BLOOMFIELD, NJ — There are seven candidates running for three open seats on the Bloomfield Board of Education. Each candidate submitted a short statement to the Independent Press of Bloomfield detailing their positions and why they should be elected. These statements, which printed in the Oct. 24 print issue of the newspaper, are below:
Daniel Anderson
I am a firm believer in public education. I believe that every child is entitled to an equitable and thorough education in a safe environment and that education must address the whole child.
I am an advocate for project-based learning where the children are given real-world problems to work on. Such learning pulls together various disciplines and gives the students a true understanding of the importance of education.
I have been strongly opposed to high-stakes testing in that it has narrowed the curriculum, it is not a true, reliable and valid way of assessing our students, and it labels too many students as failures. Each child is unique and not “standardized,” and their education cannot be standardized to the extent we have been forced to do so.
I would like to see the district incorporate more “restorative justice” in the schools. The goal of restorative justice is to work with students — the victims and the accused — to come to a solution rather than simply handing down punishment.
Our teachers are one of our most valuable assets. The district spends time and money on professional development in the early years of a teacher’s life in Bloomfield only to have them move on to other districts where the salary guide is better. We need to be efficient in our budget and yet still allow us to hire the best and brightest for our teachers and to retain them in the district and to invest in the programs and initiatives needed to make our district the best it can be.
Lastly, we need to continue to petition the state to fully fund our district and to fully fund our special-education costs. While the state has made some progress in this area, we still are underfunded.
Jill Fischman
It has been an honor and privilege to serve the students and staff of the Bloomfield Schools for the past six years. I am seeking re-election for a third term to continue to move the district forward. I believe that there are many great things happening here in Bloomfield and I would love the opportunity to continue to grow the programs that are doing well and continue the hard work on areas in need of improvement.
I believe my background as an educator for the past 21 years — including teaching everything from kindergarten to college — is an asset to the board. I have also worked diligently to obtain Board Member Certification from New Jersey School Boards Association. Together with administrators, faculty and staff we have successfully implemented: a 1:1 Chromebook initiative for grades six through 12, a reader’s and writer’s workshop and a new math curriculum, as well as increased our course offerings for our secondary students. Along with the progressive and strategic goal to enhance and improve student achievement, we continue due diligence with maintaining and upgrading our aging facilities. We have been awarded several prestigious awards, including a national award for our work with Sandy Hook Promise, and for our district website and our district social media use.
My fellow residents, I am asking that when you go to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 5, you remember to vote for the best candidate — someone who is an educator, experienced board member and a very proud Bengal! Vote E1 Jill Fischman!
Laura Izurieta
My name is Laura Izurieta and I am seeking a three-year term on the Bloomfield Board of Education. I emigrated from the Dominican Republic at age 15 and have been a Bloomfield resident since 1995. I am a 1997 graduate of Bloomfield High School.
I graduated from Essex County College, Class of 2001, with an associate’s degree in business administration. I subsequently earned my bachelor’s degree in business management from Kean University, Class of 2007. I have been married to Anthony Izurieta since 2004 and together we have two children. Our oldest is an elementary school student in the Bloomfield School District.
My passion is problem solving and I will work hard to address the issues confronting our school district. I am a team player and will work well with the rest of the Board of Education as part of a productive team.
A school system is one of the most important aspects of any community. Some of the issues that deeply concern me include school safety and security, implementing full day pre-K, and ensuring that all Bloomfield graduates are prepared for either pursuing higher education or a career in the 21st-century job market.
If you honor me with your vote and give me a chance, I promise not to let you down. My ballot position is 4E and I am running on the For Our Kids team that includes Emily Smith, ballot position 2E, and Lillian Mancheno, ballot position 3E.
Again, I ask that you come out on Nov. 5 for our kids and cast your vote for the For Our Kids team of Emily Smith, Lillian Mancheno and me, Laura Izurieta, at ballot positions 2E, 3E and 4E, respectively.
I can be reached at [email protected]. Thank you for taking the time to learn about my candidacy.
Lillian Mancheno
My name is Lillian Mancheno. I have served on the Bloomfield Board of Education for the past three years and I am seeking another term in the Nov. 5 election.
I am married to Roberto and have three adult children and three grandchildren. I earned my bachelor’s degree in social work from Rutgers State University and my master’s degree in social work from Kean University.
I recently retired from the N.J. Department of Labor after 20 years serving as a career counselor providing guidance in career choices, job counseling and presenting workshops to help individuals become employable.
I have volunteered at the N.J. Division of Youth and Family Services, now referred to as the Division of Child Protection and Permanency, providing counseling, parenting skills and guidance to families. I have also volunteered at the United Way of Essex & Hudson, assisting with grant evaluations and other community activities.
