A Guide to the 2023 Ridgewood Board of Education Candidates

On November 7, Ridgewood will be asked to vote for up to 2 candidates for the Board of Education. During the last BOE Election, low turn-out and a similarly wide candidate field were 2 factors that led to the final seat being awarded by a margin of only 53 votes.

Voting is an important civic duty, but it can be time consuming to learn about local candidates. While not an exhaustive list, this guide is a compilation of various sources meant to help voters more easily make an informed choice.

Election Primer

• Sample ballot. Placement on the ballot is random.
• There are two open seats, seven candidates.
• Incumbents are: Dani, Lembo (elected in 2020)
• Challengers are: Micale, Mchedlishvili, McKenna, Jennings, Guinchard II
• Two groups of candidates running together:
  • Guinchard II/Jennings
  • McKenna/Mchedlishvili
  • Note: Ballot grouping only indicates how candidates solicited signatures and filed paperwork; you still can/do have choice to elect individual candidates

About this Race
The Board of Education does not “run” the Ridgewood Public Schools. That’s the job of the Superintendent. Rather, the BOE’s job is to ensure that the schools are well run. The Board does this by:

1. Setting district policies and goals
2. Communicating policies and goals to the superintendent
3. Overseeing the budget
4. Hiring and evaluating the superintendent
5. Serving as the communications link between the community and the school district.

Meet the Seven Candidates (NorthJersey.com)
Provides biographical information, including professional experience, connections to the community, as well as candidate responses to “Why are you running?”

TapIntoRidgewood: Candidate Profiles
Provides responses regarding professional background, connection to the community, why voters should choose the candidate, what differentiates the candidate and what is one thing the candidate would change or implement in the RPS system.

• Mary Micale
• Laura McKenna
• Julie Mchedlishivli
• Michael Lembo
• Saurabh Dani

Note: There were no profiles posted for Claude Guinchard II or Malcom Jennings as of Nov 2, 2023.

Vote411.org/ballot
Enter your address and move through the prompts until you can select Ridgewood Board of Education Full Term to view the 7 candidates running and compare their responses to several questions.

• Why are you running for school board and what are your qualifications?
• How will you address the different needs of all students?
• What role should the community play in supporting the education of children?

The Ridgewood SEPAG (Special Education Parent Advisory Group) BOE Candidate Questionnaire
Provides written responses to 5 questions related to each candidate’s support and commitment to parents and students with special education needs.

Ridgewood Talks Podcast Interviews
Jeanne Johnson of Ridgewood Talks interviews the candidates.

• Candidate Mary Micale
• Candidates Julie Mchedlishvili and Laura McKenna
• Candidate Mike Lembo
• Candidates Claude Guinchard and Malcolm Jennings
• Candidate Saurabh Dani

League of Women Voters Board of Education Candidates Forum

The League of Women Voters moderated a candidates forum in which candidates were asked their perspective on various issues related to the district, as well as given an opportunity to respond to their fellow candidates answers.

• Opening Remarks - All Candidates

• Question 1: Ridgewood has done a fine job of maintaining the Tradition of Excellence throughout the years, that said, parents have expressed concerns about curriculum including regarding the Science of Reading and strengthening our English Language Arts Middle School writing programs and regarding the sequence of our Math curriculum with respect to Geometry and Algebra. It’s important to acknowledge that our district has been actively working on these matters. What are your thoughts in respect to these community concerns?

• Question 2: Research has shown that inclusivity and mental health are intertwined. Our district fortunately recognizes the importance of both. Ensuring that all students feel included and have a sense of belonging is crucial to their educational success, especially for historically marginalized students such as with respect to race, LGBTQ+, special education and multi-language learners. What are the concrete steps which you believe are priorities to address the ongoing needs of mental health and inclusivity within our district?

• Question 3: Please explain your position with regard to the parental rights movement in general and in particular as it pertains to gender identity in school versus home and limits on what students are exposed to? [Note: Guinchard II and Jennings are running on the platform Parental Rights Alliance]

• Question 4: Sports field flooding continues to be a very serious issue within our community. How can the board of education help solve this problem?

• Question 5: There have been four superintendents including one interim within the last three to four years. What will you as a board of education member do to ensure the success of the current superintendent?

• Question 6: Despite an abundance of Covid Federal and State aid, there are Ridgewood students who are still experiencing a Covid-era learning loss. What steps would you advocate to assist them in catching up?

• Question 7: Given Ridgewood's comparatively small board for the size of our district, would you support an expansion of board seats? Why or why not?

• Question 8: Inclusion was recently named as of the four goals for the district this school year. What are some concrete examples of how exactly the district will be able to actively work on this goal?

• Question 9: What are your budget priorities?

• Closing Remarks - All Candidates

The Ridgewood Education Association (REA), which represents 550 teachers, secretaries and counselors of the Ridgewood Public School District, endorses Mary Michale and Julie Mchedlishivili.

Make your plan to vote - Election Day is Nov 7, 2023

Find Early Voting Locations Here

Find Your Election Day Polling Location Here

Find Secure Drop Box Locations for Mail-In Ballots Here