BLOOMFIELD, NJ — With three open seats on the Bloomfield Board of Education, Bloomfield voters must choose three of six candidates during this 2021 election season. Running together under the slogan “Strength and Experience” are incumbents Shane Berger and Michael Heller and challenger Satenik Margaryan; Berger is seeking a fourth nonconsecutive term and Heller is seeking a third nonconsecutive term. Running together under the slogan “For Our Kids” is the slate of challengers Monica Charris Tabares, Pedro A. Gongora and Yomara Knott.
A Bloomfield resident for 19 years, Berger is an entrepreneur who has participated in more than 200 BOE meetings and served on each of the district’s Curriculum, Personnel, and Finance/Facilities committees twice; has served on the Essex County Educational Services Commission as an executive committee member and has chaired its Finance Committee; and represents Bloomfield as the Essex County representative on the board of directors for the New Jersey School Boards Association. Berger said he believes the top issue facing the Bloomfield School District to be “safety and unfinished learning.”
“In my position as a Board of Education member, I refuse to let the COVID-19 crisis damage our students’ education and work with my colleagues and administrators to prepare for the students’ return,” Berger told The Independent Press. “We have created two new programs: free extended school year — summer school — and a free backstop program that provides at-risk students an extra meaningful hour after school.”
According to Charris Tabares, one of the main reasons she and her husband moved to Bloomfield from Jersey City was the school system and its diversity. In addition to guiding her two children through the Bloomfield school system, Charris Tabares now guides young students as Head Start Preschool director in North Hudson while also keeping an eye on the school’s finances. For Charris Tabares, the top issue in the schools today is the continuing pandemic.
“One top issue our Bloomfield schools have today is protecting our students and staff from contracting COVID,” she told The Independent Press. “As a school board member, my first priority is to work collaboratively with the superintendent and fellow school board members to maintain and, where needed, enhance the health and safety protocols in each school while still ensuring that the school budget includes funding for technology tools and resources for access to Wi-Fi from home.”
Charris Tabares added that another key issue for her is a lack of diversity on the school board; with 30 percent of Bloomfield residents being Hispanic, she feels there needs to be equal Hispanic representation on the school board.
A lifelong resident of Essex County, Gongora has lived in Bloomfield for the past 16 years, even attending Bloomfield College as an undergraduate student. Gongora is a high school math teacher and education coach at High Tech High School in Hudson County, and he has two young children, with the older one having begun kindergarten this year. Similarly his running mate, Gongora feels that having more employee diversity in the district is key.
“One of the top issues that Bloomfield schools face is to ensure that the staff and administration is as diverse as the town,” Gongora told The Independent Press. “While it is never easy to find quality employees, especially in high demand STEM subjects, the board should make more of an effort to increase the diversity of the staff and to keep the quality staff members that it currently has.”
A 23-year resident of Bloomfield, Heller is a former language technologist and current IT professional. With two daughters in the Bloomfield schools system, Heller has achieved the Certified Board Leader designation by the New Jersey School Boards Association, which represents significant training and service over a long period of time; he is currently pursuing the Green Leader and I-STEAM NJSBA certifications. He is also a labor leader as treasurer of AFT Local 1904 and the Council of New Jersey State College Locals. Heller also feels that a top issue in the district is that staff makeup does not reflect the diversity of the student population.
“The district is currently engaging a diversity, equity and inclusion consultant, which will help the district in this realm, which, from public input to the board and administration, is an important community concern. As a board member, I am ready to engage the recommendations from the consultants and the corresponding plans from the administration considering the community’s input and the sustainability of any actions to be approved,” Heller told The Independent Press, adding that a looming top issue is facilities and school capacities.
“The board and administration must revisit the district’s long-range facilities and strategic plans, revising these as necessary and providing regular updates on progress toward identified goals and plans, including those that support sustainability,” he said, stating that all 11 district schools received bronze-level certification from Sustainable Jersey Schools after he authored the original resolution for participation in February 2016.
A 16-year resident of Bloomfield, Knott works professionally in IT governance and project management. Through her two elementary school–aged children, Knott is involved in their school’s HSA, as well as in the Bloomfield Soccer Club, Jr. Bengals Cheerleading and Girl Scouts. Knott believes the top issue that needs to be addressed in the school district is communication.
