Election 2022: Jessica Groom, Shrewsbury Board of Education

SHREWSBURY, NJ — Jessica Groom is one of four candidates seeking three, full-terms seats on the 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.

Groom, the current board president, said she hopes to see through the improvements that will be made to the district's school with the passage Oct. 6 of the referendum, which included building an addition to the school. "I have regularly interfaced with the professionals we utilized in order to build and pass this project, and I am running for my third and final term to finish what we have started," Groom said.

Read more from candidate Jessica Groom:

Name: Jessica Groom

Town of residence: Shrewsbury

Position sought: Board of Education

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

Do you have a campaign designation or slate? No

Family: Married with two kids

Education: B.A. from University of Delaware, M.S. from Rutgers University

Occupation: Homemaker

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

I first ran for the Shrewsbury board of education in 2016. A friend and neighbor who was a board member at the time invited me over to show me the referendum project they had been working on over the last couple of years. He told me that a current board member was stepping down due to increased work responsibilities and encouraged me to run, and I was so glad that I did.

Unfortunately the 2016 referendum failed, but from that experience we were able to gain the knowledge that helped us to successfully pass a referendum on October 6th of this year.

I am our board president and the head of our referendum committee. I have regularly interfaced with the professionals we utilized in order to build and pass this project and I am running for my third and final term to finish what we have started.

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:

As I mentioned earlier, the town overwhelmingly supported a much needed referendum on October 6th which allows us to address a top priority, the needs of our overcrowded and aging facility. We need to execute this project with transparency and also try to minimize the impact to our school community.

Second, we will need to support our teachers and staff in closing the gaps that have arisen as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Finally, we will need to successfully negotiate a new contract with our teachers.

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 improvements to be made to our facility through this referendum project will provide a tremendous enhancement to educational life in Shrewsbury for years to come. A safer and more modern facility is a great environment for our students to learn and faculty and staff to work.

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

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