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Three Collingswood residents are running for three available three-year terms on the Collingswood Public School District Board of Education: Dorian Adams, Jim DeSimone, and Jodie Farrow.
All three candidates have been invited to reply to the same set of prompts, telling voters about themselves, their priorities, and their views of the current state of affairs in their community. Answers have been edited for clarity and length.
Dorian Adams, 43 (Challenger)
Pre-k paraprofessional Dorian Adams is a 16-year Collingswood resident and parent to a Collingswood High School Student.
Adams has worked in higher education and elementary education, and currently supports pre-K students with disabilities.
They hold a master’s degree in Science, Technology, and Society, with a focus on the sociology of medicine.
Dorian has a passion for crafts, folk music, social justice and democracy.
They and their wife are active members at Kenkojuku Karate, where both earned black belts this year.
What is your philosophy of education?
I believe that education is one of the key foundations to a functional society, and can be the heart of a thriving community. It is the place to shape the world we want to live in.
What personal and professional experiences would you bring to the table as a school board member?
I have experience in education in a myriad of roles, from working as administrative staff to providing direct, one-to-one student support.
These roles have included support for elementary students with disabilities, classroom instruction, departmental management, policy advising, building and administering internal cultural competency trainings, and admissions data management.
I can bring a diverse perspective to the board; one that touches a large range of educational institutions.
I also have the experience of being an LGBTQIA+ person with disabilities who was once an LGBTQIA+ student with disabilities. One of the most important things I learned from that experience is the value of acceptance, representation, and responsive institutional support to student well-being and achievement.
There is no one-size-fits-all in education.
Why are you running for office?
I decided to run for school board because as a parent and educator, I know the immense effect that a governing body can have on school success and student achievement.
In a time with a lot of uncertainty and worry about the future of our schools and students, it is easy to complain, but much more fulfilling to take action.
What are the biggest challenges your school district faces?
Our first is balancing our budget with an eye towards student-facing services. Financial problems for a district are not just a question of revenue, but a question of allocation. We need both more funding, and a shift in allocation.
Our second is the cost to the taxpayer. Tax increases are inevitable, but also come with diminishing returns if we over-extend on what the community can handle. Foreclosed houses generate no tax revenue.
Our third is the community’s severe loss of trust and sense of investment in the district. We are seeing falling enrollments and major staff turnover, which leads to lowered student achievement and loss of state funding.
What are three key issues on which you will focus if elected?
Ensuring that student needs are the fiscal priority of the district. If cuts must be made, the pain cannot be borne almost entirely by people and programs that directly interface with students and help build the bonds that lead to student success.
Identifying and removing barriers to accessing an equitable education, as well as supporting and strengthening existing district efforts in this area. This includes many things from facilities improvements to a functional staff directory on a website and more.
Improving student retention and community relations. Every student lost is lost friendships, lost mentorships, lost morale, and lost funding. We can only stem the bleeding by building better relationships, and being more overtly responsive to students and their families.
James “Jim” DeSimone, 47 (Challenger)
Jim DeSimone has worked in public education for 20 years, 10 of which he’s spent in administration. Currently, he works as a public school district Director of Early Childhood Education.
A 22-year borough resident, DeSimone’s love of Collingswood extends to its downtown business district, farmers market, and walks along Cooper River with his chihuahuas.
What is your philosophy of education?
I believe public education is the foundation of our democratic republic.
It is where our community comes together to ensure that our schools are helping to ensure that the next generations of children grow to become engaged, participating members of our society.
Our schools must therefore support the entire development of the child, and embrace children’s families as well as the surrounding community.
Schools must be nurturing and provide engaging real-world experiences that incorporate the teaching of reading, writing and math skills.
Children should be seen, heard, and feel that they belong in our schools; that is, all children, especially children of differing abilities, races, ethnicities, cultures, sexual orientations and gender identities.
What personal and professional experiences would you bring to the table as a school board member?