“(I would) work with my peers on finding better methods to communicate with parents, manage feedback in a concise manner so there are no unanswered questions and find a consistent approach across all the schools — at least from the BOE level,” Knott told The Independent Press.
Now in her third consecutive candidacy to join the BOE, Margaryan — a 10-year Bloomfield resident with two sons at Watsessing School — is an assistant professor of criminal justice at Borough of Manhattan Community College; she has more than 20 years of teaching experience in higher education. She has served as president, co-president and is currently secretary for the Watsessing HSA, and has been active in many school events, including International Night. For Margaryan, the top issue in the Bloomfield schools is equity.
“For the three years, I have run on the idea of bringing the issues of school equity to the forefront. The district has made some important commitments to the issues of equity and diversity already, such as celebrating Juneteenth for the first time and retaining equity consultants Dr. Penelope Lattimer and Dr. Adele Macula to conduct a series of workshops in the district,” Margaryan told The Independent Press. “We need to focus further on the socioeconomic inequity that exists among our elementary schools, the effects of which are felt beyond elementary schools.
“To achieve greater equity, we need to address the lack of full-day preschool,” she continued. “Also, the district lacks uniformity in regard to meaningful after-school activities in our elementary students. Another important need is to increase the diversity of teachers and staff in the district.”
The school district budget was tight prior to the pandemic and COVID-19 response has certainly made the budget even tighter. For many voters — especially those who have suffered financial strain during the pandemic — taxes and the district budget are key issues.
Heller said that, if reelected, he will continue to work with the board and administration to follow and enact board policies, while always considering the effects these policies will have on Bloomfield citizens and taxpayers, as well as considering all community input.
“As a board member, I have been a responsible steward of a nearly $120 million budget, 65 percent of which comes directly from Bloomfield property taxes. All new expenditures proposed by the district administration require board approval, and I engage in substantive and deliberative consideration of all proposals, not simply rubber-stamping these,” Heller said. “The board and administration have operated under a changing landscape, where guidance is constantly shifting and evolving. This was true before COVID-19, too. The board and administration have worked diligently and methodically to address state and federal mandates, and specific COVID-19–era directives to keep all 6,500 students and 1,000 teachers and staff safe. To that end, the board has pressed the administration to secure all state and federal funding that is available for the district. And, when mandates are onerous and unfunded, I have advocated on behalf of the district and Bloomfield community.”
Berger said high taxes and fees affecting Bloomfield property owners is an issue close to his heart — an issue he has already done work to ameliorate.
“When I ran for my third term in 2019, bus fees for Home and Schools Associations had been raised, causing an equity issue, as each of our neighborhood schools have varying fundraising capabilities,” Berger said. “I worked with board leadership and the business office to immediately slash profligate fees, freeing up vital resources to enhance student experiences.”
Gongora wants to look more seriously at sources of funding beyond taxes.
“I would ensure that the board took advantage of all available federal and state assistance and any grant money that could be obtained to assist in keeping the budget as efficient as possible,” he said.
Margaryan also wants to look more closely at alternative funding, especially following the devastation wrought by the remnants of Hurricane Ida.
“The pandemic has certainly impacted our Bloomfield community. The impact of the pandemic has been further exacerbated by the recent Hurricane Ida,” Margaryan said. “All of a sudden, people had to find new homes, replace expensive home equipment like boilers and hot water heaters, and mitigate the consequence of flooded basements. Needless to say, Bloomfield families need help. As a responsible elected official, I will join the administration and the board in exploring available federal and state aid to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on our schools, which would allow us not to pass the burden on to the local taxpayers.”
Regarding the budget, Knott advocates for brainstorming to create new initiatives and soliciting feedback from the public.
“I believe everyone is trying to do their best, and if we come together we can find ways to help the community,” she said.
For Charris Tabares, putting forward a responsible district budget is a balancing act.
“Balancing the school budget without drastically affecting the budget is my goal as a school board member,” Charris Tabares said. “I would assist in reviewing the budget to look for ways to eliminate excess spending. As a homeowner, I am very concerned about making decisions that would cause our taxes to increase, but I am also aware that if we do not invest in our schools when the needs of our students cannot be met with the current school budget, we are providing a disservice to our future generation. My objective is to make decisions that allow for cost saving but also keeping in mind that advocating for more funding for projects that will strengthen our schools might be necessary.”
