Six Vernon School Board candidates seek your vote

Three seats on the Vernon School Board are up for election this year. Voters have their choice of six candidates to choose from: Joseph Sweeney, Charles Cimaglia, Elaine Colianni, Kelly Mitchell, Jennifer Pellet, and Francis Pietrowski. Those selected will each serve three-year terms.

Charles Cimaglia

As a long-term resident of Vernon and father to many children in the district, I am invested, committed, and dedicated to the success of Vernon Township School District. I am seeking a position on the Vernon Board of Education because I want to serve my community and support the students and educators in our district. I am thoughtful, inquisitive, and am led by my strong morals. My decision to run to this elected position is based on my true desire for the success of Vernon.

Elaine Colianni

[I am a] resident of Vernon going on 46 years, mother of four, grandmother of eight so far. [I] took in over 40 at-risk children until stabilized; worked for Cerebral Palsy of NJ, taking care of blind adults and children, autistic and Down syndrome adults and children; profession — forensic accounting; owned and operated The Doll Carriage Doll Shop for eight years teaching porcelain doll making and repaired antique dolls and toys; taught 4-H ceramics for eight years; did a year on the Vernon HS SCA.

My concern for the welfare of our children and teachers has moved me to run for the Board of Education. My years of experience working with individuals in need.

The millstone is the thrust of my direction as stated in the Gospel of Matthew 18:6. But whoso offend one of these little ones which believe in Me, it would be better for him that a millstone were hanged about the neck, and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea. 7: Woe to the world because of offenses! Got it must needs be that offenses come; but woe to that man by whom the offense comes.

Vote for me for Vernon Board of Education: opposed to the sex education curriculum and gender nonsense, education not indoctrination, preferring others, parental rights preserved and heard, teaching of our history factually and not distorted, the Declaration of Independence and constitution.

Francis Pietrowski

I believe I am qualified for Vernon BOW for several reasons. One of which is, I have worked in public education since 2009 to date, as a buildings and grounds supervisor. My wife has also worked in public education since 2009 (special education) to date. A lot of our discussions revolve around public education, being it is a part of our everyday lives. I would say I’m well rounded in many aspects of how a school district operates on a day-to-day basis.

I have two children, one of which will be entering public school next year. So I can understand how it is to be a parent. I’m lucky enough to be raising my children in the same town and home I grew up in as a child. I feel I have a lot invested in this town I call home and love so much!

Jennifer Pellet

As an active community member, local business owner and the mother of two school-age children in Vernon, I am passionate about the future of both our school district and our town as a whole. The skills and the knowledge I’ve gained from decades of work as a communications professional and three years serving on Vernon’s Board of Ed will be an asset in balancing the needs of our stakeholders (students, parents, taxpayers, educators and staff) as we work to build on our strengths as a district for our students.

First and foremost, I am running to ensure that Vernon’s students have access to strong academic and career and technical education programs that will position them for future success. After the learning loss and social and emotional impact suffered during COVID, fundamentals like manageable class sizes, robust course offerings and a culture of engagement are more critical than ever. At the same time, Vernon is grappling with a significant loss of state funding and will need to manage its resources with care and diligence. My focus will be to: strengthen the district for our students and community; stabilize spending to address the reduction in state funding while minimizing the impact on staff and students; pursue grant funding to supplement budget shortfalls, enabling the district to avoid cutting programs and staff positions; repair aging infrastructure to keep our students and staff safe and prevent the need for more costly repairs down the road; improve career and technical education (CTE) program offerings to equip students with relevant skills in promising areas of employment; expand college/career planning guidance to prepare our students to enter the workforce and find affordable solutions to higher education; support athletic and club programs that promote community spirit, development of team-building skills and health and well-being.

Joseph Sweeney

I have served over 25 years on the Board of Education in Vernon from 1985 to 1994, from 1997 to 2009, from 2018 until the present. I have resided in the Highland Lakes section of Vernon since 1963, spending summers with my family and later settling in Highland Lakes to raise my own family. I am married to Maureen Sweeney and we have six children, ranging in age from 39 down to 25, all of whom attended and graduated from the Vernon school district.

The Board of Education has a number of top priorities facing it. We must continue to address the financial situation that exists as a result of the reduction in state aid, while maintaining the quality of education that we have come to expect from our schools. The standard of excellence that Vernon is known for should not be compromised because of funding. We have embarked on a number of construction projects in order to maintain the quality of facilities that we have. These projects include replacing windows, repairing bridges, attending to sports facilities and upgrading classrooms and acoustics. We are in the middle of transitioning superintendents and assistant superintendents; the former administrative team retired, we have people in place as interim replacements. It is imperative that experienced board of education members be in the position to properly evaluate their potential replacements.

Kelly Mitchell

I am running to continue my work and proven track record over the past four years on the BOE. During those four years I put my focus on enhancing the student experience; increasing enrollment and retention; chairing the Building and Grounds Committee to ensure safety, maintenance and budgeting of much needed projects; and creating an environment and culture in which our faculty and staff feel supported and valued. I founded the Student Life Committee that works to enhance the student experience in the Vernon school district, for example, the carnivals during a difficult time due to covid, senior class experiences such as the drive in movie nights and senior sign project in town center. I have encouraged parents and guardians to attend our Student Life meetings and or send emails to gain knowledge and understanding from their feedback.

Many people ask for feedback and stop there; however, I worked to ensure that the feedback gained turned into positive change. I took a line-by-line approach during budget season to ensure fiscal responsibility. As a realtor I have first-hand knowledge as to how important a good school district affects home values and how taxes affect the homeowner. All these aspects of my work are recorded via video from our BOE meetings on the district website and also many of the projects I referred to are on district podcasts as well. Please take a look at my work so you can determine if you wish to vote for me.

I would love to continue my work on the Vernon Township BOE as it has been a pleasure and a blessing making a positive difference in the lives of our students. Student achievement is the major task of a BOE member, this should be any of the current candidate’s priority.