Ahead of the November general election, candidates for the Cherry Hill board of education shared their views on a wide range of topics – diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and the value of standardized testing – during a two-hour candidate forum Oct. 1.
On the ballot are seven candidates vying for three seats on the board of elections, with three incumbents running.
Six out of seven candidates were present. Those present included incumbents Kimberly Gallagher, Miriam Stern, and Corrien Elmore-Stratton and candidates Nicholas Gaudio Jr., Jack Brangan and Renee Cherfane. Over the course of the evening, the candidates were asked questions prepared by the community and were able to respond in a randomized order. The candidates come from different backgrounds. Candidate Jen Sharman was unable to be in attendance for the forum, but submitted a written statement read in the beginning of the meeting.
“I’m seeking to run for school board to have a more balanced exchange of ideas, to help empower all families to have a voice to truly embrace and be inclusive to everyone’s different family type, to keep politics and government overreach out of our schools and to place a greater focus on academics, which are extremely poor right now,” read Sharman’s statement. ” … I propose we have less emphasis on SEL (Social and emotional learning), DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), gender identity, CRT (critical race theory) and sexualization of our kids and more emphasis on academics.”
Gaudio and Brangan shared similar views throughout the meeting, with Gaudio stressing the importance of “restoring academic excellence” and Brangan stating that his number one priority is addressing the sex-ed curriculum and raised concerns over introducing gender roles, identities and teaching kids the names of parts of the bodies as well as learning about transgender youth.
“I think this is the number one priority attack on the youngest and most vulnerable children in our district,” Brangan said. “It has to stop.”
The full sex ed curriculum found on the district’s Rubicon Atlas.
For their top goals for the district, Cherfane, Stern, Gaudio and Gallagher listed the superintendent search as one of their top priorities.
“I think to really prop up our schools and provide them with what they need, I think each school needs an individual response so I think and I hope that our new administration will take a closer look and provide the specific resources that each school needs to create a more successful environment for our students,” Gallagher said.
Candidates were later questioned about what they would like to see in a superintendent. Gaudio emphasized the importance of having an apolitical superintendent who is able to speak without being afraid of repercussions.
“I think our next superintendent absolutely has to be apolitical, … Somebody committed to a long tenure, either somebody already grounded in the South Jersey area or willing to relocate and truly ground him or herself here, somebody unbiased, personable, an open door policy, high energy and somebody who’s not afraid to speak for himself or herself,” Gaudio said. ” … Speak your mind, be honest and be open.”
Stern, Gallagher, and Gaudio noted the importance of restoring academic success within the district, and though all candidates spoke in support of creating a more united community, Gallagher, Cherfane and Elmore-Stratton listed bringing cohesiveness, fostering a collaborative culture between stakeholders and reducing the divide in the community as some of their top priorities. Elmore-Stratton noted that a top priority for her was welcoming and retaining more teachers and staff, and ensuring that resources are available while also being fiscally responsible.
Candidates were also asked their view on education or initiatives in Cherry Hill schools that are for or about the LGBTQ population.
Elmore-Stratton, who is African American, stated the importance of continuing to expose children to different types of communities that are seen in both Cherry Hill and throughout the country.
“It does not mean any of our teachers or staff are forcing this onto our young people, it is simply just the way it was when you … allowed African Americans to be in school,” Elmore Stratton said. “There was a time where we were taught that was not okay, or women could read. There was a time for lots of things where we weren’t exposing people to them early and acknowledging those differences and valuing those differences so that … everybody feels safe.”
Cherfane agreed with Gallagher’s earlier comments, that the issues being talked about are more related to cultural issues than the specific ones at hand.
“This seems to be more of a culture problem, or bullying issues within schools and for me, I have a zero-tolerance policy for anything of the such, whether it’s about LGBTQ issues or any of the other groups that someone can place themselves in,” said Cherfane.
Other questions dealt with the district’s special education services, and how standardized test scores are used. Stern, who has personal experience with the special education services in the district, looked back at the progress the district has made throughout the years but also noted that there is still improvement to be done.
“I’m happy to say in the past two years, we’ve added special education to our district goals for the first time, we met with families, … We’ve added multiple special ed classes over the past several years, and a special ed and special education teacher coach, which is actually a really critical position, but that’s not enough,” said Stern. “We need to do more.”
Candidate bios can be viewed at the district website at https://www.chclc.org/cms/lib/NJ50000493/Centricity/Domain/1095/BOE%20Candidate%20Bios%202023.pdf.
The full candidate forum is available for viewing on the Cherry Hill School District YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUHcjAaCCX4&t=3361s.
The elections are Tuesday, Nov. 7.
