Another election season is upon us, but that does not mean that voters will be have a lot of choices to make when they submit their ballots this year.
There are seats on the township committee and Fieldsboro council up for election this year, but a shortage of candidates to fill them. In Bordentown Township, Democratic incumbents Aneka Miller and Bill Grayson are running unopposed for two available seats. In Fieldsboro, Democratic incumbents Amy Telford, Charlene Lewis and John Errigo are running unopposed. Bordentown City holds its elections in May.
The story is a little different where the Bordentown Regional School District Board of Education is concerned. One seat is up for election in each of Bordentown Township (where three are running), Bordentown City (where one candidate is unopposed) and in Fieldsboro, where two candidates, including the incumbent, will face off.
Bordentown City
In Bordentown City, there is one three-year term up for election this year, and one candidate to fill it: Melinda Zola. Incumbent Janet Nielsen is not running.
Melinda Zola, 43, is a stay-at-home mom who has lived in Bordentown since she was four. She is married to Rich Zola and they share two children: Charlotte, 10, and Aiden, 11. Both are students at MacFarland Intermediate School.
Bordentown Township
In Bordentown Township, two seats are in play: one is a full, three-year seat on the board, currently held by Eileen Francisco-Cabus, who is not running again.
Four candidates are on the ballot as running for this single position: Chasity Bauldree, Daniel Diamond, Raquel Parker and Amy B. Glatz. However, Parker was appointed to the board last month to replace a current member who has resigned. As a result, Parker is no longer actively campaigning. (See “Parker named to BOE” below for a more detailed explanation.)
Chasity Bauldree, 41, is an insurance professional who has lived in Bordentown Township for 8 years. She is married to husband Jason and they have three children who attend Peter Muschal Elementary School in third grade, first grade and kindergarten: Adrianna, Jason Jr. and Angelina. The family is involved in recreational sports, travel sports and dance.
Daniel Diamond, 49, has been a utility manager at PSE&G for the last 16 years. Originally from Philadelphia, he has lived in Bordentown for four years. Diamond and wife Melanie have two daughters: Teagan, 13, and Tristyn, 11, who both attend Bordentown Regional Middle School.
Amy B. Glatz, 48, is a federal employee and New Jersey Army National Guard member. She is married to Andrew Glatz and they have two children: Lilyann, a sophomore at BRHS, and Chloe, an 8th grader at BRMS.
There is one more name on the township ballot: Richard Shenowski, who assumed the seat of former board member Ryan Cody earlier this year, after Cody resigned. Shenowski is required to run for election to complete the final year of the term in 2024. He is unopposed.
Richard Shenowski, 42, works as a vice president of operations. A lifelong resident of Burlington County, he has lived in Bordentown for 18 years. Shenowski and his wife have a daughter who attends Peter Muschal Elementary School.
Fieldsboro
Two candidates are running for one three-year seat available in Fieldsboro: incumbent Joseph Dean, Jr. and challenger Karen A. Pouria.
Joseph Dean, Jr., 41, works in project management. The Fieldsboro resident currently serves as the vice president of the board of education. He lived in Bordentown for 27 years, and has lived in Fieldsboro for five.
Dean is married to wife Indhira, and has six children: John, Elijah, Gabrielle, Samaya, Jayden and Caleb. John is a 2023 graduate of BRHS who is now in the Air Force; Elijah is a senior at BRHS; Gabrielle a freshman at BCIT; Samaya and Jayden 7th graders at BRMS; and Caleb a pre-kindergartener at Peter Muschal Elementary.
Karen A. Pouria, 55, is a teacher and 22-year Fieldsboro resident. She has two daughters, Sarah, 28, and Hannah, 25, both of whom graduated from the Bordentown Regional School District.
Parker named to BOE
Raquel Parker is one name that Bordentown Township voters should see on their ballots this fall, as a candidate for the seat set to be vacated on Jan. 1 by Elaine Francisco-Cabus.
Thing is, Parker is a board member already—chosen by the board last month to assume the term of Larry Braasch, who has resigned.
Though Parker’s name remains on the ballot, she is no longer campaigning. If she should win the election, she will be expected to decline to accept.
