Princeton School Board Candidate Profile: Karen Lemon

Karen Lemon Princeton Board if Education candidate

Education: Bachelor’s of science in mathematics education and master’s in business administration.

Why are you the right candidate for the school board? I am running for the Princeton Board of Education with Paul Johnson and Bill Hare. We know there needs to be a change in the board due to current leadership’s content with complacency. There are urgent and persistent issues that must be addressed around diversity, affordability, and trust. I am the right candidate because I have the skills, experience, and passion necessary to address these pressing issues. I have a degree in mathematics education and an MBA. I recently retired after 30+ years at AT&T, where I owned the P&L (revenue of +$500M) of a global IT organization. I was the diversity and inclusion leader for 7,000+ employees implementing programs to make AT&T a more inclusive workplace. Outside of work I have mentored/sponsored Newark students, I sit on the NJ board for Junior Achievement, and I volunteer to deliver food for Share My Meals. Our candidacy has already changed the conversation in the election from complacency to committing to work on how diversity is viewed within the schools, how we address the achievement/opportunity gap, how we make Princeton more affordable, and how we rebuild trust. The difference between Paul, Bill, and I and the current board leadership is we want to act now.

What are the top three challenges the board must urgently address? 1. Achievement and opportunity gap of our low income, Black and Brown, and special needs students. Under the current board leadership this has stagnated and, in some cases, gotten worse. 2. Improving the efficiency of how tax dollars are spent and focus more spending directly into the classroom. 3. Hiring a superintendent who can address 1 and 2 while making PPS a school district where all students receive an excellent education.

Please name the top three qualities the next superintendent of schools should possess to lead the district. How would you evaluate the relationship between the board and the retired superintendent? From a governance perspective, how do you think you want to improve the board-superintendent relationship? Qualities: 1) Proven leadership success in a diverse community. 2) Demonstrated ability to build trust and work with all students, staff, families, and community. 3) Track record on improving educational outcomes for ALL students while working within the financial means of the school 4) Understanding of school financing and the impact tax increases have on the community. Board and retired superintendent relationship: I am not in a position to evaluate past relationships. I do know that the current board leadership and the retired superintendent allowed achievement to stagnate for low income, Black and Brown, and special needs students while spending excessive dollars on consultants and non-classroom related expenses and reducing teachers. They are also viewed by many in the community as not being responsive, transparent, or trustworthy. Board and new superintendent relationship: Excellent governance begins with trust among each other. Specific governance changes I would make include lifting the current board leadership’s refusal to respond during public comment on questions posed by parents/guardians, staff and community during board meetings.

Do you support continuing the sending/receiving agreement with Cranbury? Why or why not? What are the criteria under which you would reevaluate the viability of that agreement? If the agreement proves to be economically unfair for the Princeton residents, would you let the potential legal procedure deter you from taking actions to terminate the send-receive relationship? Elaborate. The current board leadership approved extending the send/receive relationship with Cranbury for 10 years. I would have suggested approving for a shorter time, like 5 years to give the district more flexibility as we evaluate Princeton’s needs, taxes, and capacity. While Cranbury provides a revenue stream, the revenue is less than the total cost per student. Cranbury realized a reduction in taxes in previous years, while in Princeton, we continued to see an increase in taxes every year. I am open to re-evaluating the agreement as part of any discussion on addressing capacity and financial issues – all things should be on the table. Before re-evaluating the relationship, I would ask Cranbury for additional financial support as they are not restricted from paying more through other avenues, such as its’ education foundation.

The charter school is sometimes pointed to as a significant financial burden for the school district. Do you agree with that statement? If yes, how do you think PPS can hypothetically accommodate the 400+ Princeton Charter School students without increasing the tax burden of Princeton taxpayers to fund the additional facilities and staff required to educate them? I do not see the Charter School as a financial burden, particularly considering the current capacity constraints of PPS. The overwhelming majority of students at the Princeton Charter will attend PHS. These are our kids too. The Princeton Charter School is not going anywhere, and we are all part of one Princeton. We should work to improve the relationship between Charter and PPS and share best practices.

Please provide your opinion on whether the school district is making strides or not when it comes to equity in education. The achievement scores say a great deal – the achievement of low income, Black and Brown, and special needs students have stagnated or regressed under the current board leadership. Approximately 50% of Black students and 44% of Hispanic students are classified for special education. These are alarmingly high percentages that have been rising over the past three years. The first step to promote equity in education is to examine why these classification rates are so high and work to address this issue. The Princeton Public Schools district prides itself on diversity and equity yet has failed to include ALL students in academic achievement. This needs to change.

