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Four Oaklyn residents are running for three available three-year terms on the Oaklyn Public School District Board of Education. Incumbent Colleen Fapuel and challenger William T. “Bill” Stauts appear on the ballot, while Danielle Lange and Sarah Palais are running as write-in candidates.
All four 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.
Danielle Lange, 40 (Write-In)
Interior designer Danielle Lange is a married mother of two Oaklyn Public School students.
Lange is a former art educator and past Teacher of the Year in the Berlin Township and Collingswood Public School Districts.
In addition to spending time with her family, she enjoys art, design, gardening, astrology, music, and cooking.
What personal and professional experiences would you bring to the table as a school board member?
Before becoming an interior designer and business owner, I spent 14 years as an educator—three teaching K–8 Art in Berlin Township and eleven teaching Fine Arts at Collingswood High School.
I was honored to be named Teacher of the Year in both districts and served as a coach, mentor, program advocate, and organizer of community events.
With my teaching experience, Carl’s 25 years supporting student-athletes, and our perspective as parents of children in public schools, education has always been central to our family.
I understand first-hand the dedication required of educators and the challenges of balancing the needs of students, staff, families, administrators, and taxpayers.
Why are you running for office?
I hope to strengthen the connection between the Board, educators, families, and our community. That means asking thoughtful questions, listening to different perspectives, navigating challenges at the local and state levels, and making sure our community feels informed and heard.
We don’t always have to agree, but we must be willing to work together toward solutions that serve our students.
Above all, I believe every decision should begin and end with what’s best for our kids.
What are three key issues on which you will focus if elected?
If elected to the Oaklyn Board of Education, my focus will be on three priorities: supporting and retaining quality educators, promoting transparency and open communication, and ensuring responsible use of district resources while keeping students first.
Sarah Palais, 46 (Write-In)
Sarah Palais is a 25-year Oaklyn resident, a married mother of three, and a former Camden County public school teacher of 18 years.
In that role, Palais taught middle-school special education with a focus on English language arts.
Currently, she works as a contracted service provider, delivering academic support and special education services within a private school setting.
Palais is the current Little League board secretary and a member of the borough Civic Association.
She enjoys reading, gardening, and the outdoors, and has developed a passion for interior design while restoring her historic home in the borough.
What is your philosophy of education?
My philosophy of education starts with curiosity. I want students to love learning, feel comfortable making mistakes, and develop the grit to keep trying.
Success includes understanding something today that they didn’t yesterday, asking a thoughtful question, or finding the confidence to try again.
Teachers need the time, resources, and professional support to make that kind of learning possible. They also need administrators who listen and work with them to meet students’ different needs.
Students, teachers, families, and school leaders all need to feel respected, valued, and heard. Families are an essential part of this partnership. When learning matters at home, that mindset carries into school.
I believe a strong education system supports everyone involved while helping students grow into curious, capable adults who continue learning long after graduation.
What personal and professional experiences would you bring to the table as a school board member?
I bring 18 years as an educator, first-hand experience as a parent advocating for my children, and a commitment to community service.
My classroom experience has taught me the importance of adequate staffing, manageable class sizes, strong curriculum, and specialized support. My current contracted work within private schools has shown me how funding and service arrangements affect available student support.
As a teacher liaison, I communicated concerns between staff and administration, and worked with both to find solutions. That required listening, setting priorities, and working through competing needs.
As a parent of three children with different learning needs, I’ve navigated IEP and 504 plans, and advocated for services my children needed. I understand the persistence that can take and the importance of families being heard.
Serving on the Little League board and in the Civic Association means finding common ground, compromising, and honoring commitments. I would bring those same habits to the board, along with the confidence to ask questions and work through difficult decisions.
Why are you running for office?
I’m running because I care deeply about education and believe my experience can help during a difficult time for our school district.
Our teachers are working without a contract, and the district faces serious budget challenges.