Parker, 45, was born in Argentina with Chilean nationality. Married to lifelong Bordentown resident Christopher Parker, she has lived in Bordentown since 1998. They have a daughter, Kara, a sophomore at BRHS, as well as a rescue chiweenie named Clara Belle.
Parker volunteers as a Girl Scout Leader and co-chairs the township environmental commission.
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The following Q&A was emailed to respondents. Their answers may have been minimally edited for length, clarity or style.
Tell us about the moment that you decided to run, or run again, for school board.
Melinda Zola: I started attending our board of education meetings merely to be an informed parent. I started speaking out at our school board meetings because I felt someone needed to be an advocate for our students and our teachers in the district. This led me to volunteer to take part in the five-year planning committee. While attending these meetings, I enjoyed feeling like I had a voice to support my children and others in the community. I want to be part of the team that supports and celebrates all of our students.
Chasity Bauldree: I interviewed to be on the board along with seven other individuals in January of 2021, but was not chosen. That spring, my husband and I both embarked on new professional journeys, so I decided to hold off running for a board seat. I am running because we need more parents of children attending our schools with a vested interest making such grave decisions that directly affect our children.
Daniel Diamond: It was towards the end of Covid when I decided to run, after being encouraged by my wife, who is an educator. There was no specific catalyst other than my desire to contribute to my community. I care strongly about children receiving a solid educational foundation to build on. Since I am not an educator myself, I want to be useful, and school board is an area where I may be useful.
Amy B. Glatz: As a member of the military and with my career coming to an end in the next few years, I wanted a way to continue serving my community. I have been involved with my children’s education from the start, and felt this was the next logical way to support my children’s education, as well as the many families in Bordentown.
Richard Shenowski: When I was appointed to the board one of the interview questions was, “If appointed, will you run in 2023 to finish out the term of this seat?” The answer to that question was and remains simple. I feel a passionate calling to play an active role in making our schools great. As a board member I am committed to devoting the time required for training, research, prepping for, and attending committee and board meetings.
Joseph Dean, Jr.: The pivotal moment was during a school function, where I saw how much growth and potential existed in our students. There’s unfinished business, an ongoing opportunity to make a difference. My passion for these kids is unequivocal. I made the decision because I want to keep pushing their development, instilling the importance of hard work, and ensuring their safety. It felt convincingly right to continue my contribution to the school board, thereby directly impacting their lives.
Karen A. Pouria: As an educator, I have also sought venues to make positive changes to the educational system, so for years I have thought about running. I am finally at a time in my life that I have the time needed to dedicate myself to the position. After making some decisions in both my personal and professional life, I decided in March to run for school board.
Grade the job the school board has done in recent years. What can you do as a member of the school board to maintain or improve this grade?
Zola: I would give our current school board a B. As a parent with children attending school in the district, I have high expectations for our school board members. I have, at times, felt a distance between our board members and the rest of our community.
I believe that including our families in the five-year planning committee was a great first step toward closing that gap. I would continue drawing the board and the community closer together, encouraging continued community involvement and open, honest dialogue.
Bauldree: I don’t think it would be fair of me to grade the current school board members, as I nor has anyone else in the public been privy to all of the information and decisions they have made and why. But I do not agree with many board decisions that have been brought to my attention from just attending public board meetings, reviewing board public information and situations brought to my attention from other parents.
The board drastically needs to improve transparency and communication with the community. I have seen the forum of public board meetings become extremely restrictive, with directions deterring the public from even commenting at public meetings over the last three years.
Diamond: I don’t have any negative comments about the current or previous school board representatives because I am not privy to the discussions or details of the issues they have faced and don’t want to judge without details. As a parent, I can say that the school district handled the pandemic well, considering the complexity and difficulty.
I am also happy with my experiences with the Bordentown Regional School District based on my own interactions with teachers and school staff, who gracefully do an extremely difficult and important job every day. My pledge is that if I am elected, I will address the current issues facing the school district with a commonsense approach to the best of my ability.
Glatz: No board is perfect and I would grade the board with a B-, as I believe there is room for improvement. I was aware that the board decided to assess themselves this last year, and I believe they are in the process of developing goals to accomplish within the next few years.
