Patch is asking candidates to share their views on issues in Long Valley. Here are candidate Marisa Baker's answers:
Vianella Burns, Patch Staff
LONG VALLEY, NJ — Election Day is nearing, and Long Valley voters will soon head to the polls to cast their votes for three seats on the local school board.
Patch sent questionnaires to all candidates, seeking their responses. Here is the response from candidate Marisa Baker.
Editor's Note: Patch emailed all candidates at the email addresses listed for their campaigns in the clerk's office. The responses will be revealed between now and the general election on November 7. These comments will be published with just minor stylistic changes. Candidates who wish to participate but did not receive an invitation should email [email protected].
Name: Marisa Baker
Age: 45
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Town of residence: Washington Township (Morris County)
Family: My husband and I have a blended family of 6 boys all under the age of 14.
Education: Yale University, B.A.; Seton Hall Law School, J.D.
Occupation: lawyer- owner of a 4-attorney law firm in Califon, NJ
Why are you seeking to run for school board?
I have become increasingly concerned that our current school board is getting distracted by political and culture war issues while neglecting the actual education of our children. I am running to ensure that our schools continue to provide the same high-quality education for all children.
I am also running to ensure that our school board does not make the same mistakes seen in some other local communities where close to $100,000 of already limited school funding is being used to pay for completely avoidable litigation costs simply because school boards fail to follow existing laws and regulations, which should be addressed at the state level.
What according to you is the biggest issue facing the school district currently? How do you plan to tackle it?
I am concerned about our children's overall educational readiness when compared to neighboring communities. For example, only 64 percent of our current elementary school students are performing at or above proficient levels in both reading and math. There are also reports that our middle school graduates are less prepared than other sending districts when they reach high school.
To tackle the problem, we first need to find the root cause. I believe that our school board needs to make it a priority to determine the origin of these falling test scores. Based on those findings, I believe we need to resolve the issue at its source, but I also believe that we must be open-minded in considering solutions and should consider policies or programs that have proven successful in other school districts for this purpose.
What special qualifications do you bring to help meet the challenge?
As a lawyer, I believe I am uniquely qualified to help guide the school board to ensure compliance with all relevant laws and regulations. It is the failure of other local school boards to ensure their own compliance with existing laws or regulations that have resulted in expensive and unnecessary litigation.
With a specialization in high-conflict divorce and custody matters, I also bring years of experience finding common ground between people with completely opposing interests. I will bring this transferable skill to the school board where I hope to help bridge the divide between many competing interests for the benefit of all of our children.
What else would you like to share about yourself or your campaign?
Another motivation for me to run for school board is that I also want to ensure that the very vocal voices and opinions of a few individuals are not forced upon the majority of children and families in our community.
I strongly believe that every taxpayer should have their concerns taken seriously by the school board, no matter the issue, and that every parent should be involved in their child's education. I also believe that part of the job of any school board member is to be accessible and willing to listen to any and all concerns from the community.
However, the school board also has a responsibility to ensure that all interests are considered and that results truly represent the majority.