Michael Wright
For Mount Laurel School Board 2022
My name is Michael Wright and I am asking for your vote this November for the position of Board of Education member. I have served on the school board since June 2019 and hope to continue to do my part for the students and residents of Mount Laurel.
About Me
I currently run an Apprenticeship program for a local trade organization. In the past I have been a small business owner, a marketing consultant and a teacher of middle school Social Studies. I have been a resident of Mount Laurel for eight years. I am married with two children, who both attend Mount Laurel Public Schools. I am a long-time volunteer board member of the Mount Laurel Public Education Fund and the Aletheia Research Institution.
Why The School Board?
I am a 37-year-old father of two and a Mount Laurel resident. My wife attended Mount Laurel Public Schools, and when our children reached school age we decided to buy a home here in town so that they could receive the same high quality education. I am firmly committed to ensuring that all students in our district are given the best possible opportunity to succeed.
In my time on the Mount Laurel Board of Education I have served on the Finance Committee (member 2020, chairman 2021) and took over the chairmanship of the HR/Negotiations Committee in January of 2022. In these positions, I have developed a deeper understanding about the complex nature of school finance and helped to bring about a amicable conclusion to the long-running negotiations with teachers and staff.
If re-elected I will continue to ensure that the Mount Laurel Public Schools are operated in a fiscally responsible manner which I believe is of key importance to their long-term success. In addition I will continue to advocate on behalf of our valuable educators and staff to ensure that they receive fair compensation and just treatment.
As a school board member I have a duty “to represent the concerns of the citizens, taxpayers and parents to the school administrators, and to represent the needs of the students and school district to the citizens, taxpayers and parents of the community,” and I will give my best effort to execute the duties of my office to the best of my ability.
Where Do I Stand?
Before I joined the school board I wasn’t entirely clear on what a school board member does. Over time and through multiple training sessions with the New Jersey School Boards Assoication, I learned that the school board does not get involved in the day to day business of the schools. Board of education members hire a superintendent and help to set the policies, goals and objectives for the district. Ultimately it is the board’s job to hold the superintendent responsible for implementing the established policies and achieving the goals.
I mention this because I believe a number of the other candidates running against me may hold misconceptions about the nature of the office they aspire to .. or worse see the board as an opportunity to impose their political affiliations onto the schools.
I take the non-partisan nature of the board of education seriously and do my best not to allow my personal or political opinions to cloud my judgement in serving our community.
If Re-Elected, I Promise…
- To use reason, logic, facts and good judgement to determine the best course of action when making decisions that effect our schools.
- To do my best to not get swept up in highly charged or emotional issues as they arise and to always do my due diligence in coming up with the best possible solutions.
- To allow time for cooler heads to prevail and facts to come to light before taking action that can have long term consequences for our schools.
- To provide our students with a safe, equitable environment to learn and to grow as they move through our district and on to their future endeavors.
- To consider the needs and opinions of all of the members of our community when making decisions and to serve Mount Laurel, it’s people and our schools.
Don’t Forget to Vote!
Polls close at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 8, 2022
Click the button below to find your polling place.
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