The board also approved a 5-year strategic plan which is also a step in the right direction. This plan will help them focus on the needs the district has to improve their effectiveness for a total education concept, with a focus on the student, teacher and facilities. I was a part of the strategic planning this summer, and I was encouraged by the results and excited to help put this plan into practice.
Shenowski: I feel that our board presently has earned a grade of B-, which is an improvement over the C- that I would have assessed as an observer back in late 2021/2022. There are a myriad of factors that play into this, some under the board’s direct control, and others not.
As a board member for 2024, I plan to focus on increasing committee transparency, continuing the review of our policy manual with a focus on legally compliant common sense policies, and in collaboration with the administration, navigating the continued financial challenges caused by the changes in state funding that have negatively impacted our district.
Dean: I’d give our school board a solid B+. Since I joined during the unforeseen pandemic, we’ve managed to adapt swiftly, actively participating in negotiations, committees and interviews. We’ve supported our district intently, fostering gradual progress.
In retrospect, better community engagement could be a key area for enhancement, facilitating more valuable insights from stakeholders. As a board member, my focus will intensify towards fostering community inclusion in our endeavors, inspiring more involvement in our meetings. In pushing for this, we can work collectively towards our coveted A+ rating.
Pouria: To be honest, I followed the school board when my daughters attended, and then fell off. So I feel it would be unfair to issue them a grade. However, as an educator, I feel I have the knowledge of issues that have a huge impact on education today. I feel I would be able to give an inside opinion of those issues, such as the current teacher shortage that is impacting education today.
I am also versed in laws and codes that affect education along with having a deep knowledge of curriculum. For all these reasons, I feel I would be able to be an asset to the Bordentown Regional School District and community.
What are two vital issues facing the school board today, and what will you do as a member of the board to address them?
Zola: Implementing a current and inclusive curriculum throughout our schools must be a priority. The district curricula should represent our students and respond to their needs. It should create an environment encouraging exploration, healthy risk-taking and academic success.
It is important we address the current state of our schools, specifically the older buildings located in the city. Our board should ensure that our students have equitable access to facilities in good condition with safe, usable indoor and outdoor spaces. Our kids deserve beautiful schools that give them opportunities to play and learn.
Bauldree: Two of the most challenging issues facing our school board today are financial hardship as well as test scores and learning loss of our students post-Covid. Effective June 30, we laid off six teachers in our district, and effective July 1, we created two new six-figure supervisor positions along with giving out bonuses to other administrators.
As a board member, I would like to see us not fire teachers and increase our class sizes, but to cut other frivolous spending which I have questioned the board over in the last three years. We need to let our teachers teach and get back to the basics, not burdening them with so many other issues unrelated to education.
Diamond: Finances and student performance are the core issues facing the school district, with finances affecting all things including our ability to fund the programs and obtain much needed quality support staff. The pending loss of ESSER Covid relief funds, with the final round needing to be obligated by 2024-2025. Doing the right thing with the funds and properly planning for when they are gone. Obtaining good supporting staff while navigating budget constraints.
Glatz: Budget is the first issue I believe needs to be addressed. This last year we had a 1.2-million-dollar shortfall and we had to let go of 6 teachers. Secondly, I would say the matter of pre-school/special education needs that the district has, and the insufficient resources in the form of aides, or teachers to support those programs is a major issue that needs to be addressed. I do not currently have the answers to these problems, but I will give my all to make informed decisions that will benefit all.
Shenowski: We have qualified and dedicated teachers, staff, and administrators, a great student body, and beautiful facilities. Despite all of that we are faced with real academic and financial challenges. Academically our 2021-22 ELA test scores for grades 6-9 were all slightly below the statewide average. In mathematics Geometry and Algebra II, scores also came in below the state average.
We need to do better for our students. As a board member, I have and will continue to stress the importance of academics first and work with our staff to identify and address inadequacies in our curriculum.
Financially, we must be diligent to insure that every dollar is spent wisely as well as explore ways to increase funding through means other than raising taxes. Increasing enrollment is one of those means.
