Q&A with Freehold Borough Board of Education Candidate Maureen MacCutcheon

Question: What is your profession and professional title?  

Answer: I am owner of Mac Graphic Services, LLC, based out of Freehold, a provider of large format environmental graphics.

Question: How long have you been a Freehold resident?  

Answer: I have been a life-long Monmouth County resident and a Freehold resident for the past 19 years.

Question: Why do you want to be a member of the BOE?

Answer: I want to help be a voice for all involved in the eduction of our students within the community. To be able to provide feedback to the administration; to be able to provide clarity to the community on district initiatives being taken; and to overall be a part of sound decision making in support of our students' achievements, safety and welfare.

Question: What strengths would you bring to the BOE?  

Answer: I have a solid business background which helps in the financial and policy aspects of the board; I am conscientious and consider all aspects of the effects in my decision making; and I truly believe in Freehold Borough and the many great offerings we have as a small, diverse school district and community.

Question: What do you consider to be important issues in the school district? Answer: Financial restraints have been and continue to be a big issue in our district and we continue to reach out to our legislatures to obtain the funding we need.  With that, since our control of this is minimal though we will stay at bat, what is vital is how we decide on our spending to insure our dollars are being spent in the most effective way to optimize education.  Curriculum, staffing, administration, technology, environment and phsycial space are all critical parts of our budget and each one of these impacts in some way our ability to increase student achievement. The district continues to increase effectiveness each year in it's budgeting and we need to keep on this path while upgrading in areas that are a necessity to the district.

Question:What is something you would like to see happen while you are on the board?

Answer:  I would like to see an implemented plan for increasing physical classroom space throughout the district and would like to see a overall increase to student achievement supporting that our in-district assessments and data-driven instruction complement our curriculum, seeing a trend up in performance.

Question: Where would you like to see the BOE in a year from now?  

Answer: I would like to see an effective administrative team in place that embrace the district and it's goals and lead the staff and community with passion, intention and success.

Question: Why do you think people should vote for you?  

Answer: I feel the community should vote for me because over the past three years I have learned much about the district and about the challenges of educating our children within the classroom, within the budget and within the law. I now have a strong understanding of  specific district issues, of the Freehold community wants/needs and of the road ahead with the implementation of Strategic Plan initiatives and the hiring of a new Superintendent. I would be honored to serve the community once again as a board member in support of our children and our hometown.