As I meet with members of our community during this campaign, voters ask me: “Why are you running for school board again?” My answer is simple: I care deeply about the WW-P School District, and my record demonstrates that I have the knowledge and the commitment to improve the learning experience for all children in our schools.
In my 15 years of volunteering in our schools and community, I have fostered collaborative relationships with community and district leaders, and I haven’t shied away from offering constructive criticism. My fellow volunteers recognized that I wasn’t afraid to advocate for the welfare of our students and encouraged me to run for a seat on the school board in 2011. While we live in an excellent school district, I recognized then, as I do now, that there is always room for improvement.
Two of my well-financed opponents have accused me of rubber-stamping the administration’s agenda. To the contrary, I have wielded significant influence by doing my homework and registering my concerns and dissent respectfully, without assaulting the character of my fellow board members or demanding that the superintendent and other senior administrators be fired, as they have.
As a board member, I have influenced countless decisions that have positively impacted curriculum and the student experience. To name just a few:
1. Supporting bond refinancing and responsible use of capital reserves to enable the district to complete critical projects without raising taxes.
2. Adding AP microeconomics and AP psychology courses to increase social science opportunities for high school students.
3. Advocating for better practices in identifying and serving special education students.
4. Offering honors world history to round out the honors course options for high school freshmen.
5. Offering Financial Literacy, a state-mandated high school class, during study hall or during the summer to satisfy the requirement.
6. Increasing the number of music teachers at all school levels to provide more individualized instruction.
As chair of the teacher negotiations committee, I fought to ensure a fair deal for the district, knowing that 80 percent of the budget goes towards contractual obligations. The other 20 percent must cover transportation, curriculum materials, capital improvements and everything else—this margin doesn’t leave room for waste in any category of the budget. I recognize that every penny counts and have done everything in my power to protect our district’s wide array of programming and allocate tax dollars wisely.
I have worked tirelessly to promote the interests of all students in the district for the past six and a half years, and I pledge to do so for the next three.
I have joined forces with Martin Whitfield because we share a common belief in the importance of honest, open, respectful dialogue. Martin also has a demonstrated record of community involvement and advocating for all children in our district.
— Dana Krug
Krug is an incumbent running for a West Windsor seat on the school board.
