What I Stand For
Excellence in Education
Positive outcomes and opportunities for all students should be at the heart of everything we do.
Montclair should set ambitious, measurable goals for student achievement and hold itself accountable for making progress toward them.
Set ambitious, measurable goals to improve student performance and close achievement gaps—and report publicly against them.
Protect our most vulnerable students. Ensure they have the support and opportunities they need to succeed.
Be smarter about technology in the classroom. Reduce screen time, particularly in the younger grades, while doing more to prepare older students to use modern technology thoughtfully and effectively.
Accountability & Fiscal Responsibility
We need to ensure the fiscal problems we faced last year don’t happen again. Strong financial oversight requires timely, detailed, and transparent reporting—and a Board willing to ask difficult questions about how taxpayer dollars are being spent.
Support a full forensic audit. We need a thorough accounting of what happened and should welcome appropriate investigation of the decisions, controls, and actions that contributed to the district’s financial problems.
Be Efficient. Focus on every dollar and look for opportunities to operate more efficiently without losing sight of our educational priorities.
Be Proactive. Advocate for change at both the state and township levels. New Jersey’s school-funding system puts significant financial pressure on districts like Montclair, and the Township’s use of PILOT incentives for development can affect how new development contributes (or doesn’t) to school funding. We need to advocate for solutions that better support our schools and Montclair taxpayers.
Be Creative. Explore new sources of revenue and new approaches to managing expenses.
Be Disciplined. Sometimes fiscal responsibility means being willing to say no to additional spending, whatever the pressures.
Demand Transparency. Insist on timely, detailed, and understandable financial reporting so the Board and the public can see where we stand and make informed decisions.
Restoring Trust
The community needs to move forward together.
Restoring trust requires more transparency, meaningful public engagement, and a Board that demonstrates its oversight in public.
Bring more oversight into public view. Much of the Board’s oversight and diligence happens outside public meetings. The Board should ask key questions in public so the community can see those questions being asked—and answered.
Make Board meetings more responsive. Rework the meeting format, hold more town halls, and create more opportunities for genuine two-way communication. Public comment should be part of an ongoing dialogue between the Board and the community.
Continue rebuilding constructive labor relations. The Board should work toward productive, respectful relationships with our teachers, staff, and employee groups.
Listen—and act accordingly. The spring 2025 school-calendar debate was a lost opportunity to build trust. When we ask the community for input, we need to take that input seriously—and when the Board decides to take a different path, it should clearly explain why.
Strategic Thinking
Focus on long-term fiscal planning and a sustainable future for Montclair Public Schools.
Plan for the long term. Look beyond the next budget cycle and consider the long-term financial impact of the decisions we make today.
Make careful decisions about the district’s future footprint. Decisions about our facilities and physical footprint should be based on data, careful analysis, and thorough diligence.