I’ve made education my career, and I love learning and understanding how children learn. I believe teachers deserve to feel valued and supported, both financially and professionally.
We cannot afford to make missteps in our educational roadmap. We have a fiscal, cultural, and societal responsibility to bring value to our schools. I want to help find that balance.
Compromise will be necessary, but we care about our children and our community. Together, we can move forward.
What are the biggest challenges your school district faces?
Our biggest challenge is supporting students and staff in a financially sustainable way that residents can afford. We need to exhaust all paths forward as the board weighs referendum options.
Residents deserve clear answers about what each option would accomplish, how long it would sustain the district, and what happens if it fails. Rising home values do not mean households, especially those on fixed or single incomes, have more money for taxes.
The unresolved teacher contract adds urgency. Teachers deserve fair compensation and support. Growing tension among staff, the board, and residents concerns me, especially as students lose activities that connect families and school staff.
Clear communication is essential. Residents need understandable explanations of our agreements with Collingswood, what Oaklyn can control, and what changes would involve.
They also need to understand how insurance, utilities, and necessary special education services affect the budget. Reliable information helps people weigh the impact on classrooms and household finances.
What are three key issues on which you will focus if elected?
- Staff support and retention. I hope the teacher contract is settled before taking office in January. If not, working toward a fair agreement would be my first priority. Our amazing staff deserve to feel valued and have the resources to meet students’ needs.
- Long-term financial stability. We need lasting solutions that consider what residents can afford. If a referendum proposal hasn’t been selected, reviewing those options would be an immediate focus. I would examine how long each would sustain the district and whether we could face another funding request in just a few years.
- Shared service agreements and communication. I would review our agreements with Collingswood for opportunities to improve or revise them. Residents deserve clear explanations of how these arrangements work, what Oaklyn can control, and what changes would require. More accessible information and opportunities for questions would help address misinformation and build community trust.
William T. “Bill” Stauts (Challenger)
Retired insurance broker William “Bill” Stauts is a widower and father of three adult children and six grandchildren.
Stauts is a 30-year volunteer coach, manager, and umpire for Oaklyn Little League and a co-founder of Collingswood Oaklyn Soccer Club (COSC), for which he coached and refereed for many years.
Stauts is a former Oaklyn Board of Education member with 50 years of volunteer service to the board, as well as being a past president of the governing body.
What is your philosophy of education?
My philosophy of education is that students must secure a firm understanding of the basic concepts of a subject before the need to master electronics.
Their studies should include extracurricular activities and sports, or at least physical activities, in addition to a strong emphasis on academics.
What personal and professional experiences would you bring to the table as a school board member?
I represented Oaklyn on the Camden County Educational Services Commission, including two years as president and two as vice-president.
I served on the board of directors of the New Jersey School Boards Association Insurance Trust for 10 years, including five as chairman.
I was president of the Oaklyn Board of Education for a number of years, and also represented Oaklyn on the Collingswood Board of Education.
Why are you running for office?
I am running again after being off the Board for a year. I am concerned about the direction of the Oaklyn School as evidenced by several issues that have occurred this year.
The teachers are still without a contract after nine months, with several Board missteps, and recent discussions about a referendum to permanently increase taxes between $500,000 and $1,000,000.
What are the biggest challenges your school district faces?
I believe there needs to be more scrutiny of the budget, and before cutting teachers, we should reduce the bloated administrative staff. More taxes are not always the answer.
I want to maintain the excellent relationship we have with our teachers as opposed to the strained relationship the Collingswood teachers have with their Board of Education.
What are three key issues on which you will focus if elected?
If elected, I will seek input from our professional staff as to what must be done to improve our dismal test scores, and to implement whatever is necessary.
I will work with surrounding districts to see what can be done to have the State of New Jersey improve their funding formula, and to live up to the formula established. State aid, or the lack thereof, remain a significant problem, even though Oaklyn received slightly increased aid last year.
Maintaining good relations with our staff will continue to be an objective for me.
