Why we need Sai on the BOE

I’ve known Sai for many years. She is a friend.

It’s been painful for me to see how she’s been treated by her fellow Board members over the last year.

At the same time I felt proud about the way she kept her composure, stayed respectful and continued diligently doing her job despite all the harassment and the pressure to “stay in line”.

Does Sai ask too many questions? I don’t think so. Not considering the fact that she and Tom are the only two Board members who do ask questions.

BOE members are not supposed to “trust the committees” and automatically vote “yes” on everything, which is what the majority of the Board members have been doing.

They are responsible for our kids’ education and for a 60+ mln budget (the lion share of our municipal taxes). The current level of groupthink they demonstrate is completely unacceptable, in my opinion.

Sai is responsible, intellectually honest and emotionally mature. I believe that every school district leader must possess those 3 qualities, but unfortunately there is a clear deficit of those in our current BOE.

The other 2 candidates who clearly demonstrate those qualities are Dipti Khanna and Natasha Joly.

I strongly believe that Sai (col 7-2), Dipti (col 1-1), Natasha (col 7-1) and Tom (not running for reelection this year) can fix our Board of Education.

Please vote columns 1-1, 7-1 and 7-2.

 Dmitriy Agafonov

Andrea Is Searching for a Living Kidney Donor Andrea is a young EMT facing a high-stakes search for a living donor. NJ21st spoke with Andrea and her family about her story, what living with kidney disease looks like and how the community can help her story reach the right person. Visit Andrea's Page NJ21st is sharing Andrea's story as a community service feature. Donor screening information, the full interview, financial support links and contact information are available on Andrea's page.