3 Takeaways From Parsippany's School Board Candidate Debate

PARSIPPANY, NJ — Candidates for three seats on the Parsippany-Troy Hills Township Board of Education faced off on Tuesday at a virtual debate co-hosted by the League of Women Voters.

This year, 12 people filed petitions seeking election to the Parsippany-Troy Hills Township Board of Education, according to the Morris County Clerk's office.

Three three-year seats are up for grabs.

The candidates who filed for these seats are:

• Matthew DeVitto
• Kendra Von Achen
• Balakrishna "Bala" Samaga
• Nilesh Bagdai
• Falgun Bakhtarwala
• Cassandra Cogan
• Wendy Wright
• Nicole Dellafave
• Lily Benavides
• Deitria Smith-Snead
• Timothy P. Berrios
• Andrew Choffo

Two incumbents, DeVitto and Von Achen, are looking to retain their seats on the board. Another incumbent, Debra Orme, is not running for re-election.

The hour-long debate drew 11 candidates, who answered questions submitted in advance by members of the public.

During the forum, there was no audience participation allowed, but all questions posed to the candidates were generated by members of the public and screened by the League to eliminate duplicates and personal attacks.

Each candidate had 90 seconds for opening statements, 60 seconds for answering questions and one minute for closing statements.

Three Main Takeaways From The Debate:

Development and Student Population:

When the candidates were asked what the current problems were in the school district, many discussed the effects that overdevelopment could have on the local schools.

The increase in development projects around Parsippany has caused residents to express concerns about whether the school system will be overburdened and how the roads will handle the increased traffic.

In her response, Wright said that the local schools were "bursting at the seams," and despite the work that was already being done by the board, more preparations were needed to keep the district in a good spot.

"How do we prioritize our budget use to keep effective class sizes, bringing innovative programming while we're all trying to kind of integrate new bodies in these rooms," Wright said.

DeVitto noted that the board is always discussing the topic of development when trying to plan for the future, noting that it's their goal to figure out how to prepare for that growth.

"We all see it with all the developments going on in town," DeVitto said.

Dellafave claimed that when it comes to new housing developments in town, the school board must collaborate with the township council and the town planning board in order to stay ahead of the problem.

Censorship and Parental Rights:

The 11 candidates were asked for their thoughts on several contested issues, including parental rights, censoring content, and policies for LGBTQ+ students, which districts across the state, including neighboring Hanover Township, are attempting to overturn.

Both Choffo and Bagdai agreed that censorship was something that was sometimes necessary when it came to educating children, noting that material needed to be appropriate for specific grade levels.

"I also believe that parents have a right to know everything that's going on in a public school system to ensure that the values that they believe in are also being instilled in their children. I'm not a book banner, not a book burner, but we do have to be careful about what's being presented to our students," Choffo said.

When asked about their thoughts on the future of the highly debated Policy 5756, candidate Dellafave stated, even though it was a controversial topic, that it was the school's job to protect all students, which "might look different at varying levels in their educational experience."

While discussing further implications for parental rights in the township, Wright noted that she believed that parents should be involved in a collaborative and developmentally appropriate way.

"I also believe in the rights of young people. I think a lot of the discourse around parents' rights right now is complicated. I think the balance of parents' rights and the rights of students shifts as students get older," Wright said.

Benavides agreed with that statement, saying that while parents should have the right to know what is going on with their children, the age of the students is an important factor.

"When they are growing and they are finding their identity, it is very important that the schools provide support, and by support, I mean counselors that specialize in those issues," Benavides said.

Diversity in the School District:

The candidates discussed the issue of diversity in the school calendar, noting that the current district calendar recognizes a Christmas break, Good Friday, Yom Kippur and Eid, but not the Hindu holiday of Diwali.

"People pride themselves on saying how diverse Parsippany is, but it's not reflective in the calendar. I don't feel as though a group of people who make up a large subgroup in the district should have to petition a high holy day. It's disappointing to see so," Smith-Snead said.

Choffo agreed that the district should try its utmost to recognize all religious holidays and properly reflect the township's diversity, but noted that there was a problem because schools were required to provide 180 days of instruction.

Bagdai also argued that the current board of education does not accurately reflect the diversity within the township. "We require a change."

According to the 2022 U.S. Census statistics, the township's population is 37.2 percent Asian, 9.3 percent Latino, 3.3 percent Black, and 53.2 percent White.

The debate was live-streamed on YouTube and has been posted to the League of Women Voters of the Morristown Area, YouTube page. To view the entire debate, click here.