Toms River School Board Election 2022: Kathleen Eagan

TOMS RIVER, NJ ? When voters go to the polls Nov. 8, they will be asked to choose people to serve on the Toms River Regional Board of Education.

The seats open this year on the school board are representing Pine Beach, Beachwood and Toms River.

In Toms River, Kathleen Eagan and Daynne Glover are seeking the three-year unpaid term on the board.

Patch asked each candidate to answer questions to give voters information about who they are and their stances on various issues. We are printing their responses in full, unedited except for spelling or punctuation.

Here are the answers for Kathleen Eagan, who is 70 years old.

Tell voters about your family: I am a proud parent of three children who all went to Toms River Schools. Each child is married and I now am a happy grandmother of eight grandchildren. My oldest grandchild has graduated from High School North; four other grandchildren are presently attending various Toms River Schools. My other three grandchildren live in Point Pleasant.

Tell voters about your education: I graduated from college with a BA degree in education.

What is your occupation? I am a retired teacher. I taught for more than 30 years in Toms River.

Previous elective office, if any: Presently I am a proud member of the Toms River Schools Board of Education.

Do you or anyone in your family work for the state, county or local governments? No one in my family holds any government position. My daughter however teaches high school in Toms River Schools.

Why are you running for the Board of Education? I am running for another term because I have seen some progress recently and experience is important to continue improving our district.

What do you feel is the most pressing issue facing your school district and what do you want to do about it?

Of course all know one pressing issue is funding and the other is to reach all needs of all our students. I plan to continue staying very informed with budgets and as a chair of the curriculum committee I will continue to meet regularly with the administrators in this department.

The Toms River Regional schools continue to suffer cuts under S2. These cuts could cost the district dozens of teachers? jobs in the next two years. What do you think the district should do to address the financial crush the cuts are creating?

The district needs to have a financial strategy to ensure our district has long-term funding. This is being accomplished by searching for grants, selling sponsorships, and staying very aware of what we are budgeting. We also need to strengthen our relationships with town leaders and our legislators, no matter their political party.

The school district ? like districts all over ? has dealt with vocal criticism of curriculum, including social-emotional learning, which has been part of education for years. As mental health concerns and bullying continue to skyrocket, do you feel efforts to address kindness and empathy in school are misplaced?

In Toms River, we understand the importance of parents being aware of curriculum and voicing their opinions. As for mental health issues, having a guidance counselor in each elementary school is a step forward. In each intermediate and high school there are programs to help our students and stress understanding of others' needs.

If you could change one thing about how the Toms River schools are being operated right now, what would it be?

At this time, I am pleased with how our schools are operating. Our new superintendent listens and shares important information. Of course there are always ways to improve, and so if elected I will continue to research various programs.