Hosted by League of Women Voters (LWV) and Princeton Public Library
TBD
TBD
Thank you for joining us for the
PTOC Hosted, November 2023,
Board of Education Candidates’ Forum
on Tuesday, October 10th.
Thank you also to those who submitted questions via our website for this forum.
Read about the Format from the Webinar:
Each of the candidates had one minute to provide an opening statement; there was a visible timer.
There are five questions - each of the candidates had :90 to answer each question; there was a visible timer.
There was a lightning round of 4 yes/no questions.
In conclusion, each of the candidates had one minute to provide a closing statement.
The questions asked were the key themes that emerged from questions submitted by the community at large. Questions were not presented to the candidates ahead of time.
We did not take questions during the webinar.
Please email candidates directly with follow-up questions.
BOE Candidates' Forums hosted by other community organizations:
Thursday, October 12th @7:30pm (Virtual)
Hosted by League of Women Voters (LWV) and Princeton Public Library
Hosted by League of Women Voters (LWV) and Princeton Public Library
Monday, October 16th @7pm (Virtual)
Hosted by Princeton Parents for Black Children (PPBC) and Not In Our Town (NIOT)
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The PTOC connects the PPS PTOs to the BOE and the District.
This page was created to serve as a central location for the candidates to provide their platform.
Below is the list of the Candidates (alphabetical order)
and the information they provided;
Nothing has been altered.
Beth Behrend
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Beth A. Behrend Biography September, 2023
Beth is finishing her second three-year term on the Board of Education of the Princeton Public Schools. Beth has provided steady leadership, particularly on facilities and financial planning, as Board President (2019-21), Chair of the Long-Term Facilities Planning Committee (2022-23), and, over nearly six years, as chair/member of every other board committee. She also is one of two invited NJ board-member representatives on the Executive Board of the Garden State Coalition of Schools, a leading advocate on behalf of all NJ public school students. Beth is a corporate attorney with global experience advising Fortune 500 companies on financings, joint ventures, acquisitions, governance, and regulatory matters.
Beth is a public school graduate, originally from Hartland, Wisconsin. She holds degrees from UW-Madison and Michigan Law School. As an undergraduate, Beth worked for Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson and interned at the U.S. Senate. As a law student, she worked in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and received an LLM degree from Michigan Law School after pursuing masters work in public international law. Beth’s legal career began in Mergers & Acquisitions and International Finance at the firm of Shearman & Sterling in New York City, followed by corporate legal positions at British Gas in Singapore, Schlumberger Ltd., and then as general counsel of Kozmo.com in New York. In 2001, Beth moved to Princeton with her husband and joined the legal team at Medarex, Inc., a public biotechnology company. At Medarex, Beth advised senior management on securities law, board governance, financings, regulatory compliance, and employment issues. When Medarex was purchased by Bristol-Myers Squibb in 2010, Beth retired to spend more time with her three young children and became very involved in the Princeton community and non-profit sector.
Beth has since led the Riverside School PTO, worked with District leadership as a member of the PTO Council, and taught religious education at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton (UUCP). An advocate for teaching children about growing and eating real food, she raised over $50,000 for Princeton school gardens, and advocated for garden educators and the integration of garden education into the district-wide curriculum. She has also served on the boards of the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association, the NJ League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (founding member), the Princeton School Garden Cooperative, and UUCP.
Her husband, Robert Eaton, works for BondBloxx and serves as a trustee of HomeFront. Beth’s three children, ages 17, 19 and 21, have attended Riverside Elementary, the Princeton Middle School, The Pennington School, and PHS. Her daughter is now a senior majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Princeton University, and her eldest son attends Middlebury College. Her youngest son is a PHS senior. The Behrend-Eaton family lives in the Riverside neighborhood with their dog, Truffles, and two finches.
Beth is finishing her second three-year term on the Board of Education of the Princeton Public Schools. Beth has provided steady leadership, particularly on facilities and financial planning, as Board President (2019-21), Chair of the Long-Term Facilities Planning Committee (2022-23), and, over nearly six years, as chair/member of every other board committee. She also is one of two invited NJ board-member representatives on the Executive Board of the Garden State Coalition of Schools, a leading advocate on behalf of all NJ public school students. Beth is a corporate attorney with global experience advising Fortune 500 companies on financings, joint ventures, acquisitions, governance, and regulatory matters.
