Two Dunellen residents are looking to become members of the Dunellen School District’s Board of Education. Voters can write in the names of either Douglas Meyer or Gerard Trotta for the one-year term position which does not have any candidates on the official ballot.
Douglas Meyer“My name is Douglas Meyer. I am asking voters to write in my name for the uncontested one-year seat for Dunellen BOE. I have lived in Dunellen 24 years. I have put 3 children through the Dunellen school system and my fourth is now a senior. I have a very specific reason to run for the board, it is about quality education, of which I know a great deal, and about college readiness. I have taught music in public schools (at all levels) since the early 1980s. I have NJ certification as an elementary teacher, K-12 Music teacher, Supervisor and Principal. I have a Masters and ABD from Rutgers in Educational Psychology: Learning, Cognition and Development. 6 years ago I earned a second Masters degree, this time in Educational Leadership from The College of New Jersey. In Dunellen, I coached T-ball with my wife, Karen. I served on the DEF for 4 years. I coached rec basketball with Elena Buccino. I coached rec soccer and baseball. I have helped out with numerous High school musicals, dating back to the years of “The Wiz” and “Annie” back in the early 1990s. I have also spent the past 9 years involved in my local teachers union, as a rep, head rep, unit officer and vice-president. I have negotiated contracts and defended at Donaldson hearings. I certainly understand the powers that Boards have and the responsibilities that come with being a BOE member. I believe that the primary responsibility of a Board member is a fiduciary responsibility, best guided by three questions that should guide all decisions: 1) What is the cost of this decision; 2) How many students will this help; and 3) What is the evidence that this expense will help students succeed?” |
Gerard Trotta“My name is Gerard Trotta. I am 46 years old and a 14-year resident of Dunellen with three children in the Dunellen school system (2 daughters – 7th & 4th grades, and 1 son – 2nd grade). I am a Vice President at Citibank, where I work as a Senior Investigator in Cyber Security and have been working in the Information Security and eDiscovery space in Finance for over 15 years. I have always tried to be active in the community from coaching my children’s athletic teams to serving as the Vice President for the Dunellen Education Foundation for the past 5 years. I am running for the BOE because I love this town and the fact that we are able to maintain our own municipal schools k-12. The size and diversity of the town are what make it so unique and special, but also the characteristics that present some of our biggest challenges. I believe the current board members are doing a fine job of navigating these challenges as the community continues to grow and evolve and I’d like to thank those members who are vacating seats for their time served on the board. While I do not have a background in education, I think that affords me the opportunity to bring a fresh perspective to the board and I look forward to proudly serving this wonderful community and most |