Meet Diane Bordonaro: Montville School Board Candidate

Montville Patch has reached out to local candidates to find out more about them. Here is information from Diane Bordonaro.

• Bordonaro has lived in Towaco for 19 years
• Age: 49
• Provide family information: Married; two children in Montville schools.
• What is your education background? Cornell University – B. S. Electrical Engineering; Boston College - MBA 
• Why do you think you are qualified for this position? I am an innovative thinker and a skilled cross-functional team leader who makes fact-based decisions. With 20+ years of professional experience at Fortune 500 high tech companies (Intel, Texas Instruments, NEC), I would be the only member of the Board who comes from a corporate background. This experience will help the district appreciate how secondary education must adapt, so that our students can develop the foundational skills to meet the requirements of today’s workforce. For nearly 20 years I have interviewed high school seniors for admission to Cornell. This experience has given me an appreciation for what is working in our schools and what needs to improve in order to prepare our children for the future they seek. I have been a constant presence as a PTC volunteer in the schools for 10 years, have participated in school budget discussions for several years and advocated for policy changes such as elimination of Class Rank at MTHS and modification of the Lazar schedule. 
• Why are you running for this elected office? Delivering an outstanding education is the legacy of a community; it is what our children will take with them from Montville. I have been involved in education my entire adult life, as a mentor, a college admissions advocate, and a PTC volunteer. After participating in the Board of Education meetings from the periphery for many years, I am ready to step up to a larger role. My broad perspective and pragmatic approach to problem solving will help the Board to balance the needs and priorities of all involved in delivering an outstanding education to our children. It would be a privilege to serve our community in this manner. 
• What are the three issues that most concern you? Explain your proposed approach to managing these issues.

• Fiscal Pragmatism – Ensure we are effective stewards of our professional, financial and school resources for the optimal benefit of students. It’s not only about how much we spend, it’s about what we choose to spend it on that matters. This requires constant vigilance, asking the right questions, having a broad perspective about competing priorities while remaining focused on our number one priority: the children of Montville. 
• Embrace Comprehensive Integration of Technology in the Classroom - Facilitate learning in the venue that children find most engaging through the use of technology. iPADs in the classroom are quickly becoming the norm because they offer the opportunity for students and teachers to access a broad range of educational materials and methods of learning. This requires a comprehensive infusion of technology into the curriculum, a consistent district-wide policy on electronics in the classroom, and teacher training to make optimal use of the technology. 
• Implementation of a true STEM Curriculum (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) – The integration of courses in these disciplines into a cohesive curriculum will inspire talented students to find their calling in engineering and research sciences. In particular Montville’s current math and science curriculum progressions from middle school through high school should be modified to keep our students competitive for college admissions. 

• Cornell University Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network 
• Boy Scouts of America Troop 74 Committee Member 
• Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey Troop 492 Volunteer
• Lazar Career Day Speaker “Not All Engineers Drive Trains” 
• Cedar Hill Home & School (10 years) 
• MTHS and Lazar PTC 
• Cornell University Society of Women Engineers – mentor to undergraduate women majoring in engineering 
• Omega Chi Chapter of Kappa Delta – mentor to recent graduates 

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Editor's Note: Patch will be posting these candidate questionnaires in the order that they are received back. For candidates who have not heard from Patch, please contact Kim@patch.com.

For township council, there are four candidates running for two committee seats with 3-year terms.

• Richard D. Conklin (R)
• Scott Gallopo (R) (incumbent)
• Daniel Grant (D)
• Truscha Quatrone (D)

For the school board, there are four candidates running for three seats with 3-year terms.

• Diane M. Bordonaro
• John Morella (incumbent)
• Carmela Novi (incumbent)
• Michael F. O’Brien

For the unexpired 2-year term available on the board, David Modrak is running unchallenged.