By Donald Gilpin

Betsy Kalber Baglio

Betsy Kalber Baglio, a former public school teacher, leader of the Princeton Public School’s (PPS) Board of Education’s (BOE) recent superintendent search, and the mother of a son at Princeton Middle School and a son at Princeton High School, is running for a third three-year term on the BOE.

In the November 2 election, she is facing another incumbent, Brian McDonald, and two new candidates, Mara Franceschi and Jeffrey Liao, in the race for three available spots on the BOE.

The four candidates will participate in a virtual forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters of the Princeton Area tonight, Wednesday, October 6, at 7 p.m. It will be live-streamed via facebook.com/PrincetonTelevision, and a recording will be posted at VOTE11.org and lwvprinceton.org.

Profiles of Franceschi, McDonald, and Liao appeared in the previous three issues of Town Topics, and here Baglio shares information about herself and her views on the PPS:    

“I submit these remarks as a private citizen, and not as a member of the Board of Education.

“I am a proud public school graduate from Sturbridge, Massachusetts. I first arrived in Princeton as an undergraduate at Princeton University, and graduated in 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and a certificate in the Princeton University Program in Teacher Preparation. I also hold a master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. I have worked as a public school teacher in Connecticut and Massachusetts, as the director of professional development for an educational collaborative outside of Boston, and as a K-12 educational consultant and grant writer. I am 46 years old.

“My husband, Steve Baglio, is an attorney. We met as students at Princeton University, and we moved “back” to Princeton with our young sons (when they were 2 and 5) a decade ago. Our boys, Matthew and Charlie, have attended the Princeton Public Schools since our arrival when Matthew was a first grader at Community Park Elementary School. Matthew, now almost 16, is a junior at Princeton High School and Charlie, now 12, is in the seventh grade at Princeton Middle School.

“Since our arrival in Princeton in 2011, I have been an active parent volunteer in the Princeton Public Schools. Prior to joining the Board of Education, I planned the first array of after-school clubs for students at Community Park, advocated for the pilot launch of Community Park’s Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program, and participated on the 2015 Princeton Public Schools’ Strategic Planning Steering Committee.

“I am running for a third term as a member of the Board of Education because I want to ensure that our students are academically, socially and emotionally supported as they return to full-day, in-person school. As the only educator on the Board of Education, I believe I bring a unique and critical perspective to this work. This perspective, along with my training as an educator, are assets to the Board of Education as we continue to cultivate collaborative working relationships with our students, staff, and families. I also believe that the pandemic has shed light on many ways we can improve our schools, and I am enthusiastic about continuing to engage in the work of the Board of Education for the benefit of all students.

“I have served the Board of Education in many roles since 2016, and I feel that my contributions have been especially important, given my professional background as an educator, in the work of the Student Achievement, Equity, and Personnel committees.  I have also served on the Finance, Negotiations, and Policy committees.

“During 2020 and 2021, I led the Board of Education’s interim superintendent search, the search for a superintendent search firm, and the permanent superintendent search that culminated in February of 2021 with the unanimous hiring of Dr. Carol Kelley. The Board of Education’s permanent superintendent search process was long and arduous on Zoom, but it was also collaborative, engaging, and ultimately successful because of the perspective and commitment that each Board of Education member brought to this work. I am proud of what we were able to accomplish together.”

The deadline for voter registration, by mail or online, is October 12. (The voter registration form must be postmarked by this date.) Voters will not receive vote-by-mail ballots (which must be mailed or placed in a special drop box) unless they have requested one.

Early voting will be available from October 23 through October 31 at Princeton’s early voting location in the Princeton Shopping Center to the left of the Bagel Nook, or at any one of seven other Mercer County in-person early-voting locations.

Registered voters can also vote by mail by the November 2 Election Day, or in person at their polling locations on Election Day. Visit “Elections” at mercercounty.org to register, to apply for vote-by-mail ballots, or to find early voting locations or regular polling locations.