Five candidates, including three incumbent school board members, are vying for three open seats on the Lawrence Township Public Schools Board of Education in the Nov. 5 general election.
Incumbent school board members JoAnn Groeger, Robert Pluta and Kevin VanHise are seeking re-election. Olga Carillo Martinez and Shahzia Shah also are seeking to fill the open seats.
The term is for three years.
Groeger, who has served on the school board since 2011, has lived in Lawrence Township for 48 years. Her three children graduated from Lawrence High School.
Groeger said that her passion for education has not waned, even after her many years of service on the school board. She said she still has more to offer to students, staff, administrators and residents.
“My experience as a school board member, a former educator in the Lawrence school district, as a parent and as a resident will continue to be invaluable,” she said.
“As a member of the New Jersey School Boards Association Legislative Committee that meets one on one with state legislators, I am able to bring back and share with our board new and upcoming legislation that will impact our district.”
Martinez has lived in Lawrence Township for 10 years. She has two children. One child attends the Slackwood Elementary School and the other child attends the Lawrence Middle School.
Martinez said she was inspired to run for a seat on the school board after seeing the “great work” of the school district administration and the many changes they have implemented.
“I live my life in service to others. Serving on the school board will simply make official what I have been doing since my children entered kindergarten at Slackwood – doing all you can to support the staff, students and families of our public schools,” Martinez said.
Martinez, who grew up in Guatemala, said education was a priority in her family. Now, she is a proud parent in the Lawrence Township Public Schools and a proud member of the Lawrence Township Public Schools community.
Pluta is seeking his second term on the school board. He is a Lawrence Township native and attended the Lawrence Township public schools. He has one child who is in the first grade at St. Paul’s Catholic School in Princeton.
Pluta said the past three years has been exciting. He said he learned about the intricacies of running an excellent school district, including hiring an outstanding superintendent of schools, crafting an $80 million-plus school district budget, and managing relationships between students, parents and teachers.
Pluta said he has been “overwhelmingly pleased” with the selection of Robyn Klim as the superintendent of schools. He said he respects the thoughtful decisions she has made regarding personnel shifts and new hiring of staff.
“I look forward to working closely with the school board regarding the upcoming referendum (to expand the Lawrence Middle School),” he said. “While I understand the need for new facilities, especially with the expansion of the pre-kindergarten program, I do also want to be mindful of the tax implications on our already heavily property-taxed community.”
Shah is a 16-year resident of Lawrence Township. Her four children attended the Lawrence Township Public Schools through high school.
Shah said her experiences with the school district have been positive. She said she is passionate about education, and has taught and tutored since her college days.
She pointed to her skills, such as conflict resolution, effective communication and teamwork, that are crucial to working on the school board.
“Since I have a significant belief in the educational system and genuinely think it can transform and improve lives, I am a strong advocate for students,” Shah said. “As a parent, I truly understand the concerns that parents have.”
VanHise has served on the school board since 2011. He is a Lawrence Township native and attended the Lawrence Township Public Schools. His two children are graduates of Lawrence High School.
During his tenure on the school board, VanHise served as the school board president and vice president, and also was chairman of the board’s Finance and Facilities Committee, the Personnel Committee, the Negotiations Committee and co-chairman of the Sports and Activities Committee.
“This background has given me a unique perspective of being a student in the district, being a parent of district students, being a township resident and being a member of the board,” he said. “Combined with my background as a local government attorney, I bring a unique perspective, knowledge base and experience to the board.”
VanHise said he would like to assist with the development and support of strategies and programs to improve academic achievement across all grade levels, and to continue the district’s efforts to attract, retain and support the most qualified and diverse staff possible.
