Opening Statement

• I am a wife and mother and resident of Martinsville for 22 years.  
• I am a first-generation immigrant.  
• As a daughter of Cuban refugees who fled the Castro regime, the value of education was instilled in me at a very young age. 
• Consequently, besides working in our small family business, I made the most of the educational opportunities that were available to me in this country.  
• I love children and youth, and for this reason, I became a teacher and taught in primary and secondary school. 
• And later earned a Master’s and doctoral degree in counseling psychology. 
• And taught at the college and graduate level.  
• Soy Ketrin Maxwell, esposa y madre, y residente de Martinsville desde hace 22 años.
• Soy hija de refugiados cubanos que huyeron del régimen de Castro, 
• El valor de la educación fue inculcado en mi desde pequenyita.
• Además de trabajar en el pequeño negocio de mis padres, yo aproveché al máximo las oportunidades educativas que me brindaron en este país.
• Me encantan los niños y jóvenes, y por eso estudie maestría y enseñé en escuela primaria y luego en secundaria.  
• Despues estudie psicología y fui profesora de psicología en la universidad y  he visto a clientes para terapia durante más de 25 años.
• Me postulo para la Junta de Educacion para proteger lo que es mas importante para nosotros – nuestros hijos-  
• priorizar la educación de ellos
• Y respetar el papel de los padres como quienes mas quieren 
• y mas se preocupan del bienestar y educacion de ellos

• As a result of my background, education and experiences, I am aware of what is needed to realize one’s potential.  A firm and solid primary and secondary education is the major pathway for young people to succeed and become positive contributors to society. 

What are the strengths of BRRSD that need to be preserved and protected because they directly contribute to the district’s success, and what are the opportunities for growth? Please name 2 in each area. 

• ONE STRENGTH which needs to be preserved and protected are the voices of the very supportive community we have here in Bridgewater.  
• Since becoming a resident here 22 years ago, I have always admired and respected the good and kind people of Bridgewater.  
• is also a community that knows the value of education and is willing to support it.  
• And is generous with their time, talent, and resources to help each other and to help children and young people develop their potential. 
• The voices of the parents and community need to be preserved, protected and respected, 
• because what you have to say matters not only for your child but for this wonderful community. 
• ANOTHER STRENGTH is the variety of courses and extra-curricular activities available at Bridgewater, something which needs to be preserved and protected.  
• ONE AREA FOR GROWTH is to strengthen the area of job, career, occupations, and education planning for students by providing support and assistance to counselors working with students in this area.  Young people need a better understanding of their interests, strengths, of what they might like to do, where they might like to work, and of the job and possibilities available to them after high school. We need to strengthen the occupational and career development of students so that students can make informed choices about their education, occupation, work or career goals, whether the student is college bound, interested in business or trades, or has special needs and is looking for suitable employment.  
• ANOTHER AREA FOR GROWTH IS TRANSPARENCY.  For example, most parents are not aware that of Policy 5756; which states that the district “shall accept a student’s asserted gender identity” and that “parental consent is not required… 
• Parents do not know that this policy allows minor children to secretly make a major life choice to socially transition and change their names and pronouns in school without parental notification, knowledge or consent. 
• Many parents do not know this…. this is one example of how the Board needs to be more transparent.  

Do you support shifting high school start times and elementary start times, and how would you address the challenges this creates for families and the district?

• School start times are linked to the challenges involved in the transportation of students in a town which is geographically spread out in conjunction with the location of schools while not raising transportation costs.  
• It would be helpful to investigate the possibility of a later start time for high school students and an earlier start time for younger students. 
• The current 7:20 AM makes the school day very long for high school students who typically have many after school activities, oftentimes till 5 and 6 pm.  
• This affects many parents of younger students who need to pay for before school and afterschool care for their children because of the late start time.    

What are you uniquely bringing to our students as a candidate? 

• What I uniquely bring to our students as a candidate are my background, education and experience.  
• I am bilingual in English and Spanish and am also bicultural. This is something unique I bring as a candidate so I can become a bridge between the Board and the wider Bridgewater Raritan community.   
• My background as a daughter of Cuban refugees gives me a deep appreciation of the value of education and of being a positive and productive member of American society, particularly in gratitude for what the United States offered us. 
• Having worked in my parents’ family business and having taught at the primary, secondary, college and graduate school levels, I am very aware of what is required of students for them to succeed in the “real world” and to succeed in college and graduate school. 
• Something unique I bring is my knowledge and experience in the mental health field.
• I have a doctorate in Counseling Psychology,  
• I have provided bilingual psychological counseling and assessments for clients for over 25 years in diverse settings such as hospitals, college counseling centers, high school, and private practice.    
• And for 14 years I have served on the state level on the NJ Licensing Board of Marriage and Family Therapy and Professional Counselors 
• so I have experience serving on a Board to protect New Jersey residents, their safety and welfare and to ensure that professionals meet and maintain high standards of practice… something unique which I bring to the Board of Education.
• As a result of my family life and work as an educator, licensed professional counselor and professor, I am very much aware of the issues and challenges facing young people and families.  I would like to apply my knowledge and experience on the school board level for the benefit of students of Bridgewater-Raritan.  

Closing Statement

• My personal development & professional and family life have taught me how important the school years are for the overall development of children and youth.  
• Schools can be a place where students develop competence and confidence in academics and extra-curriculars and develop their unique strengths and where connections and relationships with others are built during the school day and in after-school activities.   
• OR it can be a place where students do not achieve their unique potential, do not develop their strengths because their strengths have not been identified, do not build their self-confidence, and where students do not feel connected with others. 
• I believe each and every student is unique, precious and indispensable. 
• I would like to apply my broad knowledge and experience on the school board to help ensure that ALL Bridgewater Raritan students can obtain an excellent education, whether the student is college-bound, seeks a vocational or business path to work after graduating high school, or has special needs for achieving suitable employment 
• and that school is a place where students can build relationships and feel connected with others.  
• In appreciation of the indispensable role that parents play in the lives of their children, I also wish to apply my knowledge and experience to help ensure that parents are respected and honored as the principal decision makers in their child’s education, development, and overall well-being. 
• I am very impressed with both of my running mates, Dr. Lucy Li and Deanna Nye. Both are outstanding women and mothers who are knowledgeable and responsive to the voices of families and communities and committed to the best education outcome possible, transparency, and accountability and fiscal responsibility.  
• I believe our combined attributes will bring beneficial contributions to the Bridgewater-Raritan BOE 
• Please support Li Maxwell and Nye for BOE and vote for all 3 of us in Column D.