TOMS RIVER – School board candidates said they were concerned about the reduction in funding from Trenton, as well as the increase of regulations from Trenton.
There are three, three-year terms on the Board of Education that will be on the ballot. School board candidates are not allowed to list their political affiliation, so instead they use short slogans.
Ashley Lamb, Diane Oxley, and Paola Pascarella are running under the slogan Vote Common Sense.
James Capone and LeRoy J. Marshall are running under the slogan For The Students.
The candidates were asked questions about their job and civic duties, as well as what they think the most important issues are. The answers are listed here in alphabetical order, edited lightly for such things as grammar and flow.
Capone and Marshall did not respond to the questions despite numerous attempts by this newspaper.
Ashley Lamb is a small business owner who is currently serving her third year on the Toms River Board of Education. She is the only incumbent in the race.
“I have previously worked as a Project Manager for a local non-profit that was notable for helping our community rebuild after Superstorm Sandy. My role there varied from event planning and fundraising, to connecting families in need with goods, services, and other organizations that could help them in their time of need. I am a member of a few local clubs and am always interested in volunteering to help out – whether it’s getting turkeys delivered to our local church or planting a pollinator garden, I’ll be there whenever I can,” she said.
“Our largest issues in Toms River are the unfair funding cuts coming from Trenton, and the invasive mandates and policies that aim to remove parents from being involved in key aspects of their children’s education,” she said. “I plan to address the budget crisis that has resulted from funding cuts by working together with my fellow board members, local elected officials, and our administrative team to fund our budget with innovative strategies, and using any and all legislation to our advantage.”
“Very good things are in the future of Toms River. The policies and mandates coming from Trenton do not align with the values of Toms River families. I support Superintendent (Michael) Citta in his efforts to keep our families close and our parents involved. Mr. Citta has been a fearless leader who has prioritized the family relationships within our school community and kept our parents involved all while protecting the district from costly lawsuits that would waste tax dollars and hurt students. This is the path we need to stay on. Protecting children and putting families first always.”
“A major goal of mine, and collectively the current Administration and Board of Education, is to remove polling places from our school buildings. While I understand that voting is the cornerstone of our democracy, and schools are technically public buildings, our student safety is far too important. We have safety protocol that is followed 179 days a year, Election Day should be no different. We have plenty of public buildings in Toms River to utilize, and we are the last district in the county still voting in our schools. Regardless of being re-elected, this is something I will continue to push for, because it’s necessary to keep our kids safe.”
Diane Oxley teaches kindergarten at Ocean Academy Charter School. Previously, she spent six years as a board of education member in the Delaware Valley School District, in Milford Pa.
In relation to civic duties, she said she formed “a committee in the Snug Harbor neighborhood to address issues confronting our neighborhood by attending township meetings, and out-reaching to local public officials.”
“One of the biggest issues facing Toms River School District is the issue of parents rights: over the last few years, we are seeing national and statewide trends of alienating parents away instead of having a partnership with the parents. We do not need to institutionalize our children. Education needs to be a partnership and a respectable relationship between local schools and parents/guardians,” she said.
“The other issue is funding. We are seeing an upswing in children with disabilities and English Language Learners and we need more funding from the state so that students’ needs can be addressed. We are up from 18.1% in 2019, to 19.6% in 2023 for children with disabilities and for English Language Learners we went from 1.9% in 2019 to 3.5% in 2023. These students are entitled to a free and appropriate education and the state needs to address, and take another look as to how to address these issues for districts like Toms River. We as taxpayers and our students should not be short changed. Large suburban school districts are not being funded properly. Although we receive monies to address these issues it is not nearly enough.”
Paola Pascarella is employed in the veterinary medical field and currently works at Northstar Veterinary Hospital in Robbinsville. “I am also a certified animal control officer and animal cruelty investigator by the state of New Jersey.”
“This is my first attempt for public office and decided to run to bring some fresh new ideas to our schools and school board,” she said. “I am a working mother of twin third grade girls so to this point there has not been much time for civic groups but I have been very involved with their education at North Dover Elementary School and some involvement with the PTA…and fundraising efforts for various animal welfare organizations. I have been certified for animal relocation during times of natural disasters and for volunteer work with the NJ marine mammal center. My employer is very progressive and has encouraged my service if elected and has promised the time off needed if elected.”
“The biggest issues facing our district is the changing demographics and anticipated decline in enrollment in the coming years. This will have a very detrimental impact on our state aid. Also our lack of pre-school for our population despite paying significant school taxes, keeping our tax levy in control and within the ability of our homeowners and residents, working to have a more fair NJ state school funding formula that has been penalizing districts like Toms River.”
“I would like to see parents’ thoughts on school uniform policy. I think uniforms would bring much less stress to families and in the long run cost less, and let our children have a sense of belonging. I would like to see voluntary summer vacation instruction and activities available through our schools. This will fill a void needed during summer vacations, help continue our children’s education and keep our teachers that want to work employed in their field. It can not be for free but I think we can deliver a quality program for much less than parents are paying now.”
