QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATES: Dianna Fuller

PATCH:  Why are you seeking re-election in the Board of Education?

A desire to see academic excellence in the Bloomfield public school system led me to run for the Board of Education (Board) in 2009.  When I initially ran for the Board, I ran on a platform where I was seeking to raise the profile of Bloomfield schools in the area of academic achievement and fiscal responsibility.  As a member of the Board of Education, we hired a new and experienced superintendent who has implemented programs such as Renaissance Learning to improve student achievement.  We consolidated positions to save costs and implemented a district wide energy savings project as a cost savings measure.  I am excited by the direction our district has taken.  I am seeking re-election because I have the drive, determination and commitment to continue the momentum.   My main agenda continues to be improving the academic profile of the Bloomfield schools for all learners and fiscal responsibility.

PATCH:  What are your qualifications for the position?

The best qualification is that I’ve already served for three years so I know what our goals are and understand what we are trying to achieve in reaching those goals.  I work for a non-profit and know first-hand how to deal with dwindling financial resources. I am also a good listener.  I do not talk just to hear myself talk. Although I have a niece who is a junior at the high school, I do not have children in the schools but I’ve demonstrated my commitment to the kids in Bloomfield.  I not only attend board meetings and home and school meetings as board liaison member which is my job as a board member but I also attend various school functions such as sporting events, plays, musicals, award ceremonies and fundraisers both for my “home” school as well as the other schools in the district.  It is important for students to know that as a board member, I am interested in them and their achievements.

PATCH:  What do you see as the top three problems in the Board of Education?

The major problem facing our district is lack of funding.  We are severely underfunded by the State and we lost nearly 200 million dollars in ratables during the past two years.  This greatly impacts the financial resources we have to pay for the needs of our students.  The financial burden on the taxpayers is extremely difficult and burdensome especially in this economy.  The State of New Jersey has underfunded us for the past three years.  We need the State of New Jersey to provide us with the 16 million dollars owed to us and we need the township to come up with a plan to recover the loss ratables.

Another problem that we will be facing in the very near future is over-crowding in our schools.  Many of our elementary schools are at capacity.  In some of our schools, we are at the point where we are using all available space for classrooms and have learning modules to create more classroom space.  This relates back to the funding issue as we do not have the money to expand existing facilities or purchase new buildings.  The township is actively pursuing the building of new residential space in the form of condos.  This will lead to more families coming to Bloomfield which is great but it does not increase the number of taxpayers contributing towards the school budget.  Again, we need the township to actively pursue a plan that would increase ratables and ease some of the burden on the taxpayer.

An additional issue facing our district is the lack of diversity in our teaching and administrative staff.  The diversity in staff is not reflective of the diversity in the student population.  It is important for students to see people who look like them in positions of power such as teachers and administrators.  We will need to develop a plan to attract minority candidates for teaching and administrative positions.

PATCH:  What would you say are some of the best things about the current BOE?

One of the best things is the hiring of a young and dynamic superintendent who has the vision to see where we need to go and the experience and expertise to get us there.  We now have a superintendent that is experienced in various learning modules and technologies and he is able to introduce those concepts to Bloomfield and has implemented those strategies.  Another important aspect is the relationship between the superintendent and the Board.  Both parties can only function at their best if a good partnership exists and there is mutual respect between the superintendent and the Board.

We hired a Director of Special Services who has been able to continue the momentum started by the previous Director and as a result, we are working towards more inclusive programs and have returned a lot of our special needs students back to the district.   The relationship between the Director of Special Services and SEPAC demonstrates how two separate entities can partner together to bring information to the community to educate the general population about inclusive programs and meeting the needs of all learners.

Restoring Foley Field is another highlight.  When the first referendum failed, the whole community came together and fought hard to get the referendum passed the second time around.  It was great to see that kind of unity for a common cause.  Foley Field is an iconic symbol for the town of Bloomfield.  Seeing the new Foley Field rise from the ashes and become a new and first class facility for the whole township is amazing. I am proud to be part of the BOE that made that happen.

The energy savings project is another highlight.  We anticipate the cost savings to be phenomenal and as a result we will be able to utilize those savings in other areas such as instruction and technology which may provide an avenue to having more money being directed to facilities for improvements in buildings and grounds. Being able to come up with new and innovative ideas like this, which will lead to cost savings in our district when we need it the most, has been great. It enables us to ease the tax burden on the taypayers and also allows us to provide the best education possible to our students. I look forward to championing other cost savings ideas in the next three years if I am re-elected.

