Ten seek VTHS BOE seats

VERNON — Ten are seeking three-year terms on the Vernon Township School District Board of Education.
Incumbents Cynthia Auberger and Carolyn Incarnato will be challenged for three year terms. David J. McQuillan and Ed Brown did not submit profile information..
The third incumbent, Edward DeYoung, is not seeking re-election.


Justin Annunziata
Age: 21
Political History: I have never held public office before.
Occupation: I am the Financial Controller for a group of automotive dealerships in New York State. In that position, I oversee the accounting, finances, bookkeeping, legal and regulatory compliance, and many of the human resource functions, for the company.
Education: I am a Vernon Township High School graduate. Additionally, I have a Bachelors of Science in Accounting and a Minor in Management, from American University.
Family: My family has lived in Vernon for more than 20 years. Like myself, all of my siblings have gone through the Vernon Township School District.
Top three issues (limit 200 words): 1. Our school district's organizational culture is in need of serious reform. We need to foster an organizational culture that facilitates effective communication, and genuinely values the concerns of all of our stakeholders. We need to address ongoing issues, such as low employee morale and poor communication. Our Board of Education must provide strong, proactive leadership to capitalize on our many great assets, and confront the challenges that our district faces. 2. I support experiential learning as a way to provide our students with a well-rounded education. There is a whole world to be discovered beyond the four walls of a classroom. Field trips, science labs, and the arts are just a few ways to incorporate experiential learning into the curriculum. 3. Extracurricular programs empower our students to accomplish more than they once thought possible. Whether it is athletics, student government, artistic programs, robotics, or many other activities, there should be an extracurricular activity to meet the interests and needs of each of our students. While academics should always be the first priority, extracurricular activities play a huge role in preparing our students to be competitive in the 21st century. We should continue to support these programs which teach responsibility, work ethic, and passion.

Cynthia Auberger
Age: 58
Family: Married to John Auberger, 18 years; 2 married daughters, 3 grandchildren; 1 son
Education: Vernon Township High School; Dover Business College; New Jersey School Boards Academy (certified board member, master board member, certified board leader)
Occupation: Transportation, Licensed Real Estate Referral Agent
Political History: Member of Board of Education 24 1/2 years; past president/VP; committee chair, delegate to county and state school board association; past president/VP of county School Boards Association; 2008 State School Board Member of the Year; Federal Relations Network-National School Boards Association; Vernon Coalition charter member; Vernon Chamber of Commerce trustee
Top three issues: 1. Ny top concern has always and always will be the children of Vernon Township. 2. Improving student achievement and maintaining the programs that Vernon offers our children in well-maintained buildings while being cognizant of our declining enrollment and the financial responsibility we have to the community. 3. We have worked with our new superintendent and central office staff over the past two years to establish goals that will address the concerns and issues that arose during our very extensive Strategic Vision planning process. I am happy with the results of our work and I look forward to evaluating where we stand now, what may still need to be addressed or tweaked and how and when we will begin the process again to make sure that we are setting our goals each year, accordingly.

Natalie Buccieri
Age: 46
Family: I've been married to Dan Buccieri for 23 years. I am the mom of four.
Education: Jefferson Twp HS - 1989; County College of Morris - 1991; Paralegal certificate - 1992
Occupation: For the past 17 years I've managed our family counter-top installation and maintenance business. I handle the day-to-day operations of our company.
Top three issues (limit 200 words): 1. Budget Concerns and Declining Enrollment - Each year our school budget is reduced by cuts in state aid. In addition, rising taxes are a concern for all. The real estate slump and the high foreclosure rate has hurt Vernon. Keeping our taxes low while ensuring our students receive the best education possible is paramount. A fair tax rate coupled with a quality education is important to every Vernon resident. Lower taxes and a quality school district are appealing to home buyers and helps all Vernon citizens. 2. Focusing on our Students Education - Vernon has recently piloted several CTE programs with great success. These programs allow students to see what a certain career path is like and allows them to earn college credits. Secondly, but not of lesser importance is what happens in every classroom. 3. Conflicted Board Members - All too often our board has not been able to fully respond to issues due to conflicted members. While I appreciate all who volunteer their time for our community, the voters are disenfranchised when an elected official cannot completely fulfill their duties as a board member.

Mark Cilli
Age: 48
Occupation: Managing Partner and part-owner of a management consulting firm (Adison Partners) based in Parsippany, NJ.
Education: MBA from Columbia University (2001) and a BS in Accounting from Montclair State University (1992). Graduated from both universities with honors.
Family: Married, with a blended family of six children. We have two daughters (ages 9 and 7) currently enrolled in the Vernon Township School District and two children who have graduated from the district.
Top three issues (limit 200 words): Issue 1: We need to set higher and more transparent measures of success to evaluate the Superintendent's performance. I would personally champion both quantitative and qualitative measures to address not only the Superintendent's results but the leadership behaviors demonstrated to create a positive and productive working environment. Issue 2: We need to be a Board that utilizes a transparent, values-based approach towards decision making. We need more thorough and fact-based analysis when it comes to evaluating alternatives and making long-term decisions. We need to ask the tough questions, encourage debate, and ultimately align according to our vision and values. The values I would employ to every decision would be SAFETY (of our students, teachers, and all district employees), QUALITY (of education for our students, and work environment for our teachers and district employees), and VALUE (upholding the fiscal responsibility we have to taxpayers). Issue 3: Building a stronger relationship with our community that is founded on trust, transparency, and respect. Creating platforms and forums that promote an environment in which people can be heard and ideas can be exchanged. I believe the best ideas are generated when a Board is open and receptive to the perspectives of the greater community.