Dean: Two vital issues facing the school board today are funding constraints and students’ mental health. As a board member, I’ll advocate for targeted budget allocation, ensuring resources are spent effectively on educational necessities, and campaign for additional funding from external sources.
Regarding mental health, I will push for a comprehensive approach that includes mental health education, professional training for staff to recognize symptoms, and access to professional counselors. Furthermore, I aim to cultivate an environment that diminishes stigma and nurtures empathy around mental health issues.
Pouria: Two vital issues facing school boards today are teacher recruitment and teacher retention. As a teacher, I can give an insight to the board as to what teachers are looking for when working for a district and what teachers already hired in teacher look for to continue to work for the district. This is crucial in today’s climate of a teacher shortage.
One thing that would be helpful would be to survey or form a committee to can input from teachers as to what they are looking for.
In 2022, school board member Ryan Cody was the subject of an ethics complaint brought by the superintendent and the other eight school board members. In January, Cody and the complainants reached a settlement according to which Cody resigned and agreed that he had “engaged in conduct violative of multiple provisions of the Code of Ethics for School Board Members.” This according to the state’s School Ethics Commission.
Do you believe this outcome is a sign of the system working the way it is intended? Will you pledge to abide by the state’s Code of Ethics for School Board Members?
Zola: I will absolutely abide by the state’s code of ethics.
Bauldree: That time is best spent looking towards and focusing on the future. I pledge 100% to abide by the state’s Code of Ethics for School Board Members.
Diamond: I pledge to abide by the state’s Code of Ethics for School Board Members. As for Ryan Cody and his situation, I really cannot comment because I don’t know the man, the details of the accusations or the settlement reached. Because of that I will reserve judgment.
Glatz: I do not have all the information to make a comment on the situation regarding Mr. Ryan Cody and the BOE. I will uphold all ethics standards that are required of the position as a board member.
Shenowski: 2022 was a challenging year for everyone involved and the systems in place functioned as intended. With that being said the past is behind us and we must fix our eyes on the future because that is where we are headed.
Over the past 8 months I have proven that I will stand for positions I believe are best for the district, its children, and the community at large. In doing so, we as a board have not agreed on everything, but all of us have been conducting business in an ethical, professional, and respectful manner.
I have, and will continue to abide by the state’s Code of Ethics.
Dean: Yes, I believe this outcome demonstrates the system working as intended. All potential violations of the ethical code should be investigated thoroughly to ensure trust and integrity within the education system. It is regrettable when an individual loses sight of their obligations, but it is essential to maintain high standards within the board.
I wholeheartedly pledge to abide by the state’s Code of Ethics for School Board Members, understanding the immense responsibility this role carries in shaping the educational environment of our future generation. It’s pivotal for each member to conduct themselves within the bounds of the code, reinforcing the belief in a transparent and fair system.
Pouria: Yes, I feel that it shows that the system is working. However, I feel the School Ethics Commission needs to do more. There should be periodic reviews of boards to ensure that boards are adhering to the code of ethics. Yes, I will pledge to abide by these ethics.
Do you believe it is important that the board of education work to provide a safe and accepting environment for all students, regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation? Do you support all students’ right to determine their own sexual identity?
Zola: Advocacy.Equity.Unity. My campaign slogan states where I stand on these issues. Our children spend most of their day in school and must feel valued and respected for who they are. If anything can be done to ensure this happens, the board must do it. Change is difficult for many of us, but it can be easy if we keep it simple and choose kindness. Each of us is special and should be celebrated and allowed to embrace our identity as our own. I will always support the youth of our community.
Bauldree: The United States of America is the best place to live in the entire world as it encourages and supports all of the above. However, the public school system is no replacement of the home family unit, and shall not attempt to replace any individual student’s family values. I am a strong proponent of parental rights. Every parent has a right to know what is going on in their child’s lives each and every day when they are at school. I believe it is every parent and/or guardian’s fundamental right to engage in and direct their child’s education with the help of trained educators.
Diamond: I advocate for a safe and accepting environment for all students, of course. But a student’s sexual identity is not my business, nor should it be the focal point. That’s between the student and their parents until they are of age. I strongly advocate for parents on this issue. Adolescence is a confusing time and children should be given the space, time, and support to develop.