PATCH:  How are you funding your campaign? Who are your main financial supporters?

My main financial supporter has been myself as I contributed a lump sum of my own money to start this campaign.  I also held a $35 wine and cheese fundraiser at a friend’s home here in Bloomfeld.  My campaign has been funded with financial support from my family, friends and church members and I am quite humbled in fact by their generosity.  I am very proud of the fact that as the lone independent candidate, I have been able to fund the campaign without accepting money from anyone who might try to influence my decisions as a BOE member.

PATCH:  Anything else you would like to say?

I am a lifelong resident of Bloomfield.  My maternal grandfather, James Middleton came to Bloomfield in the early 1900s with his parents and siblings and my maternal grandmother, Willie Mae Middleton (nee Torrence) came to Bloomfield in 1915 with her parents and siblings.  I, like my maternal grandparents and their four (4) children including my mother, Alice Fuller (nee Middleton) are a product of the Bloomfield public schools.  After graduating from Bloomfield High School in 1981, I graduated from Heidelberg University (Tiffin, Ohio) with a B.A. degree in Psychology and English in 1985.  Following graduation from college, I was accepted into Rutgers Law School in Newark and earned a Juris Doctorate degree in 1988.  After completing a judicial clerkship with the Honorable Alvin Weiss, J.S.C. retired and Honorable Thomas P. Zampino, J.S.C. in 1989 I have spent my entire legal career as a public interest attorney first at Essex-Newark Legal Services (ENLS) in Newark where I was first a staff attorney and eventually became a managing attorney in the Family Law Unit.  While at ENLS, I was a member of the Model Children in Court Committee where I co-wrote the script and performed in a video entitled “Where Are My Children?” which is a DVD about the court process involved in a child welfare case (DYFS case) in New Jersey. 

In 2007, I was hired as a Program-wide Supervisor Attorney in the Family Law Unit at Northeast New Jersey Legal Services.  Both ENLS and Northeast New Jersey Legal Services provide free legal assistance to indigent people in civil cases.

 I am an active Elder at Bethany Presbyterian Church in Bloomfield and am currently serving the last year of a six year term on the Session which is the governing body of our church.  For the past five and a half years, I was the Elder in charge of worship.  Outside of my duties as an Elder, I am currently the worship presider at Bethany which means that on Sundays, I lead the congregation through the worship service.

Outside of the BOE, I continue to support the Bloomfield school district in whatever ways that I can through a new coat drive and backpacks with school supplies.  Just how hunger may impact a child’s ability to learn in the classroom, being inadequately clothed in cold weather can also impact how a child learns in the classroom. This past winter, I organized a new coat drive called “Alice’s Coats”.  I participated in a similar project a year ago for a school in Perth Amboy and thought it was a great idea to do for Bloomfield schools.  I named the project after my late mother because I recall how growing up, she made sure that her three children had new coats every Easter and Christmas while she continued to wear the same coats year after year.  For this inaugural drive, my goal was to get 25 coats.  Through the generosity of my friends and family, we surpassed the goal and were able to deliver 30 new coats, hats, gloves and scarves to kids in the district.  Some of the scarves were handmade by my niece, Cierra Middleton, a co-worker and a church member.  The church member has already started on the scarves for this year’s coat drive. 

We have a large student population who qualify for free and reduced lunch which means that some families may be struggling to put food on the table, provide shelter and clothes for their families.   A parent may not have the resources to get their child all of the school supplies requested by the school.  Two years ago, I selected a school in district and copied the supply list for each grade.  I then gave a copy of the list to each member of my immediate and extended family members and asked them to get the supplies and a backpack.  We delivered one backpack with the requested supplies for each grade at the beginning of the school year.  If a child arrived to school at the beginning of the year or transferred in during the course of the year without a backpack or supplies at least one was available.  It also provides an extra set of supplies for those classes where all of the children provided their own supplies and the teacher does not have to use their own funds to purchase the supplies if they run out.

As someone who has lived in Bloomfield her whole life and attended its schools, I know first-hand the potential of our district.  During my first term on the board, I worked hard towards improving the academic achievement of our schools, and have lent my support to such accomplishments as the Foley Field Referendum, the Energy Cost Savings Plan, and the hiring of an experienced and forward-thinking Superintendent.  I have also taken the initiative to help those children in need in our district through my new coat and school supply drive.  I see the next three years as a critical time in Bloomfield and would welcome an opportunity to apply my experience and dedication to further serve this community and build on our successes.