Meet the Princeton Board of Education candidates: Mara Franceschi

Age: 53
Occupation: Stay-at-home mom
Your campaign slogan if you have one: Experience. Integrity. Honesty.
Being a school board member is a complex, time-consuming, and, at times, very difficult job. It takes a number of years – even for someone like me who was very involved with the schools and community for a decade previous – to become a fully contributing member. As the only incumbent running, I have critical institutional knowledge and experience to help guide us through the significant challenges on the horizon. Furthermore, as a BOE member, I am working for the good of the entire district, not any one interest group, and sometimes have non-public information that is impermissible to share according to the code of ethics for board members or because it is privileged information from counsel. It is important to have board members who understand these responsibilities and have the integrity to work for the good of ALL our children. And finally, I am always honest – even when that honesty is not easy – with my fellow board members, the district, and the public
Campaign website or social media link: Mara 4 School Board Facebook page
Please tell us about your personal background, including education and work experience:
I am the proud product of a public-school education and a proud mother of three children, all of whom attended Princeton Public Schools – two are in the high school now and one is a freshman in college. I consider very few things more important than a high-quality public education for ALL our children.
I graduated from a public high school in rural North Carolina, double majored in Econ and German at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, received my MBA from Columbia University’s School of Business, am a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charter holder, and have over a decade’s experience working in the financial services and asset management industries for firms such as GE Capital and Bank of America.
I served on the town’s Citizens Finance Advisory Committee (CFAC), as Assistant Treasurer for the Friends of the Library, and as Treasurer for Nassau Nursery School, among other non-profits in town.
Since joining the Board, I have served on the Operations, Long Term Planning, and Policy committees, while co-chairing the Personnel committee.
How many years have you lived in Princeton:
I have lived in Princeton for 14 years, since August 2010.
What is your connection to the Princeton Public Schools? If you have children, what schools did they attend in the 2023-24 academic year?
I have been very involved in the Princeton Public Schools since I moved here 14 years ago. I served on the PTO at JP for 7 years as Treasurer, then President; the PTOC for another three; am currently serving my first three-year term on the BOE; and have otherwise volunteered in many other capacities, such as serving as a class parent, assisting in organizing Super Saturday, contributing to teacher appreciation events, etc.
My three children all attended Johnson Park Elementary School and Princeton Middle School under all its names! For the 2023-2024 academic year, my daughter was in her last year at PMS, my second son was a junior at PHS, and my oldest son was finishing high school in New Hampshire. I now have a senior and freshman at PHS and my eldest is starting his freshman year at Georgetown University.
Please tell us about your public service background:
I believe in giving back to the community I live in and have been consistently actively volunteering in Princeton for the past 14 years. In addition to the many positions I’ve held with the Princeton Public Schools (JP PTO, PTOC, BOE), I served on the town’s Citizens Finance Advisory Committee (CFAC), as Assistant Treasurer for the Friends of the Library, as Treasurer for Nassau Nursery School, and have volunteered with the Arts Council and other non-profits in town.
Why are you running for a seat on the Princeton Board of Education?
I consider very few things more important than a high-quality public education for ALL our children. I expect our district to have high expectations for each of our children as we seek to enable them to fulfill their potential and become engaged citizens in a global society. In my first term on the Board, we navigated difficult waters to successfully situate the district into one of the most favorable positions it has been in in years. Our district is experiencing an exciting time with many new faces and excellent new initiatives, and I hope to continue to be a part of serving and supporting it. I am running for a second term because I believe experience matters to ensure the continued success of our district, especially with upcoming challenges.
Chief among those challenges is balancing our aging facilities against a backdrop of the rapidly increasing growth in town, leading to increased student enrollment. Early next year we will hold a special election where the town will vote on a critical referendum to address the district’s capacity constraints. Whether or not the referendum passes, the district will face redistricting. One scenario would be more immediate, while the passing of the referendum would allow for a more gradual redistricting, but both will require significant thoughtful consideration. My broad experience makes me the best candidate to help lead us through this process.
My financial background is critical in facing the ever-present and significant challenge of managing the structural gap inherent in our budget due to the 2% cap. My experience allows me to balance critical, necessary investments in our schools while keeping tax increases to a minimum, which is always at the forefront of my decision-making.