Beth is a public school graduate, originally from Hartland, Wisconsin. She holds degrees from UW-Madison and Michigan Law School. As an undergraduate, Beth worked for Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson and interned at the U.S. Senate. As a law student, she worked in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and received an LLM degree from Michigan Law School after pursuing masters work in public international law. Beth’s legal career began in Mergers & Acquisitions and International Finance at the firm of Shearman & Sterling in New York City, followed by corporate legal positions at British Gas in Singapore, Schlumberger Ltd., and then as general counsel of Kozmo.com in New York. In 2001, Beth moved to Princeton with her husband and joined the legal team at Medarex, Inc., a public biotechnology company. At Medarex, Beth advised senior management on securities law, board governance, financings, regulatory compliance, and employment issues. When Medarex was purchased by Bristol-Myers Squibb in 2010, Beth retired to spend more time with her three young children and became very involved in the Princeton community and non-profit sector.
Beth has since led the Riverside School PTO, worked with District leadership as a member of the PTO Council, and taught religious education at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton (UUCP). An advocate for teaching children about growing and eating real food, she raised over $50,000 for Princeton school gardens, and advocated for garden educators and the integration of garden education into the district-wide curriculum. She has also served on the boards of the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association, the NJ League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (founding member), the Princeton School Garden Cooperative, and UUCP.
Her husband, Robert Eaton, works for BondBloxx and serves as a trustee of HomeFront. Beth’s three children, ages 17, 19 and 21, have attended Riverside Elementary, the Princeton Middle School, The Pennington School, and PHS. Her daughter is now a senior majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Princeton University, and her eldest son attends Middlebury College. Her youngest son is a PHS senior. The Behrend-Eaton family lives in the Riverside neighborhood with their dog, Truffles, and two finches.
Adam Bierman
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064087441395
https://www.youtube.com/user/dincin1/videos
https://twitter.com/ababierman1
http://www.imdb.me/adambierman
facebook.com/breezinwithbierman
ababierman[email protected]
609-658-0492
https://www.youtube.com/user/dincin1/videos
https://twitter.com/ababierman1
http://www.imdb.me/adambierman
facebook.com/breezinwithbierman
ababierman[email protected]
609-658-0492
Hi, my name is Adam Bierman, and I am a candidate for the Princeton Board of Education (BOE)
I was born and raised in Princeton, New Jersey. I went through the entire then-called Princeton Regional School System (PRS).
Public service and education are in my family's DNA. My mom was a teacher in the PRS for over 30 years. My dad served as school board president during the tumultuous late 60s and early 70s. I teach social studies in American schools worldwide, mainly in Latin America and China.
When I returned home, I began working at a school for teen moms in Trenton, New Jersey. There, I teach social studies and help out with PE class. The place also allows me to originate and implement programs such as Reading Recovery, verbal de-escalation, Business ESL, and a full-service sex Ed program working with Planned Parenthood. I am also a CWC (Communications Workers of America ) union shop steward. I am proud of the fact my union member retention right is at 97%
Why am I running
First, restoring public trust in the board is vital. Second, there are better ways to teach math than de-tracking, which denies opportunities. Third, from my past "institutional wisdom," I know the importance of "keeping an eye on the cash register." In the past, the BOE has spent frivolously on grandiose building plans and consultants, among other things. Somebody should be driving money back into the classroom. Finally, a different independent voice is needed on the board.
To learn about my policy issues on demographics, overcrowding, endless referendums, after-school programs, and Special Education reforms, I can email these to you. (You can DM me or text me at 609-658-0492.) Or check out my campaign website
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064087441395
As a campaigner
I am an energizer bunny. Curious, investigative, and wanting to know what I need to know, I do something called "harvest the intelligentsia." I seek out and engage with people with various expertise and experiences. We have so much talent in the town; it is silly not to tap into it. Besides, paying some consultant who might be rubber stamping some administrator's agenda is deceiving and a waste of tax dollars.
