Get to know the nine candidates running for three seats on Hackensack Board of Education
HACKENSACK — Voters will choose among nine candidates for three seats on the city's Board of Education in the Nov. 7 election.
Andrew Meehan, who was appointed to the school board in June to serve the rest of the term for the seat vacated by Michael Oates, is running for a full three-year term and is the only incumbent on the ballot.
Susan Avallone, Yvette Irving and Nancy Veloz are running together on the For Hackensack’s Future slate. Candidates Sophia Brown and Dana Martinez are running together on a ticket. Candidates Kenneth Martin, Shivonnie Pringle and Mark Stein are running on the Hackensack Quality Education ticket.
Trustees Christopher Coleman and Anthony Rodriguez, both one-term board members since 2020, are not running for reelection.
Candidates were asked to provide information about themselves and answer questions about why they are running, what the district’s strengths and challenges are, and how they would improve the district if elected.
Susan Avallone
Avallone, a 30-year resident with two sons who graduated from Hackensack schools, said she is running to bring her knowledge and experience to the board. She recently retired after a 25-year teaching career and has served as the PTA president for Nellie K. Parker Elementary School, Hackensack Middle School and the high school, and as the president of the Hackensack PTA Presidents’ Council.
Q. What do you believe are the school district’s strengths? What are its challenges? How would you address these?
A. Hackensack schools’ strength is found in its teaching staff. Our teachers are dedicated to the success of our students and work tirelessly to create innovative and creative programs that allow our children to soar.
One of the most important challenges for our school district is ensuring that we maintain optimal class size as our student population continues to grow. Data has shown that as class size increases, student achievement falters. We will need to assess our facilities and determine whether they continue to meet the needs of our students and, working with our community, we will need to better plan for our children’s future.
Q. Anything else you would do to improve the district?
A. Clear, open communication is key for any board of education to work successfully with the administration, teachers and community. Our board needs to adopt a position of more open communication with all stakeholders. That means building on the existing platforms, and exploring and expanding appropriate means of communication. There must always be clear pathways where parents can be heard and be able to appropriately advocate for their children.
Sophia Brown
Brown, a registered nurse and university professor with a Ph.D. in management, said she is running to advocate for all Hackensack children and ensure that tax dollars are spent on programs to invest in their development. She volunteers with the children and health ministries at Hackensack Seventh-day Adventist Church and as the co-chair of the clinical leadership committee for the New Jersey chapter of the American College of Health Executives. She has two children who have attended Hackensack public schools.
Q. What do you believe are the school district’s strengths? What are its challenges? How would you address these?
A. The biggest strength of this school district is the diversity of the community. With diversity comes various perspectives on issues, opportunity for open communication, thought leadership, and innovative approaches to problem solving and decision making. Some of the challenges are the infrastructure, older buildings in need of repairs and maintenance, classroom overcrowding, low test scores of our children, needing a range of academic and nonacademic programs to meet the needs of our children and community, and being more inclusive and transparent.
Given the range of issues, no one solution will fix it all, but collaboration, partnership and communication with various stakeholders across the community will be a good first step. Having discussions with local community grassroots groups, parents and community leaders will instill the knowledge and content needed to best prioritize resources and mitigate the negative effects of these challenges.
Q. Anything else you would do to improve the district?
A. The health and well-being being of our children is another area I am passionate about. I will continue to advocate for our children through programs to address mental health, and diversity, equity and inclusion in education.
Yvette Irving
Irving, a banking professional and 18-year resident, said she is running because she is passionate about the power of education to transform and improve lives. Irving has two sons who have attended Hackensack public schools, including the younger, a seventh grader at the middle school.
Q. What do you believe are the school district’s strengths? What are its challenges? How would you address these?
A. Our district has exceptional teachers and students. Our district’s biggest challenge is dealing with overcrowding in some of the district’s schools. I would address this by assessing our needs with my colleagues on the board and collaborating with the community as we consider the most responsible and feasible options for our kids.
Q. Anything else you would do to improve the district?
A. I would like to help the district increase parent engagement. The schools are like our kids’ second homes. Their parents and guardians should always feel welcome.
Kenneth Martin
Martin, a lifelong Hackensack resident and retired city police officer who graduated from Hackensack High School, said he is running to bring his expertise and knowledge to the board. He was the first school resource officer in the state and has volunteered with the city’s ambulance corps and the American Red Cross. He also co-founded a youth group called Hackensack Youth on the Move.
Q. What do you believe are the school district’s strengths? What are its challenges? How would you address these?
A. I believe the school district's strengths are the student body diversity, and the staff's dedication to believing in our students. The biggest challenge is building a new school and meeting with the board to come up with a plan.
Q. Anything else you would do to improve the district?
I believe we should focus on security and keeping our kids safe. Also making sure our kids are in school every day and on time, as well as residency checks, to make sure every student in the school district lives in Hackensack.
