2023 SPF Board of Education Candidate Interview Answers

On Sunday, September 24th, 2023, R.E.A.L. Parents x SPF emailed interview questions to all three SPF Board of Education candidates. 

Below are the unedited responses, including permission to publish this content.

Click here to read our 2023 SPF Board of Education Candidate Info and Election Resources.

Table of Contents:

FANWOOD

• Amy Boroff (Incumbent)

SCOTCH PLAINS

• Sonali Phatak Barve 
• Evan Murray (Incumbent)

• Incumbent up for re-election
• Column #1 on Fanwood Ballots

Already doing the DEI work we want to see, Amy Winkler has been immersed in the goals outlined in the 2022-2025 Strategic Plan personally and professionally for years, and has the experience, ideas and connections to help achieve them for the district.

On top of that, her natural drive for studying the finer details, fact-checking, and thoughtful review makes her an invaluable asset to the management of district policies, old and new--the foundation our school district builds up and out from as we grow. 

Learn more about this candidate here.

INTERVIEW ANSWERS

1. What accomplishments in your current Board of Education role and/or in your personal/professional life demonstrate your commitment to the Scotch Plains-Fanwood school district community?

Coming out of the Pandemic, the board was able to return much of our focus on our commitment and focus on various initiatives, but the highlights for me personally was my focus on diversity, equity and inclusiveness. Specifically being part of the inaugural Racial Equity Task Force and Special Education Task Force.

Over the past two years SEPAG (Special Education Parent Advisory Group) was reestablished, providing countless resources for parents with students who have special needs. As the liaison of this group, and similar to the work we have done with the Racial Equity Task Force, I attend and collaborate at Monthly meetings, bringing back important talking points, perspectives and real life experiences.

I have received several honors throughout my career both as a business owner (Be Craftful), as a nonprofit strategist and as a volunteer. I just stepped down from the Board of Women in Development of New Jersey and serve as Chair of the Speaker Committee for Princeton Community Works, a nonprofit conference attended virtually by 500+ professionals in the nonprofit field.

I am passionate about cross collaboration between community, corporate and the education world and am happy to see the strides we’ve made in this area in our district.


2. What is your vision for the future of the Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District?

My vision for the future does not stray far from the strategic plan which is:

● Diversity Equity and Inclusion: Providing opportunities for every student to succeed. We continue to educate ourselves on opportunities, learning experiences, listening to our students, and so much more.

I take great pride in the committee work I’ve done and having the Strategic Plan in place to further guide the district on how to continue expanding these efforts.

Additionally, I was so excited to see our special education students participate in Junior Achievement’s programs this year which were taught by our own High School students.

● Educating the Whole Child: I’m excited that this initiative is so clearly laid out and provides the opportunity to really explore ways to enhance our learning opportunities and create various avenues for learning and educating students beyond the classroom so that they are set up for success in the future.

● Community Partnership and Engagement: I am on the Community Committee and I’m thrilled that this was so important to our community. By utilizing our local network and collaborating with our community through more partnerships and engagements, it’s a win-win.

● Facilities and Infrastructure: As a former member of the Facilities Committee, we spent time looking at our infrastructure and what it would look like in the future. I am glad the community supports this initiative.


3. The SPF School District’s 2022-2025 Strategic Plan’s first goal is Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to “increase opportunities to develop a district committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion through hiring practices of educational and support staff, curriculum development and student empowerment.”

How important is this goal to you?

What concrete actions will you take to actively help our district achieve these goals?

Like most districts across the state, SPF is actively recruiting a more diversified staff, which I am very supportive of. We’ve taken a lot of measures and expanded our recruiting methods, however I think it’s important to mention some of the student leadership efforts that we have put in place that are a direct result of providing more diversified role models.

The SPF Black Student Union has taken on the leadership role as role models, providing High School and Middle School students with educational programs on social equity and Justice.

This year (23-24) we introduced the first Teaching Academy of Social Justice Academy with one of the goals being to create a pathway for students to return to SPF for teaching opportunities.

Our district staff is regularly speaking within our local network but expanding their outreach, always looking for new ideas and opportunities.

Along with programs such as Junior Achievement, our students have spearheaded several initiatives this past year such as the creation of the multicultural club and the various events they brought to the district. This is something that I anticipate will expand as we’ve seen in the elementary schools.


4. Which Representation, Equity, Anti-Racism and Literary diversity issues do you think are most pressing for SPF students?
If elected/re-elected, how do you think you could help improve those for our students?

