Candidate Profile: Jing Wen For Millburn Board Of Ed 2021

MILLBURN, NJ — Jing Wen, a Millburn resident and mother of two in the school district, is running for Millburn's Board of Education. She believes her involvement in the township and her experience working in finance will make her a successful board member.

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

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

1. What is your background?

"I am Jing Wen, a Millburn resident since 2015 and a mom of two boys, a senior in MHS and an 8th grader in MMS. Before moving here, my older boy went through K-5th grade education in Summit, where my family lived for eleven years. I have experience with all levels of Millburn's academics, after-school enrichment, and extracurricular activities and understand the challenges high school students face.

"Like many parents in this district, I am deeply committed to providing my children with an excellent, well-rounded education. Since moving to this town, I have actively participated as a parent volunteer at both the school level (e.g., Strawberry Festival, Teacher Appreciation Luncheon, Cultural Arts Program, TGIF, MHS Speech and Debate parent judge, etc.) and the district level (e.g., Co-Chair of the Sleep Advisory Committee for the district’s Start Time Investigation initiative, member of the District Advisory Committee). I have experience working with the district’s Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, school administrators, and teachers.

"I have always been passionate about education and attended many BOE meetings, both in-person and virtual. I had twice volunteered to fill a BOE vacancy in Millburn to contribute and give back to the community. This fall, I have decided to enter the race.

"I come with 25 years of work experience in the financial accounting, finance, and banking industry. Prior to leaving my work in 2018, I was a director at an international investment bank responsible for structuring, pitching, managing, and executing esoteric asset-backed securities for financial institutions. My job involves working with a group of professionals, i.e., lawyers, outside consultants, regulators, auditors, and internal credit department and operations, to deliver the best execution for the client. I have an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business, and I believe my real-world financial expertise and experience, project management skills will be valuable to the Board."

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

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

"If I am elected, I would like to focus on the following areas:

• "Serve on the Board’s Finance Committee and bring my financial experience and expertise to the Board to prepare the district for the near term or the future. As the current resident financial expert on the Board is coming off the term by the end of this year, the Board needs new members with financial expertise.

• "Promote and ensure the health and safety of students, teachers, and administrators in our school community in our return to full-time in-person learning.

• "Highlight the importance of student mental health and wellness and emphasize school-life balance through community education and ensuring schools have adequate infrastructure and resources in place to support students.

• "Support and promote Green initiatives in the school district to fight climate change to provide a more sustainable living environment for future generations.

• "Lastly, I would focus on the district’s Diversity and Inclusion effort to ensure all groups of Americans feel a belonging to this country, and our kids have an unbiased education of various groups’ contributions to this nation."

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

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

"Currently, the most pressing issue that needs to be resolved and improved is the busing and safety situation. Due to a national school bus driver shortage, the district has decided to cancel three subscription busing routes to address the route shortage experienced on the mandatory busing. We all agree that both mandatory and subscription busing provide convenience to residents, especially those families with dual-working parents.

"Additionally, transportation of students on mandatory and subscription busing reduces traffic of individual or pooled car drop-off and pick-up before and after school, hence reducing traffic, the chance of accidents, and in the meantime greatly help the environment. I believe it is a win-win for the district and township to deliver reliable and top-quality service on busing.

"To achieve that, we need a leader and staff in the Transportation Department who is open to community inputs, can leverage on community ideas, and come up with the most creative and optimized busing routes, not only to transport students from all over the town, but also achieve the most efficiency, in terms of riding time and money. It is a demanding job yet very critical to the success of the district."

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