In conclusion, I do not represent a specific group or clique when running for the BOE. I want to do what is suitable for all Princetonians.
Can you help me get a seat at the table? I see myself getting elected as an investment in productive, real change on what is a complacent BOE.
So, if you are tired of the status quo of the current BOE, and you do not like how the issues are trending, let'engage and do something about it.
I was born and raised in Princeton, New Jersey. I went through the entire then-called Princeton Regional School System (PRS).
Public service and education are in my family's DNA. My mom was a teacher in the PRS for over 30 years. My dad served as school board president during the tumultuous late 60s and early 70s. I teach social studies in American schools worldwide, mainly in Latin America and China.
When I returned home, I began working at a school for teen moms in Trenton, New Jersey. There, I teach social studies and help out with PE class. The place also allows me to originate and implement programs such as Reading Recovery, verbal de-escalation, Business ESL, and a full-service sex Ed program working with Planned Parenthood. I am also a CWC (Communications Workers of America ) union shop steward. I am proud of the fact my union member retention right is at 97%
Why am I running
First, restoring public trust in the board is vital. Second, there are better ways to teach math than de-tracking, which denies opportunities. Third, from my past "institutional wisdom," I know the importance of "keeping an eye on the cash register." In the past, the BOE has spent frivolously on grandiose building plans and consultants, among other things. Somebody should be driving money back into the classroom. Finally, a different independent voice is needed on the board.
To learn about my policy issues on demographics, overcrowding, endless referendums, after-school programs, and Special Education reforms, I can email these to you. (You can DM me or text me at 609-658-0492.) Or check out my campaign website
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064087441395
As a campaigner
I am an energizer bunny. Curious, investigative, and wanting to know what I need to know, I do something called "harvest the intelligentsia." I seek out and engage with people with various expertise and experiences. We have so much talent in the town; it is silly not to tap into it. Besides, paying some consultant who might be rubber stamping some administrator's agenda is deceiving and a waste of tax dollars.
In conclusion, I do not represent a specific group or clique when running for the BOE. I want to do what is suitable for all Princetonians.
Can you help me get a seat at the table? I see myself getting elected as an investment in productive, real change on what is a complacent BOE.
So, if you are tired of the status quo of the current BOE, and you do not like how the issues are trending, let'engage and do something about it.
Eleanor Hubbard
[email protected]
https://eleanorhubbardforboe.wordpress.com
www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550126711608
https://eleanorhubbardforboe.wordpress.com
www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550126711608
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Eleanor Hubbard PLATFORM
If I am elected to the Board, I will have three major priorities: 1. Improving the quality of education provided by PPS. Our children are still recovering from the pandemic both academically and socially, and the school district's most recent performance report revealed that on some important measures, our scores are now below the state average for New Jersey. But our kids have been through a lot; they don't just need more pressure to perform. I believe that all students learn best when they engage in challenging, intellectually exciting classwork in warm and supportive communities. If students are struggling or disengaged, the answer is not to water schoolwork down but to make it better, with expert teaching, thought-provoking curricula, and vibrant classroom environments. |
2. Addressing rising enrollment. We need a plan for the elementary schools that minimizes disruptions and maximizes the ability of children to walk or bike to school, and is fair and equitable in its allocation of space and resources to the children in this district. As a parent of younger children, I am deeply invested in having the district develop and execute a long-term plan that makes sense for our families.
3. Choosing an effective Superintendent. Dr. Kelley's contract will end after the next academic year. Selecting the superintendent is the single most important task that falls to the BOE, and it is critical to get it right. We need a superintendent who is able to provide positive, steady, and effective leadership, building collaborative relationships with stakeholders, mentoring principals, carrying out the strategic plan, being present and committed to the district, and ensuring that other administrators, including those responsible for special education, are directed and appropriately incentivized to carry out their duties in a manner that is timely, responsive, and puts children's interests first.
