Meet The 2019 Metuchen Board Of Education Candidates

METUCHEN, NJ — Three seats are open on the Metuchen Board of Education this year, and Patch caught up with the candidates ahead of the general election.

Three candidates are running for three seats on the Metuchen Board of Education, and all three are incumbents. Barring any successful write-in campaigns, the three members will serve another three years. We asked all candidates the same four questions:

• Why are you running for Board Of Education?
• What is the biggest challenge facing schools in your town, and how will you address it?
• What three words would you use to describe yourself to someone who has never met you?
• What experience in your background has prepared you to be an effective leader?

All candidates were sent the questions at the same time, and were given the same deadline to submit them. They were asked to keep answers to a maximum of 200 words each. Answers were submitted by email and are presented here as submitted.

Eric Suss

Why are you running for Board Of Education?

I am running to be re-elected to the Board because the schools of Metuchen have always been important to me. Twenty-eight years ago, the quality of the schools was one of the factors that led us to settle here. I have participated in school-related forums as far back as the superintendent and high school principal searches. I have been a long-time supporter of the PTO, Metuchen Education Foundation, and the Booster Club. My family’s experience in the schools has been great and I would like to give something back. Furthermore, as my neighborhood begins to turnover, I want to make sure that my new neighbors’ children have the same positive experience as me.

What is the biggest challenge facing schools in your town, and how will you address it?

While my school experiences have been great, there are many challenges ahead. These include providing appropriate mental health support, improving the STEM experience of all children, integrating the appropriate level of technology into the classroom, absorbing population growth, maintaining and repairing our aging school infrastructure, improving school-community communications, and challenging the average student; all with a limited budget! In short, we need to provide the best environment for all the children to be the best they can be in a fiscally responsible manner. Working with my fellow board members, the administration, and the community I hope to address as much of the above as I can. The administration and the board worked together to finance and build the two new science labs at Metuchen High School. The new school website (coming in early 2020) and the upcoming second question on the November election ballot to expand mental health and emotional support services for students throughout the district are other examples of working toward addressing the challenges that I see.

What three words would you use to describe yourself to someone who has never met you?

Passionate, outgoing, detail-oriented

What experience in your background has prepared you to be an effective leader?

I manage a global team of over 600 people in a constantly changing technology area of a Fortune 500 company and have learned when to drill into problems, how to listen, and how to implement change. Supporting dozens of clients and overseeing a $100 million budget, I know the importance of being accountable for every dollar spent and how to negotiate.

Jonathan Lifton

Why are you running for Board Of Education?

It has truly been the honor of my life to have served my neighbors and friends as a member of the Board of Education for the last nine years. We have gone through many challenges as a district over that time, but the board has never compromised its longstanding commitment to teaching the “whole child”, to protect our Music and Art departments, and to continue to improve our performance for the children of the Borough. The district continues to have challenges, including increasing enrollments and tight budgets, but I hope to be part of a Board of Education that continues to fulfill these commitments for the students of Metuchen.

What is the biggest challenge facing schools in your town, and how will you address it?

The biggest challenge our district faces is how to continue to provide the rigorous education the Borough expects for our students, while managing increasing enrollments and stretched budgets. I am proud to be have been a part of a Board for nine years which has managed this issue while protecting our commitment to teaching the whole child.

What three words would you use to describe yourself to someone who has never met you?

Compassionate, Dependable, Capable

What experience in your background has prepared you to be an effective leader?

I was President of the Board of Education for 4 years and I have been the Chair of the Negotiating Committee for the last 3 Teachers' Union negotiations. I also own L.B. Electric Supply Co., Inc, a Brooklyn based Electrical Wholesaling Company, and I am the Chair of the pension fund which manages the retirement funds in the Electrical Wholesaling industry, All of these experiences has prepared me to be an important leader on the Board of Education, and with the teachers' contract expiring at the end of this school year, I believe this experience would be an extremely important asset to the Board.

Alicia Sneddon Killean

Why are you running for Board Of Education?

I am running for the BOE because the Metuchen School system and the education of our children is extremely important to me. I grew up in this town and benefited greatly from my education in the public schools.I want to work to ensure that the sustainability of high quality education for our children is maintained.

What is the biggest challenge facing schools in your town, and how will you address it?

Finding a way to balance meeting the needs of our students within our financial boundaries is always the biggest challenge for a board. The board's immediate focus is the mental health initiative that will be on the ballot in November. Members of the district's administrative team and the board have had a number of public conversations surrounding the need for additional services to address student needs in our schools. I believe that working with the rest of the board and district administration to ensure that our students are provided with both the academic and emotional supports that they need to maximize their growth and success is the most valuable endeavor that we can engage in right now.

What three words would you use to describe yourself to someone who has never met you?

Involved, Dedicated, Optimistic

What experience in your background has prepared you to be an effective leader?

My entire professional career has been focused on positions which required leadership qualities. Both as a classroom teacher (a position which I held for 15 years), and now as a K-12 math and science supervisor, I've used communication, team building, collaboration, and motivational skill sets to achieve desired outcomes. I have a very optimistic approach to problem solving, and believe that through collaboration and perseverance, solutions can always be found. When I frame situations through this lens, I am able to look for opportunities for growth or necessary change and work with teams of individuals to construct viable solutions.