Sept 7, 2023
Watchung Borough, NJ- Cagla Banu Uslay and Fatima Santos formally announced their election campaign for the Board of Education.
The “Putting Education First” team is focused on academic excellence for students with an eye for fiscal responsibility. Together, they are looking to ensure that parents have transparency and a voice in children’s overall education and well-being.
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Cagla Banu Uslay and her family have lived in Watchung since 2015 and have first-hand experience with the Watchung school system along with their two boys since kindergarten. Banu is Turkish-American with a bachelor’s degree in economics, an MBA concentrating in Finance from Chapman University in Southern California, and two decades of work experience in finance and banking. She currently works in the treasury department of a large national bank. Banu comes with a track record of community service; she was a volunteer for the United Way of NJ to help low-income families with their tax returns and taught them budgeting and saving. Banu has the expertise to tackle the financial challenges confronting the Watchung Borough school system and elevate the district back to its original rankings, national standing, and thereby improve property values.
Fatima Santos and her family including two girls have lived in Watchung since 2020. She is
Portuguese-American. Fatima graduated from the College of Saint Elizabeth in New Jersey with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. She previously held a position at a large national bank. Currently, she is a successful small business owner and co-manages a family -run construction business with her husband, with expertise that she will apply in upgrading the facilities at the schools and carefully managing costs aligned with the recent referendum.
Find out what's happening in Watchung-Green Brookwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The candidates noted: “We will bring new ideas and a fresh perspective to build on the successes of the prior boards and apply our professional expertise to improve our current district ratings and implement the planned construction upgrades on time and within budget.”
The Uslay and Santos team plan to be active on social media and town halls. You can follow
them on Facebook @Banu & Fatima for Watchung Boro School Board and on Instagram @banu_and_fatima_for_watchung.
