The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
Six candidates – three of whom are running on a named slate – have filed for the three open Board of Education seats.
The decision by incumbent Board members Ardaman Singh, Nancy LaCorte and Walter Jackson not to seek re-election paved the way for three new members to join the 9-member Board.
Running on the “Choose All Three” slate – the same one used by Singh, LaCorte, and Jackson – are Meher Rafiq, Jennifer Welch, and Clara Wilson.
Also running are Catherine Barrier, Martin Czebotar, and Nita Villuri.
The election is November 4.
School Board elections are ostensibly non-partisan, however some of the candidates are active in local political parties.
Barrier, Czebotar, and Villuri are all elected members of the Republican County Committee, while Rafiq is an elected member of the Democratic County Committee.
Barrier has served as a Township Councilwoman and has in the past run for the state Assembly, and while not an elected office, Rafiq is a member of the township Planning Board.
The “Choose All Three” slate wasted no time in getting out their message, sending out a press release shortly after the filing deadline passed on July 28.
The three are running “as a united team to bring fresh energy, real-world experience, and a deep commitment to our kids’ success,” according to the release.
“Their priorities reflect what Franklin families are talking about at kitchen tables, school pick-up lines, and community gatherings: Expand free Pre-K to reach all 3- and 4-year-olds, raise academic achievement and enrichment opportunities for every student, reduce class sizes for more individual attention, support our dedicated teachers and staff in meeting students’ needs, and keep school boards focused on education—not national political agendas,” according to the release.
“We’re running because we love this town, we are committed to this town, and we believe in our kids,” Rafiq said in the release.
“As moms, we know what it’s like to juggle work, homework, and everything in between, and we want to support parents in those challenges,” Wilson said in the release.
“We’re not politicians—we’re parents who want to protect our public schools from being turned into political battlegrounds,” Welch said in the release.
“The slate is also sounding the alarm on MAGA-inspired efforts happening across the country—including book bans on titles like The Diary of Anne Frank, attempts to rewrite or erase parts of American history, and rollbacks of programs that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion,” according to the release.
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