“School safety” has certainly become a buzz phrase in recent times, with continued concerns regarding weapons in schools, as well as concerns regarding student and staff well-being in terms of mental health support.
Before making any changes, Gongora advocated for a full review of existing programs and then comprehensive data collection to steer any future changes.
I would favor an in depth review of any issues that are affecting the staff and the students,” he said. “I would also advise adding to the current professional development topics issues that students are dealing with this year that are a result of a long period of isolation during lockdown. With all of these ideas, I would use a data-driven decision-making approach and conduct a regular review and assessment of what’s working and what’s not.”
For Knott, part of the board doing its due diligence in this area means looking at other school districts to identify programs that worked for them.
“(We need to) enhance existing programs that are working, as well as collaboratively — BOE members and school administration — work together to kick off innovative programs that perhaps we haven’t implemented yet,” Knott said.
Charris Tabares said she would like to see more mental health services in the Bloomfield schools.
“Increased access to mental health services in schools is vital to improving the physical and emotional state of our students. As a school board member, I would advocate for adding more resources/activities that would help positively nurture the mental well-being of our students. I would work with my fellow board members to research partnerships with town organizations that can assist in providing resources,” she said, adding that more support needs to be implemented for staff as well. “As front-line workers, our education staff have had many things thrown at them. Staff wellness activities should be implemented. As a school board member I will advocate for activities that can build resilience in our staff.”
Berger praised the school district’s preexisting programs to deal with student safety and well-being.
“We need to continue following CDC and state guidelines to ensure the safety of students and staff during this pandemic,” Berger said. “We have programs that address income and food insecurity, because it is hard for hungry students to learn. I also work with my colleagues on prescient social-emotional issues within the district at every board meeting.”
According to Heller, social-emotional learning and mental health supports are a priority for the board, which has added counselors and other professionals in the district, including a crisis counselor at the elementary schools.
“The administration has directed building-based leadership — principals and counselors — to provide a supportive environment as children have returned to district schools, including in-classroom and general assembly social-emotional learning events,” Heller said. “As needs evolve, the board and administration must be nimble and responsive to additional student mental health and well-being needs.
“Bloomfield schools were the first in New Jersey to adopt the Sandy Hook Promise and its companion, Dylan’s Wings of Change,” Heller continued. The Sandy Hook Promise trains students and adults to know the signs of gun violence and was founded by several people whose loved ones were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut on Dec. 14, 2012; Wings of Change, founded in honor of Sandy Hook victim Dylan Hockley, supports children with autism. “Building access protocols limit external visitors, and the administration has supported a video camera initiative that includes feeds to Bloomfield police.”
Regarding COVID-19, Margaryan said she would like to see more district transparency regarding COVID-19 infections and transmission in the schools, the implementation of a more robust screening process, and a vaccination mandate.
“When it comes to safety other than the pandemic, this question has been of great importance for me, professionally and personally. First of all, students and staff must be in a safe environment that is conducive to learning and achievement. As a criminologist, I can point out that, overall, schools are among the safest places for children. While mass violence in schools has captivated our national attention, thankfully, school shootings are extremely rare. Nonetheless, school districts have to come up with a plan to ensure the safety of students and staff. One approach to school safety that has received deserved attention from our district is the Sandy Hook Promise initiative. Bloomfield has been nationally recognized for its districtwide adaptation of the ‘Start With Hello’ Sandy Hook Promise initiative.
“This initiative emphasizes the creation of a culture change that prevents violence and other harmful acts that hurt children. It utilizes social and emotional learning, which reduces and prevents substance abuse, some mental illnesses and bullying, while increasing academic performance and graduation rates. In conjunction with Sandy Hook Promise, the district has also implemented state-mandated soft security measures, such as video cameras and panic buttons. Once on the board, I look forward to participating in the development of research-based policies focused on restorative justice in schools.”
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 2, and there are multiple ways for county residents to vote — by mail, early in-person voting, via drop box and in person on the day.
Six candidates vie for three open seats on the Bloomfield BOE added by Yael Katzwer on
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