Election 2022: Carolyn Barber, Shrewsbury Board of Education

SHREWSBURY, NJ — Carolyn Barber is one of four candidates for three full terms on the Shrewsbury Board of Education in the Nov. 8 general election.

In these profiles, based on questions provided, the candidates give voters background about themselves and their positions on the issues. Patch is publishing individual profiles leading up to the election.

Barber is seeking her fourth term on the school board and says she "is energized" to implement the school improvements to be funded in the recently approved bond referendum. She also is concerned about the lingering effects of the COVID pandemic. "We need to continue to address as a district the academic slide and emotional toll the pandemic took on our children, teachers, staff and administrators," she says.

Read more from candidate Carolyn Barber:

Name: Carolyn Barber

Town of residence: Shrewsbury

Position sought: Board of Education member

Are you an incumbent or have previous school board or civic experience?: Incumbent

Do you have a campaign designation or slate? No

Campaign website: None

Family: Married with two boys ages 12 and 16

Education: B.A. in Communications, Rutgers University

Occupation: Realtor

Why do you want to run for the school board and what in your experience or background prepares you for election:

I am running for my fourth term on the Shrewsbury Board of Education. I am currently a licensed New Jersey Realtor and I come from a film and television production background. I also taught English in Japan after graduating from Rutgers.

I volunteer in the community with the PTA as Assemblies Chair, a member of the Community Alliance, a volunteer with the Red Bank Jr. Bucs Wrestling Club and I’m a member of the Community Advisory Board at Red Bank Regional High School.

I am energized to run for another term because our board just passed our first school referendum in 20 years. We worked as a board for the last few years to develop this referendum after listening to the community and focusing on what was important for our students, staff and town. I want to use my cumulative knowledge to see the referendum project to completion. I look forward to seeing these improvements take shape.

Name what you see as the top issues currently facing your district and how you plan to address them. These can be local issues and/or statewide issues:

The pandemic took its toll on students and teachers nationwide and our district was not left unscathed. We need to continue to address as a district the academic slide and emotional toll the pandemic took on our children, teachers, staff and administrators.

Mental health and academic supports are all things we have discussed in our committees and will work to make sure our children have what they need to succeed and move forward from this trying time in history.

We have already brought in mindfulness training for students and staff and are also identifying individual students who need extra support. We had a successful summer academic program for children identified as needing extra support.

I already mentioned the just-passed school referendum. Now that it is a reality, I will work with the superintendent and the whole board to get the project moving quickly, efficiently and with as few disruptions as possible.

State aid for special education programs is always something that is an issue that we continue to discuss with our state legislators. We have hired amazing special education instructors to support our children and continue to evaluate what can be done to make sure we serve our whole school population.

Another issue on the state-wide level is the proposed increase of up to 23 percent in health insurance costs that need to be addressed. The board will look through the budget to see where we can find additional saving and we will make our voices known in Trenton.

What changes or improvements do you see for the district that could enhance educational life and is there a way you might accomplish that?:

The whole time I have served on the Board of Education I have been working to improve the school for the betterment of all students with my fellow board members. One of the culminations of that effort was the recently passed school referendum which will bring air-conditioning and climate control to every classroom, new security doors and windows for safety and efficiency, a much needed addition so that our pre-K program can expand due to demand and our overcrowded gym/auditorium/cafeteria will finally be solved with the addition of a stand alone cafeteria and multipurpose room.

These new upgrades will enhance our educational life immensely. I will continue to support the superintendent in insuring that our teachers receive Wilson training that has proven to greatly improve literacy for all students and is a key component to teaching our dyslexic population.

While serving on the curriculum committee, we worked with the administration to include an Orton-Gillingham specialist on our special education team. Over the summer we revamped our gifted and talented program and our whole school enrichment program which will be rolling out soon and is another way to enhance educational life at our school.

I am proud that our school was on the forefront of hiring two teachers for most classrooms in a co-teaching model as recommended by the state years ago. I will continue to support those hirings. I will continue to work with our PTA to provide supplemental assemblies that promote mindfulness, diversity, ecology and the arts.

Candidates for Shrewsbury Board of Education:
Full Term - Vote for Three

• Ryan Howard
• Karen Hepburn Goldberg
• Carolyn Barber
• Jessica Groom