MARLBORO – Five residents are running for three three-year terms on the Marlboro K-8 School District Board of Education in the November 2020 election.
The candidates are Robert Daniel, Feiby Dawod, Kamilia Maxemoss, Susan Shrem and Jill Strafaci.
Daniel and Shrem are current board members.
Dawod and Maxemoss could not be reached for comment for this article.
Daniel has served on the school board for four years. He has lived in Marlboro for nine years and has three children, two of whom attend Marlboro schools.
“As a board member, I have worked on many projects, but the three I am most proud of are setting district creativity goals, starting an annual parent survey, and expanding after-school activities in the elementary schools.
“If elected, my biggest focus would be to work with my fellow board members and our administrators to safely get our children back into the classroom and to solve all of the budget challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has caused,” Daniel said.
Shrem has lived in Marlboro for six years and has two children in the school district. She is running for her second term.
“The (COVID-19) pandemic has created several simultaneous challenges: how to balance learning while in-person or remote, how to provide children with the opportunities for social interaction, how to keep our students safe while also keeping our teachers and staff safe,” she said.
“As a mother who works full time, I also know well the challenge of trying to help our children learn at home while fulfilling our own professional responsibilities.
“If re-elected, I will continue not only my proposals, but my actual ongoing work with administration, faculty and staff to meet these challenges, providing safety measures for in-person learning while also allowing parents the flexibility to make their own choices, without needing to sacrifice the quality of their children’s education.
“No educational efforts can be effective without comprehensive resources, safe environments to use them and the budgets to maintain them. I have already worked on initiatives to secure laptop computers, learning apps and character education programs; with others, I spearheaded the hiring of retired police officers to work as school safety officers, and I personally initiated the idea to train lunch aides in CPR and the use of (automated external defibrillators).
“I am currently working to consolidate new facilities for our custodial staff in keeping our schools sanitized, as well as to enact an energy savings program to improve our infrastructure at no cost to taxpayers. If re-elected, I pledge to continue focusing on the stable, resourced, secure education of our children throughout Marlboro,” Shrem said.
Strafaci has lived in Marlboro for 16 years and has four children, with one currently in the K-8 district.
“My primary motivations in running for a seat on the board are to ensure that children can return to their school buildings in the safest and most efficient manner, while protecting the quality of education our community members expect.
“I will advocate that the arts, student clubs and sports programs remain accessible and affordable to students, as well as the allotted funding protected.
“I care deeply that every individual child feels valued and never marginalized, and I will fight for the board’s policies to reflect that. As an out-of-the-box thinker, my belief is that many positive changes, even during these uncertain times, can be made in a creative and fiscally appropriate manner,” Strafaci said.
