Toms River School Board Election 2022: Melissa Morrison

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 Beachwood, Melissa Morrison, Lisa Magovern and Reuven Hendler 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 Melissa Morrison, who is 46 years old.

Tell voters about your family: I have been married for 17 years and have two beautiful daughters. My husband and I went through the Toms River Regional School District from kindergarten through high school. Gary is the vice president of Urner Barry Publications located in Toms River, and a business partner at Max Velocity Sports and Battle River Brewing, both located in Downtown Toms River. I have been in public education for more than 20 years. I began as a paraprofessional in the 1990s and have been a Social Studies teacher for the past 16 years. My oldest daughter, Nicole, is a graduate of our school system and is an accountant. My youngest daughter, Lucija, attends Beachwood Elementary School.

Tell voters about your education: I am an alumni of the Toms River Regional School District. I attended Walnut Street Schools, Intermediate West (now Intermediate North) and graduated from Toms River High School South. I began my college career at Ocean County College and earned an associates of the arts. I earned a bachelor's degree in history and my secondary education certification from Georgian Court College. I earned a master's in educational administration from Kean University and hold a supervisor's and principal's certificate.

What is your occupation? I am a public education teacher. I also work in the service industry; waiting tables at a shore restaurant and working at the brewery.

Previous elective office, if any: None.

Do you or anyone in your family work for the state, county or local governments? I am a public school teacher. I do not have any family members employed by state, county or local governments.

Why are you running for the Board of Education? I am running for a seat on our Board of Education because our children deserve better. Public education has been heavily scrutinized on a local, state and federal level. The focus of public education should be about our children and not the local and state political agendas that create divisiveness and hostility. We need to get back to a place where we act in the best interest of children. Every child deserves a voice at every table; at our local Board of Education table, the State Board of Education table and the New Jersey Department of Education table.

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

Toms River Regional School District's most pressing issue stems from S2 legislation. S2 cuts state aid to school districts. Our financial crisis directly impacts student learning and achievement. Since 2018, Toms River has lost over $59 million in state funding; $117 million since 2010. Those cuts decimate our district; loss of staff, cuts to programs, lack of resources, large class sizes, cuts to co-curriculars and extracurriculars, crumbling infrastructure in some of our buildings.

For several years, I?ve advocated against S2. Every year, I testify in the Senate and Assembly Budget Appropriations Hearings. I will continue my advocacy for losing S2 districts whether it's from a spectator seat or from a seat at our Board of Education table. Our children are expected to be successful without support from the State of New Jersey. We can't preach that we have the best public schools when our state purposely cuts aid, year after year, to over 198 New Jersey school districts. Those cuts not only impact our local school district but our households, local businesses and our communities. State aid cuts are a direct hit to our most precious population, our children.

The New Jersey Department of Education needs to be held accountable. The district's current lawsuit filed with 5 other school districts does just that. It holds the NJDOE accountable for the release of the fair funding formula. We need accountability and transparency in public education and this is where it starts. Educational legislation does not come with funding to fulfill mandated legislation. This is about Every. Single. Child. It's about giving all students, regardless of zip code, the tools necessary to be well-rounded, educated, resourceful and productive citizens. Where do they learn those characteristics and traits? They learn it through a constitutionally mandated equitable, thorough and efficient education provided by their local school district.

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 released a resolution at the end of August pertaining to stabilization aid. According to that resolution, 90 teaching positions are funded by ESSER funds. When those funds cease, what happens to those teaching positions? Are our children are going to lose their beloved teachers? We?re going to contribute to the unemployment rate? Year after year losing S2 districts cut staff, cut programs and have larger class sizes. None of those things are conducive to learning or student achievement. It?s time for district administration and the Toms River Education Association to be vocal about what state aid cuts are doing to the district. While we have a pending lawsuit with NJDOE?s to release the fair funding formula, the fight is far from over. At last year?s Citizens Budget Advisory meeting, I pleaded to the administrators and the BOE members sitting at that table to testify during the Senate and Assembly Budget Appropriations hearings. Two board of education members testified. Our children deserve an equitable, thorough and efficient education, Losing S2 districts are certainly not equitable in comparison to winning S2 districts. Bottom line: there should never be losers in education.

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?

We need to get back to a place where the community trusts their school district. If public schools only provided an education, this would be a much different conversation. Kindness and empathy should be a recurring theme in every school district. I think sometimes we forget that children, not adults, attend schools. Schools should be a place where children are provided with a high quality education in safe school buildings. Schools should teach about kindness and empathy and I?m sure those themes are embedded throughout curriculum.

Ultimately, the NJDOE and the State Board of Education are responsible for government-run public schools. The criticism, the divisiveness and the political polarization surrounding public education didn't come from parents/guardians voicing their concerns about curriculum, standards or social-emotional learning; the burden of responsibility solely rests on the government of the state, the New Jersey Department of Education and the State Board of Education. These entities have put our educators in the line of fire, so to speak. Every lesson, every word is scrutinized with a fine-toothed comb because of changes in public school education. The NJDOE and the State Board of Education picks and choose which side of parental involvement they support.

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

As a district, we need to enhance what we do best. However, as a district, we need to improve our weaknesses.

Communication and transparency is key for success. The communication and transparency to our communities is sometimes lacking. The district has a responsibility to its stakeholders; to disseminate information and to do it in a timely manner. The district has a website that isn't always user-friendly. The district website is a form of communication to parents/guardians seeking information. Parents/guardians look to the website for information, guidance, policies, protocols, calendars, agendas, BOE minutes, etc. It's the lifeline from the district to the four servicing communities. There's always room for improvement with communication and transparency.