About Me

My Vision

Dear Neighbors,

For about 3 years now, I have toyed with the idea of running for school board. I held back for a variety of reasons: not wanting to run against those who share similar beliefs as my own, the time commitment that would be required to do the job justice, managing a hectic household: 2 children, graduate school, a new job, coaching field hockey, the list goes on… This summer I decided that at the next juncture, I would run. Last fall, perhaps serendipitously, several friends mentioned to me that they were dissatisfied with the current slate of candidates running for Chesterfield Township Board of Education. At their urging I ran as a write-in candidate. This fall, I am officially on the ballot and excited to share with the Chesterfield community who I am and what I intend to bring to the Board of Education.

Let me share with you a little about myself and why I believe I’m a qualified candidate. After graduating from Johns Hopkins University, I took a job in business. While living in NYC was fun and exciting, my career lacked a sense of purpose. Whenever I toyed with changing careers, I kept coming back to the idea of becoming a teacher. I wanted to work with kids, teaching them about what I loved most: history, government, and field hockey. So I quit my job and went to graduate school at TCNJ, earning a master’s degree and being hired shortly after by the West Windsor Plainsboro Regional School District. I spent 10 years of my career in education as a high school social studies teacher before earning my Principal’s certificate. In July 2015, I accepted a position as an assistant principal at Bordentown Regional High School, where I worked with students, parents, and community members until September 2017, when I accepted a similar position at Holmdel High School. I have been a resident of Chesterfield since March 2010, and I have two children in Chesterfield Elementary, Will, age 10 and Emma, Age 8.

It is my experiences as a student, parent, teacher, and administrator that have shaped who I am and what I believe about learning. First of all, we always need to keep our eye on the purpose of our schools: to educate the whole child. No longer can we only care for a student’s academic progress. Chesterfield, like all schools, needs to ensure that we are engaging our students intellectually, socially, emotionally, and psychologically. The decisions we make as a district should always be justified in terms of what is best for kids. Our support of teachers should be centered around empowering them to employ pedagogical techniques that inspire students to be critical thinkers and life-long learners. From an administrative standpoint, we must ensure that student needs are what drive our decisions: from the district vision, to curricular decisions, to the way we employ disciplinary consequences, to how we prioritize our budget. Finally, schools are a reflection of their communities. The best schools are those that engage the community in caring for our kids and promoting their accomplishments. In strong communities, the school is the center of the town, so it’s fitting that Chesterfield Elementary is both the literal and figurative center of our neighborhood.

Public education in New Jersey is facing monumental challenges in providing a thorough and efficient education for all students. Districts like Chesterfield have the challenge of continuing to pursue excellence despite these hurdles. Overcoming these trials will require new ways of thinking combined with innovative and dynamic programs which reach everyone involved in the educational process. My proven record of leadership in the school, learning community, and classroom combined with my passion for moving public education into the 21st century makes me a worthwhile candidate.

As you make your decisions this November, I hope you’ll give me your vote for Chesterfield Township Board of Education. Please feel free to send me any questions you have regarding my qualifications.

Warm Regards,

Amy Jablonski