I don’t think any one of these issues is more pressing than the other and I’m not sure we would have success if we were not focussed on all of the above.

There is a ton of behind the scenes work being done on all fronts, as well as what we’ve seen come to fruition. Some of the initiatives we’ve seen are: student representation on the board of education, bringing more local historical knowledge and learning opportunities into the classroom such as Shady Rest Country Club, the renaming of Park Middle school to Nettingham which provided multiple learning opportunities to our entire district, this year we have robust enrollment in the first AP African American Studies course.

We know the presence of diverse role models can play a valuable role in broadening students' perspectives and aspirations and there are numerous statistics that show the benefits of a student being able to identify with their teacher. This stands true for seeing themselves in literature.


5. For transparency purposes, we may share quotes of your partial or complete responses. Does R.E.A.L. Parents x SPF have your consent to publish your responses in the mediums we see fit?

Yes

Click here to return to the 2023 SPF BOE Candidate Info and Election Resources page.

Back up to Table of Contents.

• Column #1 on Scotch Plains Ballots

A longtime outspoken advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion, Stephanie Suriani (LCSW) looks at everything through a lens of wellness, asks thoughtful, important questions, then gets involved to move progress forward for all students.

She is particularly proud of helping get counselors on site at every SPF school, increasing access to mental health support throughout the district.

Learn more about this candidate here.

INTERVIEW ANSWERS

1. What accomplishments in your current Board of Education role and/or in your personal/professional life demonstrate your commitment to the Scotch Plains-Fanwood school
district community?

I am uniquely invested in this town.

I grew up in Scotch Plains and went through the school district (Coles, Terrill, and SPFHS). Then I taught mathematics in the district for 5+ years, first at Nettingham Middle School (Park) from 2009-2014 and then at SPFHS in 2019 until I had my son.

Now I am a parent in this district with my son in Pre-K 3 at Coles.

I believe in the incredibly important role that education plays in the lives of children.


2. What is your vision for the future of the Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District?

I envision a school district where students feel welcome and feel like their voice matters.

In this ever-changing world, it is not only important for students to be academically proficient but they need a good social emotional foundation.

I believe in creating opportunities where students feel like they have a voice in shaping the community they are a part of. I think this is crucial in shaping the next generation of citizens of the world.

I would like our district to be accepting of diversity and prioritize the whole student over just academic success.

I truly believe that schools and educators can change students' lives and have a positive lasting effect on them.


3. The SPF School District’s 2022-2025 Strategic Plan’s first goal is Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to “increase opportunities to develop a district committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion through hiring practices of educational and support staff, curriculum development and student empowerment.”

How important is this goal to you?

What concrete actions will you take to actively help our district achieve these goals?

As a former educator, I know how important this goal is to creating a wonderful school community.

I think it is important to hire staff that come from diverse backgrounds and bring different viewpoints into schools. I also believe that even with the staff that we have, we have a lot of diversity in the student body and the parent community that can be used to give our students amazing experiences and opportunities to learn about people that are unlike themselves.

Also I believe that we have to trust our staff and support them in their efforts to give students rich experiences in the classroom.

As a board member, I will support every action and initiative that supports this goal and try my best to bring a teacher’s perspective to each discussion and decision. I think it is important to remember that teachers are the ones who make our visions a reality in the classroom for our students.


4. Which Representation, Equity, Anti-Racism and Literary diversity issues do you think are most pressing for SPF students? If elected/re-elected, how do you think you could help improve those for our students?

All of these issues are crucial in creating a strong school district.

As a board member I would be committed to supporting policies around anti-racism and equity in schools.

I would also love to talk to students and teachers and hear about their experiences in our schools so that we can make sure that all the members of our school district are welcome and that we value diversity.


5. For transparency purposes, we may share quotes of your partial or complete responses. Does R.E.A.L. Parents x SPF have your consent to publish your responses in the mediums we see fit?

Yes.

Click here to return to the 2023 SPF BOE Candidate Info and Election Resources page.

Back up to Table of Contents.

• Incumbent, up for re-election
• Column #2 on Scotch Plains Ballots

A multiple-award-winning educator of educators whose professional experience and personal efforts have improved the lives of NJ students and faculty throughout the state for years, Nancy Norris Bauer's unique value to the district is one that cannot be overstated.

Add that to being a long-serving member of the Finance Committee, and she has the tools, insight and commitment to successfully address challenges facing our district (like increased enrollment and staffing shortages) in partnership with the rest of the Board.

Learn more about this candidate here.

