Sussex County to see 12 contested school board races, 92 total candidates in November

The political battles surrounding local school boards show no sign of dying down.

More than half of Sussex County districts holding November board elections will see contested races this year, continuing a recent surge in interest for positions that previously went unchallenged and even unsought in many communities.

An unofficial list of candidates released Monday by the county clerk's office includes 12 contested races in 22 districts, more than double the total from last year, when just five districts saw battles for seats in the general election. In all, 92 candidates are running for 71 open seats, an increase from the 85 who campaigned last year for 79 spots.

It's the third straight election cycle in New Jersey to see heightened competition for school boards and comes amid a backlash from the right over the teaching of sex, gender, race and history in U.S. schools. School board elections in New Jersey are technically nonpartisan, but many candidates branded themselves as "conservative" in Monday's filings.

The list of board hopefuls was posted on the county clerk's website following the 4 p.m. deadline Monday for school candidates to declare for office.

Sparta features the most contenders for the second consecutive year, though the eight people vying for three open seats this fall represent a comparatively small field after a 17-candidate race in 2022. The Hardyston and Sussex-Wantage districts each have seven residents seeking three open seats, followed by Frankford with a six-way race for three spots.

Hardyston will also have a contested race on the Wallkill Valley High School board, with four candidates running for the township's lone seat.

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Sparta

The Sparta race includes two incumbents who secured one-year terms as part of the "Students First" team last year, though only one, LeeAnne Pitzer, is running under the same slogan in 2023. Since the new six-member majority took over this year, the board has been in the middle of a string of tense debates over taxes, livestreaming meetings and, just last month, a new policy on challenging "lewd" library materials.

The other sitting board member, Christina Keiling, is running with Dana Dumpert and Robert Meara under the "Voices of Reason" banner. A three-member team with the slogan "Stop Raising Taxes" features Jennifer Grana and Kaitlin Gagnon, who ran unsuccessfully for board seats last year, along with Chad Wood, a 2023 Sparta High School graduate who served as the board's student representative during the school year.

Niamh Grano, a former Sparta board member who was ousted last year, has returned to the ballot with the slogan "Experienced, Consistent, Dedicated."

Pitzer told the New Jersey Herald she is running for a full term to continue her work, as her slogan states, to put Sparta students first. She is also focused on "holding the administration accountable," particularly in regards to a school budget that increased by nearly 6% this year.

"The budget that passed this year was unacceptable to me which is why I voted against it, twice," Pitzer said. "A 5.8% tax increase to the residents of Sparta is absolutely ludicrous."

None of the other teams or individual candidates responded to a request for comment as of Tuesday afternoon.

Sussex-Wantage

The lone incumbent in the Sussex-Wantage district is Board President Nick D'Agostino, who is running with Caitlin Space and Stevie Vallone under the "Wantage Hometown Conservatives" ticket. The trio is facing the "Education is Opportunity" team of Deborah Jenkins Braconi and married couple Trevor and Stephanie McPherson, along with Daniel Van Tassel, billed as a "Small Town Conservative."

Braconi, a retired teacher, said on her campaign Facebook page that she is running for a board seat because of a lifelong passion for learning.

"I feel that with my training and experience both as a student and as an educator, as well as raising two children of my own, that I would be an asset on the Sussex-Wantage Board of Education," she said. "My goal would be to help parents in supporting their children at school, and to help teachers in supporting their students in classrooms."

D'Agostino, a Republican candidate for county commissioner in the June primary, said on Facebook that he and his running mates "will work hard for our taxpayers, our families, and especially our students."

Hardyston

The Hardyston race, like Sparta, includes two incumbent board members running on separate tickets.

Nick Demsak is running with Brian Drelick, a former board member defeated last year, under the "Hometown Experienced Leadership" banner. Demsak's fellow sitting board member, Susan Lucarelli, is pledging "No Tax Increases" as she runs on a team with Lorraine Menonna. The three-member "Make Education Great" team consists of Savas Savidis, Ana Bertoni DeOliveira and Renée Maupai.

Demsak said on Facebook that while the district has made great progress in his nine years on the board, he feels there is still more to be done.

"Hardyston needs committed and experienced leaders to support students, families, and educators," he said. "I look forward to sharing our vision to support student opportunities, advance student achievement, and grow the home-to-school connection for Hardyston families."

In the Wallkill Valley race, incumbent Jacqueline Elmo is facing challengers Brian Tobachnik, Michael Davina and Zachery Dora. Elmo is running under the "Students First" slogan, while Dora's mantra is "Empowering Education."

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Frankford

Kate Adam is the lone Frankford board member running for re-election this year, doing so with the slogan "Education Is Key." The other challengers are the "Conservative Frankford Parents" team of Mindy Smith and Jessie Vaughan; Darrin Chambers, running under the "Children First" banner; Charlene Molnar, with the slogan "Representing All Families"; and Chris Dexter Jr., who did not provide a slogan.

Other contested races

The other contested races in Sussex County are listed below. All district races feature three open seats unless otherwise noted.

• Byram: James McBain*, Alexandria Cicchetti-Smith, Lauren Pedersen, Julie Lucente*

• Green: Maureen McGuire*, Marie Bilik*, Maarit Kelvin Korpos, Melissa Van Blarcom*

• Hopatcong: James Chaffee Jr., Natalia Cappello, Jayson Cittrich*, Joseph Falconi*

• Lafayette: Deborah Fagan*, William Dianella*, Perry Williams, Josh Aikens*

• Sandyston-Walpack (two seats): Robert Eulo, Colleen Hewitt*, Jo-Ann Williamson*

• Stanhope: Carmen Pico, Lana Leguia, Yacoub Yaghnam*, Mattia Scharfstein*, Avery Quayle-Badolato

• Vernon: Elaine Colianni, Carl Contino*, Adina Hope*, Charles Cimaglia*

*incumbent board member

This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: Sussex County NJ school board candidates flood 2023 election