This is my 20th year working in public education, my 10th as an administrator.
I’ve worked at the classroom level, the state level, and the central administrative level in New Jersey’s public education system. I’ve worked in urban and suburban settings.
I’ve also been a member of the Collingswood community for nearly 22 years. My professional experience has provided me with great insights into the challenges of operating public schools from the classroom to the central office.
I have had oversight of large programmatic budgets, and understand the fiscal challenges that must be balanced with ensuring children receive an excellent education.
As someone who has lived in this town and sees our schools as the foundation of our community, I believe my professional experience will allow me to bring unique and solution-focused insights to the Collingswood Board of Education.
Why are you running for office?
The challenges being faced by our school district are not for the faint of heart to undertake. I was fortunate to have two friends who were willing to undertake this with me, and I believe that Jodie, Dorian, and I can make a positive difference in our schools as we work to bring people together across unnecessary divisions and find real solutions to the challenges ahead of us.
What are the biggest challenges your school district faces?
We all know that funding is the largest issue that our district faces right now. There is a bond referendum out to try to resolve these issues. A lot of people distrust the district and a lot of people are struggling with increasing costs.
We are in a really tough spot in Collingswood. Our schools need more money, our residents need to know that the money will be used wisely, and some of our neighbors quite literally cannot afford to remain our neighbors if the referendum passes.
Regardless of the outcome of the referendum, I will work together with the other members of the Board of Education to do the best with what we have, putting what is best for the children of our community first and foremost.
What are three key issues on which you will focus if elected?
- Building trust between the community and the school district.
- Ensuring fiscal responsibility, accountability and clear communication.
- Ensuring the climate and culture of the schools, particularly at the high school, is supportive of all students and all staff, especially students with disabilities and individuals of racial and ethnic minorities.
Jodie Farrow, 48 (Challenger)
Attorney Jodie Farrow is a married mother of four sons and a longtime Collingswood resident.
Among her commitments to the community, Farrow serves as Vice Chair of the Collingswood Historic Preservation Board and is a member of the Collingswood Library Board of Trustees as well as the Collingswood Secondary PTA Board.
Beyond work, family, and volunteer obligation, she loves vintage furniture and operates a re-upholstery business called Savoir Chair.
What is your philosophy of education?
My philosophy of education is that children are most ready to learn, and staff are most ready to teach, in an environment where they both feel wanted, valued, and integral to the community as a whole.
While data is valuable, it should be considered through a human lens.
What personal and professional experiences would you bring to the table as a school board member?
Personally, I am a parent of four children who has had experiences in both public and private schools.
I have volunteered extensively in organizing and fundraising for the Collingswood School District, and have experience and relationships at every level of our district.
Professionally, I have training and experience in mediation, and past work history representing parents in litigation with the Division of Youth and Family Services/Division of Child Protection and Child Permanency (DYFS/DCP&P)
Why are you running for office?
I am running for the Collingswood Board of Education because I feel that our community is at a crossroads.
We can either keep going with our schools being detached from the community at large or we can decide to invest in our schools, students, and staff, and create a dynamic place where people want to be that is fully connected to the Collingswood, Oaklyn, and Woodlynne communities.
What are the biggest challenges your school district faces?
Everyone knows the biggest challenge facing all schools today is the lack of adequate funding.
I acknowledge this issue, and understand that ancillary issues in our district (teacher retention, declining student enrollment, low morale and involvement, etc.) certainly root back to the fact that there is never enough money.
However, it seems that we hide behind the issue of money and avoid small changes we can make that might contribute to better function and overall morale.
These could include, for example, a user-friendly website with staff directory; a clear plan for pay-to-play extracurricular activities; and increased coordination with community groups, such as the PTAs.
What are three key issues on which you will focus if elected?
- Spending in line with our district size, needs, and available resources
- Increasing trust between the district and the community to gain community buy-in for district initiatives
- Maintaining/increasing student enrollment, particularly at the secondary level