Carolyn Incarnato
Age: 54
Political History: I currently serve on the Vernon Township Board of Education since July, 2017.
Occupation: I am self-employed and the owner of Viking Demolition, Inc. which opened in 2010. I serve as the Controller for our company of 46 employees.
Education: I graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Quantitative Business Analysis.
Family: I have 3 children: Regina Age 20, Lauren Age 19 and Frank age 17.
Top three issues: The Vernon School District has lost state funding and expects to suffer more funding cuts in the next several years. We are challenged as a District to provide the best education possible for every student even with this significant loss of State Aid. Students should not be negatively impacted by these cuts. I will work closely as a Board of Education member with the District Administrators to ensure the same great education while cutting costs. 2. The Vernon Schools have many wonderful programs and extracurricular activities many residents and students are unaware of. I would like to emphasize and promote the many positive things taking place on a daily basis in the Vernon Schools while working with the Administration to improve areas that need attention. 3. Our administrators, teachers, & support staff work very hard to provide a wonderful well rounded education for our students. They deserve our support. Sadly, the focus in the newspapers and social media has often been negative. Students succeed when parents and teachers work well together in a positive way. I hope to assist in moving toward a more positive collaborative relationship with the students' success as our first priority.

Michael S. Peek
Age: 44
Political History: none
Occupation: Professor of Biology, William Paterson University
Education: BS Biology, Moravian College; PhD Plant Biology, University of Maryland
Family: Married, 2 children in Vernon Township Schools
Top three issues (limit 200 words): 1. First, and I feel most pressing, is the vote of no confidence by the VTEA at the most recent Board Meeting. I am not satisfied with the line-by-line review of conduct with the Board President and Superintendent. That conversation does not hold anyone accountable, only placates both parties with the appearance of addressing the conduct issues. 2. I feel the district is faced with the problem of declining state aid. Teachers are continually being expected to do more with less. Finding creative ways for maintaining high standards and good programs will be necessary for the next elected board. 3. Lastly, I would like to see how the Board is evaluating the reconfiguration. Will it result in increased student success for the costs that were involved?

Jennifer Pellet
Age: 51
Political History: This is my first time running for office.
Occupation: I have owned and run my own editorial content business — Inkstone Content Solutions — since 2002. Current clients include Corporate Board Member, Chief Executive Magazine, University of Miami and Time Inc.
Education: Graduated summa cum laude from Syracuse University with dual bachelor of science degrees from the University's Whitman School of Management (Marketing) and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications (Journalism).
Family: Married to Michael Gelfand, with twin sons in 6th grade.
Top three issues (limit 200 words): 1. Quality of Education: Our schools have terrific teachers and some wonderful programs. However, there is room for improvement. We need to address the evolving needs of our students. Expanding STEAM coursework, for example, will help equip them with the science, technology, engineering, arts and math skills they will need in today's competitive, tech-centric job market. 2. Fiscal Responsibility: Under proposed budget cuts, our town will be one of the hardest hit in New Jersey. Going forward, balancing conflicting needs in allocating limited resources will be challenging. Currently, several board members are unable to vote on critical budgeting and personnel issues due to conflict of interest rules. With no relatives employed by the district, I have no such constraints and will strive to understand and address the perspectives of parents, students, educators, taxpayers and other stakeholders. 3. Alignment: Like many in our community, I'm concerned by the conflicts playing out in our school district. The board needs to find ways to address the lack of alignment within the BoE, as well as between the BoE, educators and the community. As a communications professional, I would work also toward ensuring that information about policies, programs and decisions is made available in a timely fashion.

Tammy Witters
Age: 45
Political History: Volunteer with the School Community Association in Vernon School District, served one year as recording secretary at Rolling Hills Primary School. Volunteer as a coach for soccer, lacrosse, and running teams in Vernon.
Occupation: Employed at Newton Medical Center in the Psychiatric Emergency Services Department as a Screener and Crisis Counselor, completing evaluations and risk assessments on children referred from the school systems as well as children and adults referred from the community.
Education: I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and a Master of Arts Degree in Educational Psychology, both from Montclair State University.
Family: I have lived in Vernon for over 15 years with my husband and three daughters, twins who are in 8th grade at Glen Meadow Middle School and a 5th grader at Lounsberry Hollow Middle School.
Top Three Issues: 1. We need to address the climate and morale in our school system through improved communication and transparency. Students and educators must be our priority. Trust has been undermined in this district based on the appearance of impropriety in certain decisions. The vote of No Confidence is of great concern. Our educators are our most valuable resource and we need to rebuild this relationship. 2. The reconfiguration needs to be evaluated with data and feedback from administrators, educators, parents and students. Class sizes, scheduling, transitions, and extra-curricular activities have all been affected. It needs to be determined what costs were incurred and what savings were realized. Adjustments and improvements need to be made moving forward if we are going to continue to provide students with the best education possible. 3. We are one community. We need to improve engagement with the community including educators, parents, students, and community members. Everyone deserves a chance to be heard. We need to be fiscally responsible to our community while continually striving to improve our schools. This will benefit Vernon by retaining our students and educators as well as attracting new families to our district, making our community strong.