How will you improve diversity in the school district administration and faculty? 1. All hiring should include a diverse slate of candidates and we must work to fill positions with the best talent including diverse talent. PPS also needs to ensure staff of color feel like they belong and are part of PPS. 2. Educatio. We need to accelerate the roll out of equity training and should include the board, staff, and all those interfacing with students. In addition to the staff, we also need to make sure the curricula include a complete view of history. While teaching things like slavery is important, understanding the continued repression of people of color, women, LGBTQ, and religion is critical to improving educational outcomes and understanding diversity. As shared in a recent Student Achievement Group meeting, under the leadership of the interim superintendent the group has worked to roll out several efforts including the new racial literacy class online. This is a great start and needs continue leadership support.

Do you think the approx. $530,000 spent on the concession stand and restrooms at the high school stadium was a good investment or not? Why or why not? No, it was not a good investment, especially because the money was spent in the midst of a pandemic, and the district may face a reduction in state aid in the coming years. Many residents with architecture and construction experiences believe this could have been done for a fraction of the cost. This is an example of the excessive spending and misguided priorities of the current board leadership.

Should the school district still try to buy Westminster Choir College? Why or why not? The entire property and buildings – No. The taxpayers of Princeton would be dramatically impacted by the cost of such a purchase and cost of developing the property. The current board leadership paid a consultant $143k to answer this same question. What I would consider: if other PPS assets, such as the Valley Road building, were sold to fund the project, I would be open to a proposal to buy sections of the property assuming this made sense from a long-term needs and financial perspective.

Do you believe the school district should buy more property or just use its existing properties/sites if the district needs to expand its buildings to serve more students? What would you use new sites for or how would you use existing land/buildings? Please explain your thinking in detail. I would support use of existing properties. PPS currently has several locations that could be expanded to address capacity needs. This would take full advantage of existing staff and services provided at those locations. I would not be in favor of a new location unless there was a business case that would demonstrate this to be the best option from a tax burden perspective in the longterm. It is critical that both capital and operating expenses are considered when making all financial decisions.

Do you agree with the school board’s decision to purchase Apple computers and tablets or should the board have considered other alternatives? Why or why not? I do not believe it was the most financially efficient way to address equitable educational outcomes. I believe in most cases those outcomes could have been addressed with lower-cost devices that would also have been a lower cost to maintain. Additionally, I believe students should have been given the option to opt-out of receiving a device if they already had access to a device that would achieve the same educational outcomes. Having worked in IT, there are a number of technology opportunities that should be explored, including cloud-based systems, to reduce the total cost of ownership while taking advantage of the quickly evolving learning options for both in-classroom and remote learning. We should also leverage public/private support to explore and fund. PPS should strive to be a leader in technology-based education.

Do you think the school board should keep or abolish the communications policy that was adopted in November? Why or why not? What are your thoughts on the policy? Abolish the policy. The current board leadership’s decision on communication stifles input from parents, teachers, and the community. Importantly, placing restrictions on communication is undemocratic. It also limits board participation and knowledge sharing. I would vote to reverse the decision. The board should want to listen and respond. Along with Paul Johnson and Bill Hare, I would recommend adding additional forums to create dialogue and trust.

Some Princeton parents have had the experience that the school district resists giving students credit for material they have already mastered. Students have been forced to repeat subjects that they can already show proficiency in. When permitted by state law, do you believe that PPS should give students credit for existing knowledge and place them in the appropriate classes? Explain your answer. One of the district’s core goals is “Every child known”. We must meet all kids where they are, and this includes adding new courses as needed to achieve this goal. This must of course be balanced with considerations about the impacts to mental health and wellness on students.

What will you do to prevent increases in Princeton property taxes? What are the alternatives you propose? About 48% of our tax dollars go towards the schools. If we want a diverse community then we MUST be affordable. Our goal should be to hold the line on taxes not to grow taxes. While improving the educational outcomes of all students, along with Paul Johnson and Bill Hare I would do the following: 1. Keep spending within the 2% cap imposed by the state. 2. Reduce use of consultants particularly when we have the competency in our staff and community. 3. Leverage the reduction in our costs associated with bonds retiring in 2022 and 2023 4. Implement efficiency measures (i.e. I would look to move some of our IT resources to the cloud and consider shared services) 5. Explore public and private partnerships. This will allow us to ensure we can meet the educational needs of all our students, critical capacity and facility needs, while working to hold the line on our taxes.

