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Talesha Crank has thrown her hat in the ring for a spot on the nine-member Asbury Park Board of Education [BOE].

For the first time, BOE elections will be held alongside general elections on Nov. 6 this year. Previously, they were held in the spring.

Crank moved to Asbury Park from Neptune just over three years ago. Previously, she lived in Middlesex County.

Crank is the District Three Democratic representative in Asbury Park. She’s also an active volunteer in the city. She’s a member of the local chapter of the NAACP and the Asbury Elks lodge. She’s an assistant choir director for Martin Luther King Church and she has served on several other committees there. She’s also a member of Monmouth County Human Relations. In the spring, she volunteered at the West Side Community Center as part of the truancy prevention program.

She was an administrative assistant for the FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] during Hurricane Irene. She has applied to be considered a permanent employee for the organization.

Crank has two children in the school district who are of elementary and high school ages.

“There is a definite need for change here in Asbury Park,” she said.

Crank calls herself “a firm believer in public education” and would like to help increase the district’s graduation rate if she is elected to the board. She believes providing incentives like career-driven high school courses is the key to preventing drop-outs.

“I grew up in a town where we did have those types of things — home economics, wood shop,” she said. “We were being introduced to those types of things where you can have those skills. Not everyone is going to go to college but I can think of a few people who, because we were exposed to those things, now have careers — photographers, people with their own clothing lines. Had they not been introduced to sewing or photography, what would they be doing today?”

Crank was happy to learn of the district’s recent efforts to increase parent participation, which is something she feels strongly about.

She also thinks it’s important to communicate with the children.

“You have to be out amongst the community speaking with children and knowing what their needs are and including them in that type of process,” Crank said. “You can all make inferences about what our children need and have opinions but [it is important to] actually talk to the children and ask them, ‘What would you like to see? What programs and what classes would you like to do?’ They’re bright, intelligent, full of ideas and full of talent and would like people to support them and provide them with what they’re looking for.”

Crank recently attended an open house at the high school and was saddened by the “lack of parental involvement,” she said. She would like to see more incorporation of extra-curricular activities like student council, football and cheerleading at open houses.

“Those things motivate parents to come out and see their children,” she said.

She’d also like to scrutinize some of the high school’s disciplinary policies. For example, she believes suspension and expulsion may not be the best way to deal with students who are absent or tardy. Instead, she’d like to see in-school suspension or after-school detentions.

Crank would like to be part of the board so she can “bring about change that’s positive for our children,” she said.

“When you combine parents, students, administration and teachers involved together, working together to help our children, I think we have a much better success rate,” she said.

Crank is running on the same ticket as incumbent Rev. Geneva Smallwood and fellow newcomer Christian Hall.

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Six candidates are vying for three spots on the BOE with full three-year terms this year. Those candidates are incumbents Sheila Brazile, Rev. Geneva Smallwood and Barbara Lesinski, and newcomers Crank, Jessie Ricks Christian Hall.

A one-year unexpired term is also available. Incumbent Gerard Dalton and newcomer Qzeena Taylor are facing off for that spot on the board.

BOE elections take place along with general elections on Nov. 6.

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[Correction: An earlier edition of this post erroneously stated that Crank is still volunteering with the West Side Community Center. Her tenure there ended in the spring.]

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