Scotch Plains School Board Election 2022: Stephanie Suriani

SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ — The Scotch Plains-Fanwood School Board election is coming up on Nov. 8, and five candidates are running for three seats on the board.

Two seats are open on the Scotch Plains board, and one seat is open on the Fanwood board for the election this November.

Incumbents Nancy Bauer and Stephanie Suriani are both running for re-election to maintain their current seats on the board. Resident John Greenblatt has also filed to run for the Scotch Plains board.

On Fanwood's board, current member Amy Winkler is running for re-election against newcomer Gary Morris.

Patch asked all the candidates a series of questions ahead of the November election. (All of the candidates were given the same questions).

Here are candidate Suriani's answers below:

Stephanie Suriani

Position sought: Scotch Plains school board member

Educational Background: I hold a masters in social work from NYU and am a licensed clinical social worker.

Occupation: I work as a Program Manager (supervisor) at Tri County Care Management Organization, serving Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties under the umbrella of the Department od Children and Families in NJ. TCCMO provides wraparound services to families of children with mental health, behavioral, substance and developmental challenges.

Do you have a family? Tell us about them: I have been married for 16 years and have lived in Scotch Plains for 15 years. My husband Rich is self employed in tech sales. We have two children, Gabby (9th grade) and Matthew (5th grade).

Why did you decide to run for the Board of Ed this year?:

I have been on the school board for 6 years. I feel it took the first full term to learn the extent of the district’s policies and curriculum, and understand the role and impact of the board. I am ready to continue to do my part to move forward the district’s current strategic plan. As a professional social worker, community service has always been an important value in my life. I feel like my skill set and strengths as a social worker align with the role and mission of board member.

I have tried over the past six years to use my values, such as incorporating student voice, positive communication between the district and parents/community at large, and promoting wellness as well as achievement in our schools. I believe in innovation and positive change, and think the Board holds our leadership accountable for this. We have developed a community engagement committee, of which I am a part since I have always identified communication with the community as an area for growth. I am also the Board’s liaison to our community’s Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation initiative, joining key stakeholders such as the mayors in both towns, in this national initiative in building antiracist communities,

Have you previously run for Board of Ed or served on the board before?

I have served on the board for 2 terms. During my tenure, I have supported major improvements in our infrastructure such as upgrades to HVAC during Covid, upgrades to our schools in media centers and auditoriums, and of course the field lights. I have also supported development of additional roles in the district to support success, such as the Arts Integration Specialist and Director of Counseling, Health and Wellness.

What do you hope to accomplish if you are elected to serve on the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Board of Education?

I hope to continue to move forward the strategic plan that was developed last year, including more innovative programming for students at the high school such as “academy” type pathways to develop career interest and readiness. In addition, as a social worker, focusing on mental health and wellness is a key value, and I continue to share resources and ideas such as methodological approaches that the district can use in SEL efforts. During the last few years, we have also begun looking at the district’s use of time and have smoothly transitioned to block scheduling at the high school. I believe we need to continue to look at time at all levels from K-8 and what makes sense for students and parents in terms of development and learning. I also want to move forward with current efforts in diversity, equity and inclusion in our instruction and hiring of diverse staff. In addition, I am excited that this year the Board will have a student member, and it is important to me personally incorporating my social work values, to continue to find ways to incorporate student voice into all efforts.

What do you think is the most pressing issue for the Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District?

I think with the backdrop of other changes in our community, we will need to look at expansion of facilities based on housing development, and we are working with the towns and a demographer to do so proactively. I have always talked as a Board member about the challenges of drop off and pick up at our schools, and the need to examine transportation needs versus limitations that face the state (bus driver shortages, etc). In addition, as with the rest of the state, we face teacher shortages – we have always been able to attract the most qualified and exceptional teachers, but it has become a challenge, in addition to finding enough substitutes in the district.

What will you do to ensure that students feel safe at school?

Safety is both emotional and physical. Emotionally, I believe there needs to be equity for all students and students need to feel comfortable in their classrooms and have teachers/administrators who are aware and knowledgeable about how to respond when students may not feel safe, and be culturally aware and sensitive overall. We should continue having key staff in each school that students can speak to. I have supported efforts over the past few years to greatly expand our counseling department districtwide, and we currently have at least one counselor per school including elementary, as well as a district anti-bullying specialist and a Director of Health, Counseling and Wellness (newly developed position this year).

To support the stress felt by students during Covid, we developed a partnership with University Behavioral Health Care to have additional counselors in our schools, as well as expanding the counselors through our contract with Effective School Solutions in middle schools as well as the high school. As far as physical safety, I supported (through listening to our community) major expansions in our school safety infrastructure after past national gun-related incidents.

We revamped entrances at ALL schools to include safety features such as entry vestibules with double door entry. We overhauled and upgraded the lock down system districtwide. We also brought on resource officers in all of our schools. And importantly, we continue to collaborate well with both towns’ police departments who support safety in our schools. I have supported all of these efforts.

What is your stance on the new sex education curriculum that has been introduced by the state?

Our district is very thoughtful in implementing curriculum mandates. The sexual education/health curriculum is not new this year – the current changes involve shifting the standards of what is taught when. As far as the LGBTQ and gender identity piece of the curriculum, this is also not new, as LGBTQ education has been mandatory in NJ schools. However, focus groups have been convened that began last year that included teachers and community members, more will be held, and we will adapt units of study based on feedback. Our new Director of Counseling, Health and Wellness, who has a mental health background and child development education, has been at the forefront of carefully examining what is age-appropriate for each grade level.

I believe we can move forward with health and sexual education as we always have in an appropriate manner that benefits our students. I know that examination of the new standards continues and implementation will be in the Spring. The curriculum will be available for parent review so parents can opt out, as it is ultimately their choice what their children learn about sexuality and whether they would like to address these issues at home.

What is something new that you will bring to the Board in the coming year?

The Board functions as a whole, and individual Board members do not act alone. It is essential to function collaboratively, which I have been able to do over the last six years. I feel like I bring an understanding of youth mental health and wellness to the Board based on my profession. I have always strongly championed increasing our counseling staff and partnership with mental health providers, and will continue to do so. I plan to continue to focus on innovative instruction at all levels, and incorporating student and community voice into these efforts, such as working closely with our student Board member. All of this is part of our strategic plan and I plan to be accountable for implementing it thoughtfully.

Anything else voters should know about you?

I am a social worker with a long history of volunteerism and community involvement. I remain committed to serving the community in the best way I can and am grounded in the core mission of the district which is student achievement.