Do you believe that teachers who are at a higher risk of COVID who have asked to work remotely should be allowed to do so or should have to choose between working in the school buildings or taking a year of unpaid leave? Please explain your answer. Safety of students and staff should be the board’s top priority. PPS is working to put in place the necessary safety measures to enable a safe return. Studies show that remote learning is not the same as in-person learning, and students of color, low socioeconomic status, and special needs are regressing as a result of all remote learning. We owe it to the students to at least attempt to run a hybrid model of in-person and remote learning. That said, just as there are some parents opting to keep students home, some teachers and staff will not feel comfortable returning. PPS should work to greatest extent possible to utilize teachers who have health concerns to support those students who are in remote classes. Creative leadership and flexibility are needed to meet both student and staff safety concerns.

How would you propose to expand PPS pre-k education now that the governor has signed legislation to provide school districts with more pre-k funding? The state should be applauded for its commitment to pre-k. NJ spends more per student than any state and has been recognized for its leadership in providing pre-k education. The district should fully take advantage of funding. We want to give every child the opportunities provided by pre-k, particularly for those children whose families could not provide without the state and district support. This is good for our children and parents. PPS currently partners with the YWCA. It is critical for PPS to continue to fight for all available funding via the Preschool Expansion Aid (PEA) process and it needs to look to expand the number of seats available if financially feasible.

The recent administration presented a budget that cut support and teachers for struggling students, and the board approved it. Do you think this was the right decision given budget constraints or what would you do differently? No. Reducing teachers and support for students should never be how we balance our budget. We are in the business of teaching every student, how can we meet our mission when we cut staff? This is an example of why new and creative leadership is required for the Board of Education.

How do you plan to advance the special education/general education inclusion goals in the face of the blend of in-person/virtual programming? The pandemic poses unique challenges for special education students. The law requires that special education students be educated in the least restrictive environment, and that they be educated with their general education peers as much as practical. The schedule for both the hybrid and remote options in many cases, limits the amount of time that special education students have in their general education classes, limiting their interaction with general education students. As the school year progresses, the administration will have to fine-tune how special education classes and services will be delivered to allow for special education students to interact with their non-disabled peers. This is especially important at the elementary level where socialization with peers is extremely important developmentally.

How has the current school board fallen short and how will you improve? How do you plan to restore trust and credibility of the board or do you think it is already trusted and credible? Paul, Bill, and I are running on a platform of diversity, affordability, and trust. The feedback we have consistently received as we have met with members of the community is the trust in the Princeton Board of Education has eroded and is very low. The community does not feel the current board leadership listens to every member of the board or to the community. The community does not see the current board leadership as responsive or transparent. As only approximately 30% of Princeton households have students in PPS, if the board wants to achieve its goals it must have the support and respect of the entire community. Paul, Bill, and I will be transparent around board decisions and have open communications with students, staff, and the community to ensure all voices are heard. Paul, Bill, and I want to raise the educational experience in the Princeton Public Schools for everyone. We want to be a model for schools across the nation for community building around common goals fostering diversity, fiscally sound decisions, and transparency. Princeton Public Schools should lead, not follow. We want your vote. We are committed to leading creatively and transparently, and we pledge to work for all families in our community.

The candidate questions were submitted by readers. We received questions from more than 100 residents. Many questions were similar and we chose a variation of the question or combined them. We eliminated questions that were obscure or unrelated to the schools, and questions that were actually statements and were not really questions. We did not edit answers unless they exceeded the word limit or included links. All candidates were given the questions at the same time and were given the same deadline for completing them.

4 Comments

  1. What “cloud based options” are there for hardware? If you are referring to Chromebooks that have just enough local storage and power to run the OS, but offer poor compute capabilities, the district made the right decision to supply the upper grades with a more robust laptop. Where I take issue is that there are other choices that are far me affordable (most running Windows, not iOS). Also, there was no need to purchase a device for every student because many have sufficient equipment at home.

  2. Exactly. Also, the district is using a Microsoft program, so why not go with the most compatible products? As one person pointed out during the very brief discussion on this issue, the district could have purchases Lenovo computers for a fraction of the price! Now we were told today that students at the high school won’t receive their Apple laptops for several weeks! I also heard they are installing spyware called Bark on all the computers!

  3. Also some of us disagree with the students having to provide their biodata to use their computers… Having to give their fingerprint and biodata.. Our schools should be teaching our kids not to give out their biodata

  4. @PrincetonRez Even worse, there are teachers who are not accepting work that will be submitted using these computer. You still need to have access to a printer and camera to submit your work! Equity demands allowing all students to submit work regardless of their situation.

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