Rita Rafalovsky:

Why are you interested in running for the school board?

I'm interested in running for the school board for the most important reason: to improve the quality of education that we have here.

What issues do you believe the district needs to address for education?

If you look at the proficiency scores at the state level before and after COVID, our scores are, in math in particular, well below our neighboring schools, which are Montgomery and West Windsor. I refuse to think that our kids are any less smart than the kids that are in the neighboring schools. There's something else that's going on and we need to figure out what that is to address it, not just for math but well-rounded education.

What are your top priorities for the school?

In addition to education, mental health is no less important. We need to bring in psychiatrists or psychologists who are experts in this area to create an assessment for us and also some goals about where we need to be [in mental health] and how we will actually make sure that our kids are doing well.

What differentiates you from other candidates?

I am a first-generation immigrant. I came here when I was eight years old. I learned English here and I was definitely below the poverty line for quite a few years. I went through the whole ESL experience and was put in some of the worst classes because I didn’t speak the language. So I definitely have a lot of sympathy and understanding towards the kids that have been there. I feel like we are not leveraging the intellectual capital of the community that we have here. I would love that we create some kind of metrics around it, and to create these champions so that we sort of have a pipeline of kids in our school district.

Susan Kanter:

Why are you interested in running for the school board?

I ran the first time after I retired from work and I was involved with a lot of nonprofits. But I was PTO president at PHS for seven years. I wanted to run for a second term, maybe one that’s not as dominated by the pandemic.

What are your top priorities for the school?

The most important issue is to have the supports in place for health and wellness. I feel that even more so because I want to make sure kids are making those connections that they lost during the pandemic. The new movement space that they’re going to incorporate into the gym and into the learning classes, alongside the new schedule, really gives people time to both have physical wellness and to relax their brain. [The new space and schedule] make people happy and more productive.

What experiences prepared you to serve as the school board member?

I saw the work with thBll Committee, which changed the start time and the schedule for student wellness. Student Wellness was one of my big issues. I also had been involved in the facilities and the development of the referendum. And I had become interested and gone to a lot of meetings for the board and committees. So I felt like I had a lot of knowledge to bring.

What issues do you believe the district needs to address for education?

We want to put in support so that every student feels they have someone that they can talk to. [For students with challenging academic schedules], they need to do it in a healthy way so that they can sleep while participating in extracurriculars that they might enjoy. We have to find that balance for each student between academic challenges and finding courses that they're just interested in. Bringing them joy and taking care of themselves is equally important to me.

Dafna Kendal:

Why are you interested in running for the school board?

I think the most important thing that I can do with my time is help to see that the school district is well-run. I'm really proud of some of the things I’ve done. For example, I was on the board when we moved the start time at the high school back to 8:20. Andonly 12% of high schools in the country start later than that. [Being on the school board] means having the opportunity to do things that really affect students. That brings me a lot of joy and makes me want to continue to serve on the board.

What are your top priorities for the school?

We're a very well regarded school district and I want to ensure that continues. I want to make sure that all kids have the opportunities they need.

Experiences that prepared you to serve as the school board member?

I have six years of experience as a board member. I'm currently the board president. I've served as board vice president and I have been on every board committee. So I have a lot of experience. With all the turnover and administration, I think it's important to have board members who know how we have done things so that we continue the traditions that are very important here in Princeton.

What issues do you believe the district needs to address for education?

One thing I like to do is just make sure there's more representation of kids of color and kids with special needs in higher level classes. We just reviewed the data from last year and there were only three black kids who took AP exams. And that's not representative of the student body and we have to do better. I think we have to look at the prerequisites [for courses], for example and just make sure they are not too burdensome to limit students from choosing courses that they want to take.

Deborah Bronfeld:

Why are you interested in running for the school board?

I feel like I'm anything but status quo. I just want to keep improving [the district]. The pandemic definitely changed the direction of what we wanted to do, and what we could focus on. There’s a lot more that I want to work on.

Experiences that prepared you to serve as the school board member?

I went to public school. I’ve worked a lot in nonprofits and I feel a lot of nonprofit work is helping people and listening. I worked for an organization called Dress for Success, where we gave women business attire to go on interviews, and we set up a lot of interviewing. I’ve worked for a couple of food banks. So I feel that my past with these nonprofits is a big part of me and I always want to help. Being on the board, I can speak for those that maybe cannot.

What issues do you believe the district needs to address for education?

We just need to make sure we have the teachers that are really there to teach you. I do know a couple people that stopped me and said they were just so impressed with the teachers on back to school night. I remember [parents from back to school night] saying that these teachers really want to teach their kids. Teachers just have this breadth of what they want to teach and they’re here to teach.

What differentiates you from other candidates?

I really speak my mind. I have voted no a lot. I know many of my board members never vote no. You know what, I'm not afraid to speak my mind. I'm really not and I'm not afraid to say ‘I don't think this is the right direction.’ And I will always tell you why I'm voting a certain way.