The Moorestown Home and School Association held a board-of-education candidate forum on Oct. 6 at William Allen Middle School, where residents had the opportunity to meet the five candidates vying for three board seats on Election Day.
Running for three-year terms are Ruchika Arora, Caitlin Berman, Melissa Arcaro Burns, Jill Fallows Macaluso and Cheryl Makopoulos. Arcaro Burns, Fallows Macaluso and Makopoulos are incumbents. School board elections in New Jersey are non-partisan, meaning candidates do not run on the ticket of a political party, according to the Moorestown Patch website.
Karen Reiner and Richelle Rabenou of the Braver Angels Moorestown Alliance served as the forum’s moderators. Candidates were asked questions that were prioritized based on topics that most often emerged. Six categories were covered, including diversity and inclusion, curriculum, referendum, superintendent, budget and parental input. The category of the first question was diversity and inclusion.
“What can Moorestown schools do to ensure that all students feel safe, respected and included, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religious or political beliefs?” Reiner asked.
“ … I think providing ongoing diversity education for all staff and even students would help with cultural awareness, making sure policies are there for discrimination, and a lot of student-led initiatives can help everyone feel supported,” Arora answered. “As a BOE member, I would push for strong policies to make sure that the staff are trained in inclusivity and support programs that create a safe space, so all students, regardless of culture, religion or background, would feel safe and supported.”
“ … Specifically, I’d like to increase student forums, where the students can share experiences with each other and staff and reach out to organizations that do age-appropriate anti-bias and ally training for students,” Arcaro Burns noted. “The Anti-Defamation League has a program for high-school students that several of our high schoolers have already attended last year and that integrate programs into the curriculum. And additionally, examine our HIB (harassment, intimidation and bullying) policies and procedures.”
Following responses from Fallows Macaluso, Berman and Makopoulos, Reiner then asked, “In general, what areas of the curriculum do you feel are strong and what areas do you want to see improved or changed. And how do you recommend we achieve that?”
“I think from a curriculum perspective, all of the curriculum we offer is strong,” Makopoulos said. “ … I think as you move into the high school, you do start to see a lot more diversity in the kinds of classes kids can take, and I think that there’s a wide range and everything that we’ve looked at, I think, works well.”
“ … I think that we could definitely add more programs in STEM, in technology, particularly in AI, as that’s becoming bigger and bigger,” Berman observed. “And also in experiential learning opportunities, I know of students in other districts (who) have been allowed … in their senior year of high school, to attend classes in the morning, and then they go to a job in the afternoon. And that’s part of their curriculum. I think opportunities like that would be beneficial for students in lots of different fields to explore opportunities that they might be interested in.”
“One area that I do have some concerns with is not necessarily curriculum,” offered Arcaro Burns, “but the instructional models being used in math for our grades six through eight, and, quite specifically, how a child with special needs is learning under that instructional model.”
“In the spring, voters will decide to approve or deny a proposed bond referendum for the improvement, safety and expansion of schools,” Reiner said. “Do you support the passing of the referendum? Why or why not?”
“I’ve been on the board for three years and … my immediate reaction was, ‘How can we be more creative with the dollars that we already have?’” Fallows Macaluso asked. “But I think we’ve really done an excellent job over the past three years with the budget, taking out a sharp pencil and having a responsible mindset around spending …
“I think something important to understand is that if we move forward with this in a referendum, we’re going to be entitled to more dollars through the way that the state designs the funding, and we can get matching dollars from the state that we wouldn’t otherwise be entitled to in our base budget.”
“ … The timing of (the referendum) is right in terms of other bond debt coming off in 2029 and bringing this debt on,” Makopoulos offered. “It smoothes out the impact to the taxpayer. I do just have to say I don’t like asking the community for more money. I am very personally sensitive to inflation and the tax impact that this has on our hardworking families. But I do believe this is the right decision for our district.”
“If there are concerns regarding a student’s learning content,” Rabenou then asked, “to what extent is parental input considered in making curricular decisions at our schools?”
“As a teacher, parent and a candidate for the board of ed, I do believe in a balanced approach that puts the needs of our students first,” Arora said. “With that being said, parent feedback is valuable, but the curriculum choices should be driven by educators and curriculum specialists who are best equipped to make these decisions.
“The board should provide guidance and set standards, but teachers must have the freedom to choose materials and engage their students, as they know their students and the dynamics of their classes best.”
All five candidates answered additional questions and gave closing comments at the forum. To view it in its entirety, search MoorestownNJ BOE on YouTube.
