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Seven candidates vie for three Old Bridge Board of Education seats

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OLD BRIDGE – Seven candidates will vie for the three, three-year seats open on the Old Bridge Board of Education in the November election.

Board incumbent Jill R. Cali is seeking her second elected term; former board member Donna Andriani is seeking her fourth term; former board member Frank R. Weber is seeking his seventh term; and Theresa Burns, Salvatore Giordano, Darin Accetulli and Jayshri Vyas are seeking their first terms.

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 Accettulli, 49, has lived in Old Bridge for more than 15 years. He is married with two school-aged children.

He is employed as a local Realtor. He is a high school graduate and studied accounting in college.

In the community, Accettulli is involved in his daughters’ schools. He said having children in the school system helps him keep an ear to the ground about what is going on inside the schools.

“I am an Old Bridge resident for the last 15-plus years,” he said. “I value community and education so strongly that I must get involved and help bring several key issues to the forefront. I am going to work towards providing assurance that our tax dollars are not misappropriated and are used to create programs for our kids to grow, which can provide further future opportunities for their future.”

If elected, Accettulli said one area he will focus on is financial stability.

Andriani, 65, has lived in the township for 24 years. She is married with one adult son who attended Old Bridge Public Schools.

She is a retired science teacher and gifted and talented specialist. She earned her bachelor’s degree in geoscience and master’s degrees in environmental science and urban education. She earned her doctorate degree in curriculum and instruction.

As an educator, Andriani served as a road to college district coordinator for Union City and served as a New Jersey Department of Education Project Based Learning consultant for the Office of Urban Literacy. She also was previously employed as a National Park Service ranger.

Andriani previously served for three terms on the Old Bridge Board of Education. During her time on the board, she served as president and vice president.

“I believe in community strength,” she said. “Making connections with others strengthen bonds that benefit the children, their interests and our neighborhoods. Over the years I have volunteered as an EMT (emergency medical technician), coached in recreation sports leagues, been a member of [Old Bridge High School] PTSAs and just retired from 14 years with Boy Scout Troop 219 in Old Bridge where I served as the rank advancement chair and merit badge counselor.”

Andriani said she is seeking another term because “the students deserve someone who understand the complexities of providing the opportunity for all students to learn within a restricted budget.

“I am the only candidate with 40 years of varied education experience with a realistic perspective of the daily workings of a school district,” she said.

If re-elected, Andriani said the budget will be her main priority.

“With that said, I would like to improve student partnerships, summer internships and mentoring in career choice areas,” she said.

 Burns, 34, has lived in the township for 10 years. She is married with two school-aged children.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education from Kean University. She is a stay-at-home mother.

In the community, Burns serves as co-chair of the Raritan Bay Community Advisory Group, which works with the Environmental Protection Agency to discuss resolutions for the Superfund site in the area and serves as a member of the Old Bridge Special Education Parent Teacher Association. Within the association, she co-chairs the Special Education Support group, which is for any caregiver who has a child with an IEP (individualized education program) or 504 plan. Lastly, she is an active PTA member in both of her children’s schools.

“Having two children who are currently enrolled in the Old Bridge Public School system, the education they receive is extremely important to me,” she said. “Through my experiences with special education, PTA board involvement and the Special Education Support Group, many parents voice their concerns to me about their children’s education. As we face these financially difficult times it is important to me that we continue making improvements while ensuring the residents they will be able to afford to live here.”

If elected, Burns said her focus would be on making sure the annual budget reflects the needs of the Old Bridge community.

 Cali, 59, has lived in Old Bridge for more than 23 years. She is married with two adult daughters.

She is employed as a legal assistant. She earned her business degree from the Taylor Business Institute.

Cali was appointed to the board in August 2016 to fill the seat vacated by a former board member and was elected to her first term in November 2016. Currently she is serving as board president.

For more than 20 years, Cali had been an active volunteer in all PTAs of the schools her children attended. In addition to other positions on the executive boards and subcommittees of the PTAs, she served as president of the McDivitt Elementary School PTA, treasurer of the Carl Sandburg Middle School PTA and president of the Old Bridge High School PTSA. She has been a member of the Old Bridge PTA Presidents’ Council for 18 years; most of those years as coordinator of the PTAs’ monthly food drives for the benefit of the Old Bridge Food Bank. For three years before joining the BOE, she had served as coordinator for two years and liaison for one year on the PTA council.

“I served on the committee that organized and produced the telethon Old Bridge held to aid our neighbors in Old Bridge, Sayreville and South Amboy who were severely impacted by Hurricane Sandy [in 2012],” she said.

