A former district educator and two past Board presidents are asking voters to choose them during Tuesday’s Board of Education Elections.
Angela Ahbez-Anderson is a 21-year resident who worked as a journalist and news anchor. She founded several nonprofit programs dedicated to the empowerment of women and girls, including the Rebuild Me life skills program that helped women work toward self-sufficiency. She served on the Board of Education from 2011 to 2014. She served as board president in 2013.
“I voted to appoint Dr. [Lamont] Repollet as superintendent,” she said. “I would like to see his plans, his goals, brought to this district without interference.”
Ahbez-Anderson said her biggest concern is with the curriculum and programs for the students and ensuring those already put in place by Repollet remain on their current trajectory. She hopes to incorporate more self-esteem and confidence building programs at the middle and high school level. She was a proponent transforming the high school into an academy-based program.
“I want to continue to serve the community, to help in any way that I can, so that our children are no longer hopeless but that they have hope,” she said. “I want to change the negative mindsets that they have, that they can’t achieve, and change it to where they can.”
Peter Cheney taught in the Asbury Park School district for 34 years. He created Hope Academy Charter School in 2001, retiring after 10 years. He works with New Jersey Youth Corps, organizing community service for students who have dropped out of high school.
“I’ve been committed to students, the families of Asbury Park for almost 50 years,” he said. “I saw the district when…the leadership was strong and the students and the teachers all worked together toward one goal. I know that Asbury Park is capable of that again.”
Cheney said he would work toward unifying the board.
“My biggest concern is the fact that the board has been involved in problems that stem from personality conflicts within the group thus leading to legal fees that are being paid out to lawyers to represent the board and its board members,” he said. “I would try to bring some cohesiveness to the board so we can use that time to work toward bettering the district programs and supporting the Superintendent. 
Barbara Lesinski, a 31-year resident is a current school board member and past president. She worked for over 17 years as a police dispatcher before teaching science for two years. She helped establish the neighborhood watch program and National Night Out.
As one of the initial two voters in support of Repollet’s appointment, she said she wants to ensure his efforts are able to continue without interference.
“Student expectations are low,” she said. “Right now we are turning the district around. There is lots of enthusiasm, data is being used to guide the administration in what has to be done, and there has been a lot professional development.”
For more on the candidates, visit APTV’s Candidate’s Forum.
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