And finally, we will hopefully be concluding the search for our new permanent Superintendent. As a first-time participant, I bring fresh eyes to the process, while simultaneously benefitting from my years of Board experience which will allow me to better evaluate the skills required of an excellent Superintendent who will become an integral part of our district and schools.
It has been an honor to serve the district and I hope to continue to serve our community and district.
What do you view as top three biggest issues or policy priorities for the school district?
The biggest issues facing our district are 1) the building capacity constraints and inequitable distribution of these pressures resulting from the increased growth in town, 2) the structural gap our budget faces, and 3) concluding the search for our new Superintendent.
How do you anticipate coping with any cuts in state aid to the school district and what are your spending priorities when it comes to the school budget?
Our business administrator Matt Bouldin does an excellent job safeguarding our budget and, fortunately, our state aid has increased slightly. We have balanced our budget and maintained a Aaa bond rating despite a challenging fiscal environment. There has been a renewed focus on properly maintaining our facilities after decades of deferred maintenance and on meaningful long-term planning, encompassing financial, facilities, and strategic planning. The structural gap inherent in our budget requires us to brainstorm new revenue streams and imposes a fiscal discipline that necessitates continuously seeking reductions in expenses to stay within the 2% cap at a time of inflationary pressures well beyond 2%. We are fortunate to have strong community partners such as Princeton University that support us with new income streams. My spending priority is to always focus on what will be most directly impactful to the children’s educational experience.
As the school district grows, what are your ideas on how to control costs and property taxes?
As a member of both the Operations and Personnel committees, I spend significant amounts of my time trying to think of ways to control costs and property taxes. We continue to seek PILOT monies from the town, analyze how to creatively combine job descriptions to meet district needs and utilize the talents of our staff, and we constantly examine where our dollars will have the most impact. Controlling costs and limiting increases in property taxes are always at the forefront of my thoughts.
What is your position on payments in lieu of taxes agreements made to housing developers and what should the school board do about these agreements?
I am generally in favor of PILOTs as an effective solution to building more housing. However, PILOTs are a town revenue stream that is not currently shared with the school system. Furthermore, the growth in our town represents an increased expense for the school system as more children move to town. As budgets reflect the values and priorities we hold as a community, I would be in favor of the town including the schools as beneficiaries of PILOTs to reflect their stated support of public education.
Should the school district purchase Westminster Choir College? Why or why not?
Right now, the January 2025 referendum is the most cost-effective way to meet the urgent needs of the district. In the future, the acquisition of Westminster Choir College for the benefit of the district could be an ideal way to accommodate the continued growth planned for Princeton by Council. It would allow future Boards to make cost-saving growth decisions due to Westminster’s ideal location in the middle of town adjacent to both the middle and high schools. The long-term opportunities are extremely exciting!
Unfortunately, the planning process alone for the appropriate approvals, community input for best use, etc. would take years and then the construction or renovation of the property additional years, such that Westminster Choir College couldn’t be considered as a panacea for our current/near term capacity issues but offers an exciting solution for future longer-term capacity issues. This is a question future school boards, in partnership with the town, will need to answer to find solutions that would best benefit the greater community.
What is your opinion on the curriculum taught in the Princeton schools and what would you change?
The addition of Dr. Tew to our administration in the last few years has been very impactful. I am pleased with the evolutions we’ve made in our curriculum. Dr. Tew has overseen the addition of the Orton-Gillingham structured approach to literacy. We first introduced it at the kindergarten level and are slowly expanding it. By intervening early, we hope to remedy many literacy skill deficits before third grade. We’ve also recently concluded the restructuring of our math program which standardized among the schools how we place children. At the middle school, in particular, the math progression is now more cohesive and robust. Additionally, we have rising test scores to reflect all the hard work going on in the district. While there is always room for improvement, I believe our curriculum is overall very strong and I am constantly amazed and impressed by our fantastic teachers and staff. We continue to review the curriculum regularly and make necessary adjustments.
Is there anything else you want voters to know about yourself, your campaign, or the issues you care most about?
It has been an honor to serve the district, and I respectfully ask for the opportunity to serve the community for another term as a member of the Board of Education as we continue to work to strengthen our public school system.
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