I chair the BOE Curriculum committee and I’m proud of what we accomplished during the last three years, especially considering the fact that now, all students in grades six through 12 have access to Chromebooks. Additionally, I am extremely proud of the fact that our district was named the grand prize winner of the 2018 “Start with Hello” District Award by the Sandy Hook Promise group.
I ask that you consider my candidacy when you come out to vote on Nov. 5. I am running on the “For Our Kids” team together with Emily Smith and Laura Izurieta. My ballot position is 3E. Emily’s ballot position is 2E and Laura’s is 4E.
Again, please vote for the For Our Kids team at ballot positions 2E, 3E and 4E.
I can be contacted via email at [email protected]. Thank you for considering me and the rest of the For Our Kids team.
Satenik Margaryan
My name is Satenik Margaryan. I am an educator with almost two decades of experience in teaching in higher education. I am passionate about public education. I have two boys who attend Watsessing Elementary. In my eight years in Bloomfield, I have been active in town, serving on the Civil Rights Commission and on Watsessing HSA as a president, co-president and currently, the secretary.
I am a criminologist and I am passionate about social policies that are based on solid empirical research. I would like our Board of Education and the administration to place a greater emphasis on the adoption of evidence-based policies to produce significantly better outcomes.
I am a proud immigrant. I am a champion of immigrant rights, and Bloomfield is home to many first- and second-generation immigrants. I would like us to embrace more our fascinating diversity and invest deeper in cross-cultural education, including richer offerings in world languages, especially at the elementary school level. At Watsessing, I am in charge of organizing the annual International Night party. It is one of the best-attended events of the year, where many families are eager to share their culture with the community.
My main motivation to run for the BOE in Bloomfield is to bring the issues of school equity to the forefront. Considering the racial and socioeconomic diversity of Bloomfield, we must address issues of school equity. Some first steps to address this issue are to start with systematically assessing the equity gaps and to advocate for a greater equitable allocation of resources.
As an elected board member, I will work hard in supporting policies that result in greater school equity and use my knowledge, experience, and input from the community to make decisions that best serve the children in Bloomfield’s Schools.
Benjamin Morse
I’m running for re-election to Bloomfield’s Board of Education because we can do more to improve student achievement.
The priorities I see moving forward are outlined broadly in the community developed strategic plan. Specifically we need to:
- expand pre-kindergarten;
- create a meaningful afterschool program;
- develop portfolio-based assessments;
- prepare for growth of the district; and
- upgrade facilities.
We can tackle several of those bullets by acquiring the soon-to-be vacant Essex County Vo-Tech. This would allow students to have two sixth to eighth grade magnet middle schools to choose from. We would then be in position to expand pre-K with possible funding from the state.
We would also be able to absorb anticipated student population growth from the developments in progress across town and we could finally retire our classroom trailers.
I am steadily at work sharpening our assessments and identifying ways we can improve our afterschool offerings. We are on the right path and I’m dedicated to seeing students get the most out of their time in our schools.
I have a BA in philosophy from Brandeis University and started my career at S&P Global Platts in Japan 18 years ago. But I have drawn most on my experiences as the treasurer, vice president, and president of Watsessing’s Home & School Association to guide my values as a board member. I’m a proud #watsessingmom4life.
Seeing how hard our students, teachers, and parents work to make our schools excel, it motivates me to do what I can to make sure the board is doing its part to expedite student achievement.
Remember on Nov. 5, choose “Morse of Course” for Bloomfield BOE!
Emily Smith
My name is Emily M. Smith and I am running for a fourth term on the Board of Education. My husband Larry Cutchall and I moved to Bloomfield 20 years ago. I was first elected to the BOE in 2005. During my nine years on the Bloomfield BOE, I participated on every committee and in two teacher negotiations.
Our daughters, Rosalie and Nina, attended Fairview Elementary, the Middle School and Bloomfield High, from which Rosalie graduated and where Nina currently is a senior.
As a BOE member, I worked with the superintendent and administrative staff to ensure that our district was running well and student achievement continued to advance. I made informed decisions as a parent, former newspaper reporter and editor, and certified a secondary social studies teacher without allowing my personal beliefs or preferences to interfere with providing our kids with the best education taxpayers could provide.
Currently, however, out-of-control micromanagement by some BOE members endangers student progress. Member micromanagement and salary issues caused the resignation of several highly qualified staff members, most recently our former assistant superintendent.
I am running with two other moms on the For Our Kids slate to remind BOE members that their role is to work with the superintendent and district professionals to ensure that the district is running well. Not to run the district themselves. After the BOE’s August vote to move the November election to April, which would have been detrimental to students, I successfully lobbied to overturn that politically-motivated decision.
So in November, when you vote for Board of Education members, please remember my nine years of responsible BOE service and consider voting for Emily M. Smith, 2E.
Please also consider Lillian Mancheno, 3E, and Laura Izurieta, 4E. We will work hard For Our Kids. Email questions to [email protected].
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