – need to continue the dialogue on what our shared goals are and whether different tracts may be needed. This is especially true at the high schools, as the aspirations to gain entrance into the best universities possible generates high levels of both peer and parental pressure to put together diverse resumes of both activities and academics.

"By allowing alternate avenues for students to “succeed”, such as through the performing arts, we could hopefully alleviate the burden that many students feel from the perceived notion that they have to follow everyone on a single path to succeed (e.g., taking a number of AP classes in subjects based on a formula regardless of a student’s own personal interests in the subjects)."

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