In addition to serving on the board, Cali, for 10 years, has been an active volunteer on the Project Graduation Committee of Old Bridge High School, and for seven years she has been a member of the Old Bridge Municipal Alliance for the Prevention of Substance Abuse.

Cali said she loves the town of Old Bridge.

“It has been an honor to serve as a volunteer for the past 23-plus years, most recently as an elected member of the board,” she said. “We have had a rough couple of years due to severe cuts in our state aid. I have been very proactive in beating down doors in Trenton trying to rectify the injustice that has been done to our district. I plan on continuing to do so. I feel I have been a very effective board member. It is my hope to be re-elected to continue serving our great district.”

Cali said due to the drastic cuts to the district’s state aid, the work the board has ahead of them is difficult.

“I do not intend to stop beating on the doors of our state representatives until this situation is somehow rectified,” she said. “In the meantime, we must deal with the hand we have been dealt and continue to look for ways to continue to deliver high quality education to our students. We have come a long way in the past few years and I refuse to let this district go backwards.”

 Giordano, 19, has lived in Old Bridge for 12 years. He is a graduate of Old Bridge High School.

He is working toward his bachelor’s degree in finance from Kean University and is expected to graduate in May 2020. He currently is employed as a server in a restaurant.

In the community, Giordano said he has managed and worked on community service projects in Old Bridge Township.

“I am running for a seat on the Board of Education because as a former student of Old Bridge High School, I know the significance of protecting and enhancing our public schools,” he said. “It is important for me to give back to the school system that has benefited me in so many ways. As an Eagle Scout for Boy Scout Troop 219, I have been active with local business owners to fund projects for the township. The skills gained from my experiences would be very useful in getting even more engaged with the citizens of Old Bridge.”

If elected, Giordano said he would concentrate on trying to partner with more local businesses to increase revenue for the school district while giving students beneficial, real world experience.

“Subject areas such as automotive technology, computer science, and accounting can be expanded into programs that go beyond the classroom,” he said. “Students will gain valuable knowledge about the fields they work in and will add a tremendous boost to their resumes. Additionally, the businesses that partner with Old Bridge High School will have increased revenues from the exposure on the students and the parents that pay for their services.”

Vyas, 60, has lived in Old Bridge for 26 years. He has two adult children.

He is a business analyst in the information technology field. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology from India. He is certified in PMP [project management professional] and business analysis.

“I love this community due to its diversity and culture,” he said. “As a second-generation immigrant in the U.S., education has always been my priority. I am currently vice president of New Jersey’s Lions International chapter, a non-profit community service organization, and I am a business analyst working at Verizon as well. I also majored in psychology. I value the importance of education because it helps create a foundation for academics, respect, morality, values, culture, diversity, empathy and so much more.”

If elected, Vyas said he wants to devote time to the public education system in Old Bridge so the children in the community can continue to obtain the best education and opportunities and help improve areas that can allow children to receive equal academic opportunities.

“With academic program and training, kids can get admission in the best schools,” he said. “I want a major portion of our household taxes to go toward school budgets and I will make sure the board watches that every tax dollar is spent prudently.”

 Weber has lived in the township for 45 years. He is married with four children and five grandchildren.

He is employed as vice president of operations and serves as plant and business manager at a business. He studied accounting and business at the College of Staten Island.

In the community, Weber has served as a long-time coach and three-term president of the Old Bridge Soccer League; served as a long-time coach and two-term president of the Old Bridge Girl’s League; served as coach of the Cheesequake Baseball League and Old Bridge Boys Basketball League, served on the Old Bridge Township Recreation Advisory Board for seven years and served on the Old Bridge Planning Board.

He has served on the Old Bridge Public Library Board of Trustees for five years and is currently serving as president. During his time on the Old Bridge Board of Education, he served as president and vice president.

“The Old Bridge School District, due to massive multimillion dollar cuts in state aid, announced on July 13, 2018, is in its worst financial crisis ever,” he said.

By school year 2024-25, the annual cut will be $15 million each and every year going forward, the total costs of the cuts between 2018-19 and 2024-25 is a staggering $56 million, Weber explained.

“This is a disaster,” he said, questioning why the board has not called a finance or long-range planning meeting.

If re-elected, Weber said he will work to resolve the dire financial situation, using his business skills and board experience by electing board members with strong business backgrounds.

“I will work to restore transparency, which does not exist, as was shown during the secretive closing of Cheesequake School, which was not properly shared with the Cheesequake community as required by the New Jersey School Board Association Code of Ethics,” he said. “The board, and especially administration, has to work with all groups, parents, PTA, empty nesters, renters and seniors on fixed incomes to ensure that the transparency all stakeholders are entitled to is there.”

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 5.

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