Two candidates will vie for one board seat on the Shamong Township Board of Education in the election on Tuesday, Nov. 5. They are incumbent Frank Locantore, who is currently as board vice president, and Denise Moran.
Two candidates will vie for one board seat on the Lenape Regional High School District (LRHSD) Board of Education in the election. They are Anne Ehrke and Samual B. Green.
All candidates were asked to submit an election questionnaire. As of deadline, Green had not responded.
Name: Frank Locantore
Age: 62
How many years have you lived in Shamong? Over 23 years (moved to Shamong in July 2001).
Family: I am married to my wife Dawn who is an elementary school teacher. I have three adult children ages 34, 27 and 18 (I’m proud to say my 18-year-old is a product of our school district and a Seneca High Graduate) and two grandchildren.
School and degree: I hold a BA degree in sociology from Fairleigh Dickinson University, a Master of Arts degree in human resources from Seton Hall University. I have earned certified board member status from the New Jersey School Board Association.
Profession: I am currently the director of personnel in the utility industry. Prior to that I served as a township administrator after having served for 26 years with a Nationally Accredited Law Enforcement Agency; 11 years at the command level.
Is this the first time you have run for a board seat? This will be the third time I am running for election for a seat on the Shamong Township Board of Education. I am currently finishing my second full term.
What is your involvement in the community? I have an extensive history of community involvement. I have coached youth football for the Seneca Youth Football program from 2011 through 2017 and again from 2023 and I am still coaching this year. I served as president for that program for four years. Many of our former players have moved on to play college football; some of whom have returned to coach in the program. I also have coached baseball and basketball for multiple seasons for the Indian Mills Athletic Association and lacrosse for the Seneca Youth Lacrosse program. I also was asked to serve as part of the community outreach program for the Lenape Regional High School District’s Capitol Improvement efforts.
Why are you running for an elected seat? During my time as a member of the Board of Education, our district has experienced a number of significant challenges. Over the past several years, we have had to deal with approximately two million dollars in state aid reductions through the state’s S2 program. Despite these challenges and working in collaboration with our administration and staff, we have avoided drastic cuts in programs and staff reductions with the only staffing cut made due to enrollment. In times like this, strong, proven effective leadership is needed to see that the best interests and needs of our student population are met.
What is one area you would like to concentrate on if elected: It is difficult to identify one specific area as they often are intertwined. For example, our costs in areas such as transportation, insurance, capital improvements go up each year particularly with the rampant inflation we’ve been experiencing. In addition, our costs for special education, a vital and legally mandated service we provide to our most vulnerable, special needs population rise as many of our service providers are private corporations with no cost controls. In my next term, I intend to focus on fiscal responsibility so that we continue to provide ALL of our students the education and services they deserve in order to reach their full potential.
Name: Denise Moran
Age: 54
How many years have you lived in Shamong? Four years
Family: I am married.
School and degree: I graduated with Bachelor of Arts in elementary education (K-8) with a focus on reading. I am also certified in secondary English, and special education K-12.
Profession: I have taught for 30 years, four years in private schools and the other years in public schools. I was awarded Teacher of the Year in 2017.
Is this the first time you have run for a board seat? This is my first time running for a seat on the Board of Education.
What is your involvement in the community? I have tutored a number of K-12 students in all subject areas, giving them strategies and helping them master the skills needed to be successful students.
Why are you running for an elected seat? I am looking for accountability. Taxpayers in Shamong deserve to know that their money is spent wisely and yields results. After working in the public school system for many years, I have experienced first-hand what works and what doesn’t work, what is reasonable and what is unreasonable. I have dedicated the last 30 years of my life to students and will continue, as I serve on the Board of Education. I will make decisions that benefit students and keep politics out of education.
What is one area you would like to concentrate on if elected? I would like to focus on cutting back wasteful spending without compromising integrity.
Name: Anne Ehrke
Age: 47
How many years have you lived in Shamong? I have lived in Shamong since October of 2004. My husband and I were looking for an area that was quiet with an excellent school system. Shamong was our first choice!
Family: My husband and I are the proud parents of three daughters: 17, 16, and 12.
School and degree: I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish from Rutgers University. I have a Master of Arts in education from Marygrove College and a second Master of Arts in educational administration from Rider University.
Profession: I am a middle school Spanish teacher of 25 years and involved in all aspects of my school community. I direct both of our school musicals, I am the assistant choir director, co-advisor for the yearbook, and serve on various committees both at the school and district levels.
Is this the first time you have run for a board seat? I served two terms on the Shamong Township Board of Education from 2018-’24.
What is your involvement in the community? I am a member of the HSA. I have served on both school and district level Parent Advisory Groups and I am a founding member, trustee and current president of the Seneca Cheer Parent Association.
Why are you running for an elected seat? I feel it is important to make sure students and parents have a voice. Education is my passion. The Lenape Board needs another voice that has a solid understanding of how schools work in order to ensure that the decisions made are truly in the best interests of the students. I will have children at Seneca through 2031 so I have a vested interest in the decisions being made. I am a huge supporter of the arts and believe that students need exposure to a wide variety of academic and extracurricular opportunities in order to help them find their niche.
What is one area you would like to concentrate on if elected? If elected I would like to focus on maintaining ALL of the programs LRHSD offers. I want to work in collaboration with district administration, staff, students, parents and community members to find creative ways to bring revenue to the district as well as reduce spending without affecting our students or further burdening our residents in order to offset the tremendous loss of financial aid. LRHSD has been a powerhouse with lobbying the state to change the funding formula and there is still more to do. Collaboration with all stakeholders is key.
