Five candidates, including two incumbent school board members, are vying for three open seats on the Princeton Public Schools Board of Education in the Nov. 7 general election.
Incumbent school board members Beth Behrend and Michelle Tuck-Ponder are being challenged by Adam Bierman, Eleanor Hubbard and Rene Obregon Jr. for three-year terms on the school board.
School board member Jean Durbin is not seeking re-election.
Behrend is seeking her third term on the school board. She is a retired corporate attorney.
Behrend served as the school board president from 2019 to 2021. She is currently the co-chair of the school board’s Policy and Long Term Planning committees. She also serves on the Operations Committee.
Behrend, whose children attended the Princeton Public Schools, said she wants a third term to ensure that children continue to enjoy the benefits and opportunities offered by the Princeton Public Schools for years to come.
During her tenure, Behrend said, the school district jump-started literacy, early intervention and equitable access through free pre-Kindergarten classes, and also offered dyslexia screening.
“(The school board) stabilized the budget, obtained a $14 million commitment from Princeton University over five years, and negotiated fair and competitive five-year labor contracts,” she said.
The school board improved school facilities through two successful bond referendums that brought back state tax dollars to the district, Behrend said. The State of New Jersey reimbursed the district for a portion of the debt service incurred by the bond referendums.
“I would like to continue the progress we are making, and in particular, ensure that we complete the planning work to address the challenges that come with the growth of our community,” Behrend said.
Bierman, who does not have children in the school district, is making his second run for the school board. He placed fourth out of eight candidates in the 2020 school board election.
Bierman grew up in Princeton and graduated from Princeton High School. He is a social studies teacher at the state Division of Children and Families’ Mercer – Project Teach. It is an alternative school for expectant teen mothers that provides them with specialized academic instruction, life and parenting skills and career guidance.
“As a teacher, I understand the educational process and the daily challenges that students and teachers face. My job allows me to organize and implement programs that meet students ‘where they are,'” he said.
Bierman said he is running for a seat on the school board because he is concerned about several issues – restoring trust, redacted math reports and the abrupt dismissal of popular Princeton High School Principal Frank Chmiel.
On the issue of math programs, Bierman said there is an over-reliance on paid consultants that support what he claims are untested ideological math agendas. The result is a simplistic leveling down that deprives students of opportunities, he said.
“In the past two years, some board members have unquestioningly supported the administration without publicly asking all the tough questions or exploring every option,” he said.
“As an independent thinker and if elected to be a board member, I promise to scrutinize all spending requests closely and leave no path undiscovered,” Bierman said.
Hubbard is a former Princeton University professor and also taught elementary school in the South Bronx, N.Y. She served as a trustee and board president of the University NOW nursery school, which is affiliated with Princeton University.
Hubbard’s three children are enrolled in the Princeton school district. Two children attend the Riverside School and one attends the Princeton Middle School.
She said her background in education could provide a much-needed perspective on issues related to curriculum and educational quality, which is a “live issue” because of declining test scores in the district.
Hubbard said she is able to bring people together and find common ground. Debates about excellence versus equity have been divisive because they have sometimes been framed in unnecessarily ideological, zero-sum ways, she said.
“This was the case when the California Math Framework-aligned consultant Eric Milou argued that tracking in math classes was inherently racist, and that social justice demanded restricting opportunities for students to take advanced classes,” Hubbard said.
Teaching students “well” and providing them with excellent educations adapted to their needs, with extra resources for struggling students, is the most important way that the schools can lift all students up, she said.
Obregon is the CEO of Numis Securities, Inc., which is the U.S. arm of a United Kingdom bank in New York City.
His two sons are enrolled at Princeton High School. They attended the Johnson Park School and the Princeton Middle School.
“I believe a strong education is vital for the future career development of all Princeton Public School graduates,” Obregon said. “Where achievement gaps exist, our focus should be on helping those students to bridge the gap.”
Obregon said prudent forecasting and planning is vital to ensure that Princeton Public Schools is a good steward of property owners’ tax dollars as it manages the pulling forces of growing enrollment and maintaining its high educational standards.
He said he has the background in finance, consensus-building and team-building and the desire to work constructively to move the school district forward.
“I believe I will bring a fresh perspective and not shy away from asking tough questions. I like to understand both sides of an issue, and I am pragmatic when trying to come up with a solution,” he said.
Obregon said that based on his career and focus on research and analysis, he would advocate for more transparency in data and communication to the community on any of the many issues facing the community.
Tuck-Ponder is seeking a third term on the school board.
“There is more work to be done to realize the district’s mission to prepare all students to lead lives of joy and purpose as knowledgeable, creative and compassionate citizens of a global society,” she said.
“Our job as board members must go beyond celebrating test scores and school rankings. My goal is to ensure that our graduates gain mastery of durable skills – creativity, collaboration, critical thinking and communication – that will serve them throughout their lives.”
Making the case for her election, Tuck-Ponder said she has an “unmatched record” of service to Princeton, leadership experience and commitment to excellence and equality for all students.
Tuck-Ponder said that as a former mayor of the former Princeton Township, a Black woman, a senior citizen and an executive in the field of creative education, she brings a different perspective to policy-making so that diverse voices are represented during deliberations.
“This unique skill set ensures that attention is given to the needs and opinions of a broad swath of residents, in addition to those who have the time and resources to regularly advocate,” Tuck-Ponder said.
“My long record of service to the town is solid evidence that I have and will continue to provide responsible leadership on the board of education,” she said.