INTERVIEW ANSWERS

1. What accomplishments in your current Board of Education role and/or in your personal/professional life demonstrate your commitment to the Scotch Plains-Fanwood
school district community?

I have been a member of the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Board of Education for the past 9 years.

In my tenure on the Board of Education, I have been the chairperson of the Facilities Committee as well as the Student Activities and Athletics Committee, member of the Finance Committee, member of the Policy Committee and Board liaison to NJ School Board Associations. I am currently serving as the President of the Board.

Some of the achievements during my tenure have been the appointment of a Student Assistance Specialist for Diversity and Equity, the implementation of full day kindergarten, resource officers in all of our school buildings, implementation of regularly scheduled partner meetings with the Mayors and CFO’s of both the Township of Scotch Plains and Borough of Fanwood and field lighting at the high school athletic fields.

In addition to my tenure on the Scotch Plains – Fanwood Board of Education, I have served on the Scotch Plains Library Board of Trustees for over 7 years. While on the Board, I served as both Vice President and President. While on the Board, we upgraded the technology offerings for library patrons.

As for my personal life, I am a lifelong resident of Union County, a resident of Scotch Plains for almost 13 years, the son and husband of dedicated public school teachers, who have seen the best that public education has to offer and a parent with two children currently enrolled in our school system.

I fully understand the needs of our two communities from the perspective of both parents and the school administration.

I have coached multiple youth sports in town, including football, basketball and soccer.

In my professional life, I have responsibility for managing a global team of operations associates from very diverse backgrounds. We have continued to implement a variety of DEI initiatives and trainings across the firm. These initiatives are aimed at strengthening more inclusive behaviors across the many teams.

I also support and participate in many events throughout the year for our employee affinity groups. These groups provide an opportunity for employees with similar backgrounds and interests to share about their specific group’s interests.


2. What is your vision for the future of the Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District?

My vision for the future of the Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District would be to ensure that all students continue to be adequately prepared to enter into the competitive and diverse world by receiving unique, research-based, educational experiences.

Ensuring that all students have the support they need in order to succeed by providing them with all available opportunities and resources.


3. The SPF School District’s 2022-2025 Strategic Plan’s first goal is Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to “increase opportunities to develop a district committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion through hiring practices of educational and support staff, curriculum development and student empowerment.”

How important is this goal to you? 

What concrete actions will you take to actively help our district achieve these goals?

This goal is critical to the future success of our District and our communities as a whole. I want to ensure that our schools are a safe and secure learning environment including educational equity where every student has access to the resources regardless of their race, ethnicity or disability.

I have been and am committed to ensure that teachers are culturally responsive in the classroom and that the district continues to provide them with professional development that is specific to DEI both in-district as well as workshops offered by professional organizations.

With regards to the curriculum, we have continued to focus on ensuring that there is diversity of offerings available to our students. A couple of the most recent additions are Teaching Academy for Social Justice and AP African American Studies.

From a staffing perspective, we need to continue to prioritize this in our hiring practices to ensure we have diversity and it is fair and equitable across all district employees. Sourcing of candidates needs to be evaluated and accountability needs to be measurable.

We need to continue with the collaboration and engagement with Social Justice Matters and Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation. The work that is being done on the Wellness and Equity Committee will need to continue to tap into existing and emerging community organizations that align with this work.


4. Which Representation, Equity, Anti-Racism and Literary diversity issues do you think are most pressing for SPF students? If elected/re-elected, how do you think you could help improve those for our students?

All of these diversity issues are important, however I believe Equity and Anti-Racism are most pressing.

I want to ensure that our schools strive for full educational equity, where every student has access to all of our resources, regardless of his or her race, ethnicity, or disability. Only by providing students with every available opportunity can they be guaranteed the support they need in order to succeed as both students and citizens.

Affording students the ability to see themselves and learn about others through the curriculum is essential. More importantly, children need to see representation of themselves outside of traditional methods, such as textbooks.

Teachers need to be culturally responsive in the classroom and provided with professional development in-district as well as workshops offered by professional organizations in order to prepare our children for the world at large.

We need to provide students with the tools and resources to advocate for equality, recognize and stand up against racism and injustice.


5. For transparency purposes, we may share quotes of your partial or complete responses. Does R.E.A.L. Parents x SPF have your consent to publish your responses in the mediums we see fit?

Yes, the R.E.A.L. Parents X SPF have my consent to publish my responses in mediums that they see fit.

Click here to return to the 2023 SPF BOE Candidate Info and Election Resources page.

Back up to Table of Contents.