3. Choosing an effective Superintendent. Dr. Kelley's contract will end after the next academic year. Selecting the superintendent is the single most important task that falls to the BOE, and it is critical to get it right. We need a superintendent who is able to provide positive, steady, and effective leadership, building collaborative relationships with stakeholders, mentoring principals, carrying out the strategic plan, being present and committed to the district, and ensuring that other administrators, including those responsible for special education, are directed and appropriately incentivized to carry out their duties in a manner that is timely, responsive, and puts children's interests first.
Eleanor Hubbard BIO
I’m a parent with three kids in our public schools: two at Riverside, and one at the Princeton Middle School. In the next few years, as they grow, I will have children in all three levels, elementary, middle school, and high school.
I have a deep background in education. After finishing college magna cum laude at Harvard, I taught public school for two years as a New York City Teaching Fellow, working in a high-poverty, 100% minority elementary school in the South Bronx. Then I went back to grad school at Harvard again, got a PhD in History, and taught at Princeton University from 2009 to 2020. I always enjoyed teaching freshman seminars, including one I developed on piracy, because I liked helping students adjust to college expectations and seeing them grow. My experience in higher education has given me useful insight into what our students need to be ready to succeed in college.
I also have a long record of service in our community. I was a trustee of the Princeton University-affiliated early childhood center UNOW for eight years, including one year as president of the Board. During that time, UNOW moved into a new building, more than doubled in size, negotiated a new legal and financial relationship with the University, revised its constitution, survived COVID, and conducted a successful search for a new director after its longtime director retired, so those were very busy years, and I am proud that UNOW was able to maintain its commitment to high quality, child-centered, play-based care while undergoing so much change.
In our district I have advocated for better mathematics education in the middle school, and against wrong-headed reforms that would have removed advanced learning opportunities from our children and established low-quality dead-end math tracks in the high school. However I have also been active in the Riverside PTO, where I currently serve as VP for the Riverside Garden, supporting our wonderful garden educator.
I am committed to our children and our community, and if I am elected to the Board of Education I will do my very best to provide what my campaign slogan promises: sensible leadership for excellent public schools.
I’m a parent with three kids in our public schools: two at Riverside, and one at the Princeton Middle School. In the next few years, as they grow, I will have children in all three levels, elementary, middle school, and high school.
I have a deep background in education. After finishing college magna cum laude at Harvard, I taught public school for two years as a New York City Teaching Fellow, working in a high-poverty, 100% minority elementary school in the South Bronx. Then I went back to grad school at Harvard again, got a PhD in History, and taught at Princeton University from 2009 to 2020. I always enjoyed teaching freshman seminars, including one I developed on piracy, because I liked helping students adjust to college expectations and seeing them grow. My experience in higher education has given me useful insight into what our students need to be ready to succeed in college.
I also have a long record of service in our community. I was a trustee of the Princeton University-affiliated early childhood center UNOW for eight years, including one year as president of the Board. During that time, UNOW moved into a new building, more than doubled in size, negotiated a new legal and financial relationship with the University, revised its constitution, survived COVID, and conducted a successful search for a new director after its longtime director retired, so those were very busy years, and I am proud that UNOW was able to maintain its commitment to high quality, child-centered, play-based care while undergoing so much change.
In our district I have advocated for better mathematics education in the middle school, and against wrong-headed reforms that would have removed advanced learning opportunities from our children and established low-quality dead-end math tracks in the high school. However I have also been active in the Riverside PTO, where I currently serve as VP for the Riverside Garden, supporting our wonderful garden educator.
I am committed to our children and our community, and if I am elected to the Board of Education I will do my very best to provide what my campaign slogan promises: sensible leadership for excellent public schools.
Rene Obregon
Why Am I Running?:
Why Can You Expect From Me?:
What Does That Mean?:
Why Am I Running?:
- I wholeheartedly believe in public schools and the service it provides to students and the broader community. Given the rapidly evolving technological and employment landscape,
- I want to ensure PPS graduates have all the tools to be successful in whatever path they take.
Why Can You Expect From Me?:
- I am an independent thinker, methodical and a doer. I also believe in accountability & transparency. I believe it is important to look at hard and soft data and follow that up with engagement of all perspectives to make informed decisions on behalf of PPS.
