Three Morristown candidates are vying for a pair of three-year seats on the regional Morris School District board.
They are incumbents Meredith Davidson (“Strong Schools”) and Elisabeth (Beth) Wall (“For Every Child”), and challenger Arielle Shack (“Education First”).
Morristown Green sent questionnaires this week to the candidates at the election email addresses they listed with the Morris County Clerk’s Office. Wall answered that she was too busy with Halloween and running a book fair to respond to our questions. Davidson did not reply.
The incumbents also backed out of a League of Women Voters candidates forum, citing health issues. Shack says she reached out to them about rescheduling, without success.
ARIELLE SHACK
NAME: Arielle Shack
AGE: 34
OCCUPATION: Owner of REL Relations
TERMS SERVED: NA
CHILDREN IN MSD NOW (GRADES) OR IN PAST: I have a 5 year old son and I look forward to raising him in the district in the future
YEARS IN MORRISTOWN: 2.5
NEIGHBORHOOD/SECTION OF TOWN: Downtown Morristown
OTHER BOARDS/COMMITTEES: OTHER ACTIVITIES/ORGANIZATIONS: League of Women Voters, just joined.
Morristown Women’s Club
Jewish Young Community – a project of Morristown Jewish Center
New Jersey Libertarian Party: Preempted Ordinance Repeals Project, Equity-Theft Prevention Project
Free and Equal Elections Foundation
SERVING ON THE MSD BOARD IS TIME-CONSUMING. WHY DO YOU WANT TO DO IT?
I want to serve on the Morris School District Board of Education to help elevate educational outcomes for our students. As someone with a forward-thinking approach, I aim to leverage my expertise as a strategist to benefit the community and assist the board in crafting policies that anticipate the future needs of our education system. With a vested interest in our schools performing well — I would be a perfect addition to our school board.
WHY ARE YOU THE BEST CANDIDATE FOR THE SEAT?
As an expert strategist, I have the ability to adopt a bird’s-eye view, analyzing how board policies might evolve and impact our district in the long run. My volunteer experience navigating and advocating for the repeal of illegal, discriminatory and preempted ordinances not only showcases my commitment to our community but also equips me with an enhanced understanding of policy intricacies that can be invaluable to the board. My campaign slogan, Education First, represents my commitment to putting educational outcomes at the forefront of all of my votes while sitting on the BOE. I aim to bring fresh insights to the MSD BOE. Knowing that one of my fellow candidates anticipates departing after this term, I feel it’s a perfect time for you to elect me to represent a new generation of parents on the Morris School District Board of Education.
WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FACING THE MSD?
The enhancement of our educational outcomes is paramount. We need to take a more functional approach to education and revisit what policies and top down initiatives from the school board could be poorly affecting our students educational outcomes.
UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES DO YOU FEEL IT’S APPROPRIATE FOR SCHOOL OFFICIALS (TEACHERS/ADMINISTRATORS) TO WITHHOLD INFORMATION REGARDING STUDENTS FROM THEIR PARENTS?
If elected, I would defer questions like this to the district’s legal team. It is appropriate for school officials to withhold information regarding students from their parents when they are legally required to do so.
Anything more than that could leave the district vulnerable to lawsuits.
If there is a drafted legal document that stakeholders or the board wants to draft to give the options of what can be withheld from parents and guardians beyond the confines of the law and allow the school officials to withhold more information than the law permits, then I could envision a scenario where opt-in/opt-out programs might be appropriate.
SIMILARLY, WHAT IS YOUR OPINION OF THE STATE POLICY REGARDING TRANSGENDER STUDENTS?
I believe the state should refine the current policy to minimize ambiguity. Instead of offering protection, Morris School District’s Policy 5756 is drafted in a way that potentially leaves trans students vulnerable to discrimination and inequality.
Should a trans student decide to challenge this policy in court, as it stands now, I believe the district is likely to be at a disadvantage. Too many aspects of the policy are ambiguous.
For the welfare of our students and the integrity of the district, I believe we need to tighten the policy to make it more equitable for students who identify as transgender.
Given the significance of this issue this year, I anticipate the State Board will refine the policy for clarity.
DO YOU SUPPORT CENSORING BOOKS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS? WHAT BOOKS, AND WHY?
I believe that one can support something without wanting it to be compulsory. Likewise, one can disapprove of something without wishing for its outright ban.
In this respect, I would advocate the use of N.J.S.A. 18A:35-4.7 – Parent’s statement of conflict with conscience as an opt in/opt out option for parents who would like to decide on what books in the library or materials offered in classes that parents want to be accessible to their own children.
WHAT, IN YOUR OPINION, IS THE ROLE OF AN MSD BOARD MEMBER?
The role of a MSD board member is to make policies, plan for the future, and conduct appraisals.
WHAT PROJECTS/INITIATIVES WILL YOU PURSUE IF ELECTED?
I will delve into the true costs of the grants we accept and make sure that it does not hurt our schools in the long run to play by the requirements to take such grants.
I will reignite the conversation to get elections outside of the schools. I think it’s unfair to the community to send students home on election days while parents don’t get the day off work, yet, districts require teachers and administration inside the schools right near the polls all day. It seems like election corruption to me and it’s about time we stop doing that in the Morris School District.
WHO WON THE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION?
President Biden — this question has nothing to do with the nonpartisan school board election. I am neither a liberal nor a conservative. I try to avoid commenting on national politics as I’m not an expert in national affairs. I am community oriented and much more concerned with local civics.
Thank you for your interest, Sharon! I have seen you commenting for years on MSD BOE election news articles, I am excited to see that you are still active!! My engagement with the Morris School District began in 2021, motivated by my child’s future enrollment. I aim to be the first Millennial on the BOE, representing a new generation of Morristown parents. While the amount of “in-person investment” is valuable, I believe that fresh perspectives, diverse experiences, and varied backgrounds of younger parents who will not have the time investment older board members have is still essential for a board that truly represents our community. I understand the community’s need for transparency and assure you that, if elected, my priorities will always include open communication. If you find in the future that questions you want answers to haven’t been asked, I welcome you to come ask me personally on Shack4BOE.com – The Board of Elections provides a list with contact details for all candidates, so you can reach out with questions to any of us at any time. As much as I would love your vote, I always like to say that I don’t care who anyone votes for as long as they vote. Happy voting!! 🙂
Thank you for the questions posed to the candidates. It would be most informative if they reported their attendance at previous BoE meetings and visits within the schools that would provide direct experience that informs their stated intentions and purposes. Candidates should let us know their firsthand, in person investment.