This topic has gotten far too much attention over the past several years. Our focus should be a solid foundation of math, language arts and science skills, not gender identity, especially at the younger grade levels. Anyone can be who they want to be. But when you are at school, core education should be the primary focus.
Glatz: One of the positions I hold as a member of the N.J. Army National Guard is that of State Diversity Officer. I take that job very seriously, and I believe everyone, no matter their gender, religion, sexual orientation, race, or national origin, should and will be treated with dignity and respect.
Shenowski: Our need for a safe and accepting environment extends well beyond these categories and the board must focus on them all. We also need to remember that school is only one of several important factors in children’s overall development.
The success of our children rests not only in the school but also in the parents/guardians. Parents are the strongest asset our children have. They have loved and cared for their children long before they entered school and will continue to love and care for them long after they have left. We cannot let the school compromise or challenge that relationship. In the rare case where this is not true, the school’s place is to come alongside that family in support.
Dean: Absolutely. As an advocate for an unbiased approach in education, I firmly believe in creating a safe and accepting environment for all students, regardless of race, religion, or sexual orientation. Every student has the right to pursue their educational goals without fear of discrimination.
I support all students’ rights to self-determine their sexual identity; it’s pivotal to their individuality and personal growth. Our focus is, and always will be, pushing for quality education on an equal and inclusive platform.
Pouria: As a teacher, I feel that it is important to provide a safe and accepting environment for all students regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation. However, I also feel there are other students we need to include. We have forgotten students that do not fit into these categories named above. Students that suffer from weight issues and other body image issues need a safe space as these lead to body issue disorders. I feel that students have the right to determine their own sexual identity. However I do not feel teachers should keep this from parents if asked directly by the parent. Respect for students and relationships with parents should not be at odds with one another.
Why should voters elect you to serve on the Bordentown Regional Board of Education?
Zola: I have always made it a priority to take an active role in my children’s lives. I want them to know that I am genuinely interested and excited about what they are involved in. I also hope to model what it looks like when you take an active role, standing up for what is important to you. I truly believe that our schools are an extension of our home.
Although our teachers are not co-parents, we must acknowledge our common goal and shared responsibility to create a nurturing environment, ensuring our kids meet their full potential and get a wonderful education!
Bauldree: I am a parent with three young children currently enrolled in our school system; my goal is to improve the educational experience of both your and my children keeping the taxpayers without children in mind as well. I want to improve the transparency and communication between the school district and our community. I am an honest, hardworking, loving parent willing to put forth the time and effort to help our children get the education they deserve.
Diamond: I am an honest, pragmatic, straightforward communicator who genuinely cares about the state of the school district and will use a common-sense approach to the business of school affairs to the best of my ability if elected.
Glatz: My leadership style, advocacy for others, and service to my community is why I am running. I am a hometown girl who cares for her community, and I want what is best for the education of my children and all Bordentown children. We have a challenging time ahead with budget cuts and short staffing with teachers and support staff. I will do my best to make fair and equitable decisions that will be in the best interest of all.
Shenowski: I have invested countless hours into training, professional development, individual, committee, and full board work both inside and outside of our meetings. As a result I am on track to earn my NJSBA NBM certification before the end of the year. I approach every situation with an open mind, possess strong critical thinking ability, and enjoy tackling any challenge. I am committed to working with our board and the administration to make these schools amazing!
Dean: As the current VP of the school board, we’ve made notable progress, yet we have unfinished work to complete. I’m committed to focusing on students’ needs above all else. My passion to create a rich, safe learning environment combined with my experience makes me well positioned to continue leading our journey. A vote for me means commitment to optimising funds, enhancing mental health support, and driving education forward.
Pouria: Voters should choose me because I have not taken this decision lightly. I have waited for a time in my life that I have the time to devote to this endeavor. I have been an educator for 34 bringing a wealth of knowledge. I believe in children first. I have also had two children go through the BRSD. I feel I would be a good fit with the board.
Amy B. Glatz.,
Raquel Parker.,