What Does That Mean?:
- Ensure that groups with learning gaps are supported by educational initiatives & relevant support systems necessary to narrow the deficit.
- Continue to challenge our advanced students with relevant classes and programs.
- Ensure the Special Education Review is fully implemented and is regularly measured against defined KPI’s.
- Support sports, music, arts & extracurricular activities as they are vital to building well-rounded students, citizens and future employees.
- Foster a culture that is accepting of all viewpoints, encourages dialogue/discussion, is at the forefront of educating students/parents about the risks of social media, encourages active discussions about mental health and regularly reminds of the real risks of substance abuse.
- Support development and recognition of great teachers and administrators.
- Ensure PPS is a good steward of our tax dollars as we manage the pulling forces of growing enrollment and maintaining high educational standards.
Rene Obregon Bio
I was born and raised in Clifton, NJ and have resided in Princeton for the last 14 years. My wife, Karolin Obregon, is a teacher at Cherry Hill Nursery School. We have 2 teenage boys who both went to Johnson Park, PMS and are now in PHS. I am a bilingual first generation American of Peruvian & Cuban parents. I graduated from Lehigh University and for the last 25 years I have worked in finance in NYC. I am currently the CEO of Numis Securities, Inc.
I was born and raised in Clifton, NJ and have resided in Princeton for the last 14 years. My wife, Karolin Obregon, is a teacher at Cherry Hill Nursery School. We have 2 teenage boys who both went to Johnson Park, PMS and are now in PHS. I am a bilingual first generation American of Peruvian & Cuban parents. I graduated from Lehigh University and for the last 25 years I have worked in finance in NYC. I am currently the CEO of Numis Securities, Inc.
Michele Tuck-Ponder
[email protected]
Excellence and Equity for ALL Students
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Michele Tuck-Ponder brings an unequaled record of leadership and experience to the Princeton Board of Education. An effective advocate and thoughtful, independent decision-maker she consistently advocates for:
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Michele Tuck-Ponder, Esq. BIO
Michele is the Chief Executive Officer of Destination Imagination, Inc. a global creative problem solving program for young people. A former mayor of Princeton, NJ she is a member of the Princeton Board of Education. She has served as Executive Director of the Women’s Fund of New Jersey, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Delaware-Raritan, Inc., assistant counsel to former Governor Jim Florio, assistant director of the New Jersey Division on Women and New Jersey Division on Civil Rights, director of development and public affairs at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and congressional aide to former US Representative Louis Stokes and the late US Senator Frank Lautenberg. She also was a Community Builder Fellow with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development in Camden and has served as a lecturer at Princeton and Rutgers Universities. Michele is a former trustee of New Jersey After 3, Princeton United Methodist Church, Leadership New Jersey and the Center for NonProfit Corporations, Morven Museum and Gardens, the Princeton Housing Authority and the United Front Against Riverblindness. A graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Tuck-Ponder is married to Rhinold Lamar Ponder, Esq. and is the mother of two children, Jamaica and William D’Artagnan.
Michele is the Chief Executive Officer of Destination Imagination, Inc. a global creative problem solving program for young people. A former mayor of Princeton, NJ she is a member of the Princeton Board of Education. She has served as Executive Director of the Women’s Fund of New Jersey, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Delaware-Raritan, Inc., assistant counsel to former Governor Jim Florio, assistant director of the New Jersey Division on Women and New Jersey Division on Civil Rights, director of development and public affairs at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and congressional aide to former US Representative Louis Stokes and the late US Senator Frank Lautenberg. She also was a Community Builder Fellow with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development in Camden and has served as a lecturer at Princeton and Rutgers Universities. Michele is a former trustee of New Jersey After 3, Princeton United Methodist Church, Leadership New Jersey and the Center for NonProfit Corporations, Morven Museum and Gardens, the Princeton Housing Authority and the United Front Against Riverblindness. A graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Tuck-Ponder is married to Rhinold Lamar Ponder, Esq. and is the mother of two children, Jamaica and William D’Artagnan.