Dana Martinez
Martinez, who grew up in nearby Teaneck and moved to Hackensack in 2021, said she is running to ensure a safe and supportive learning environment for students. A former special education teacher, Martinez is an assistant principal with the New York City Department of Education and an adjunct professor of education at Bergen Community College. She has a 3-year-old daughter and an 11-month-old son.
Q. What do you believe are the school district’s strengths? What are its challenges? How would you address these?
Community and diversity come to mind right away. I also am routinely impressed with the incredible teachers that serve the Hackensack community. I have met so many dedicated, passionate teachers who routinely advocate for their students. As a former teacher, I know that their job is one that often feels impossible, and I salute their hard work.
There are so many problems facing all schools right now. Students are still dealing with the emotional trauma and academic delays brought on by the pandemic. An important part of this healing journey is employing diverse mental health professionals to assist students. Hackensack has about one counselor and one social worker to 351 students. We also must address the academic gaps left by COVID, especially in ELA [English language arts] and reading instruction. It is important to me that Hackensack use research-based strategies backed by science to address these learning needs.
Q. Anything else you would do to improve the district?
A. As a former kindergarten teacher, I am passionate about early childhood education and I think it is extremely important that Hackensack offer a full day pre-K program for families. Pre-K provides students with an important foundation for their educational journey, and research shows that it improves student outcomes down the line. If we want our students to come out ahead, we have to set them up for success by providing them with a free and appropriate pre-K program.
Andrew Meehan
Meehan, a high school math teacher at an Essex County charter school, said he is running for a full term on the board to raise the level of education for students to make them more competitive in a global job market. Meehan is a retired Army officer with one tour of duty in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom III from June 2004 until June 2005 and has two daughters. He volunteers with the League of Women Voters of Northern Valley, American Legion and Asian American organizations.
Q. What do you believe are the school district’s strengths? What are its challenges? How would you address these?
A. The district just achieved above 90% in every category for the New Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum report that audits school districts. Hackensack Public High School just achieved a High Performing District rating by NJQSAC in all categories. In addition, I truly feel that the district prides itself on embracing diversity and inclusion and goes above and beyond in its curriculum to reflect that.
The school district faces several challenges: the number of litigations, rising cost of running a school district and capitalizing on artificial intelligence as a resource for the curriculum and improving math test scores. To address these challenges, I want to collaborate with the other trustees, the superintendent and the board attorney to find creative solutions. As a board member, I only have a single vote, and a majority must agree to have a decision.
A. Anything else you would do to improve the district?
If given the opportunity for a three-year term, I would like to have every staff member who resigns complete an exit survey as to the reason they are leaving. This will provide additional feedback for the board to reflect on retention of teachers and staff.
Shivonnie Pringle
Pringle, a parent of a 2021 Hackensack High School graduate with another child currently in the high school, said she is running to meet the demands “we as parents and taxpayers have.” She has lived in the city for 10 years and served on the Fannie Meyer Hillers Elementary School PTA.
Q. What do you believe are the school district’s strengths? What are its challenges? How would you address these?
A. I strongly feel, if we hire a grant writer, that we can get funding toward a few things like air conditioning in all the schools, mental health assistance for our teachers, continuing counseling for our children and more security in the schools.
Mark Stein
Stein, 1966 graduate of Hackensack High School and lifelong resident whose children also graduated from the district, said he is running because he believes his leadership abilities and professional background as a senior fiscal analyst lend themselves to helping the district, particularly with its budget. Stein served on the City Council from 1989 to 2005 and was a Board of Education member from 2009 to 2018, serving as vice president and president.
Q. What do you believe are the school district’s strengths? What are its challenges? How would you address these?
A. The biggest strength is the diversity our student population. Students learn not just from the books in class, but from walking within the walls of the school buildings. The diverse cultures, ethnicities and student backgrounds will be of great strength when our students graduate and move on to whatever endeavors they pursue.
Student scores are not quite where they should be. As many school districts learned, COVID had a major impact on student learning. As a board member I would encourage the district to use whatever resources are available, whether it be moving funds within the budget or locating grants, to assist the teachers and students.
Q. Anything else you would do to improve the district?
Our buildings are old, and upgrades are necessary. We have issues with a large student population. When I am elected, I will ask what steps the district is taking to address these issues. This may mean looking to the state for additional financial resources and looking for construction grants.
Nancy Veloz
Veloz, a lifelong Hackensack resident and product of the district, said she is running to ensure the next generation has the same great experience she had in the schools, or better. She currently has a seventh grader who attends Hackensack Middle School and works in health care finance.
Q. What do you believe are the school district’s strengths? What are its challenges? How would you address these?
Our district has excellent educators that take great pride and passion in their work. We need to find better ways to fulfill staff vacancies and work harder to retain our staff to ensure our students are in the best hands.
Overcrowding is a challenge for our district, and it impacts our schools logistically and our kids academically. Addressing the need for additional space and facilities is a concern that can only be solved with full community support and engagement.
Q. Anything else you would do to improve the district?
I'd like to find ways to engage our community members who are open to mentoring our students and parents. So many people in Hackensack have a lot to offer our kids.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: A look at candidates for Hackensack NJ Board of Education
