Pflaum Aspires to Bring Fresh Voice to Board of Education

Christopher Pflaum may be one of the youngest people to ever run for a seat on the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Board of Education, but make no mistake: he's serious about his campaign.

Pflaum, a Rutgers student and 2007 graduate of Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, is one of three Fanwood residents aiming to win the open 3-year term on the board in the April 20 election. The 21-year-old has already built a Web site for his campaign and says he plans to go door-to-door as well, all to prove to borough residents that while he may be young, he's got the experience for the job.

"I want to bring a brand new perspective," Pflaum told Patch. "One of the things is that I'm a product of the system. I've walked the halls."

During his years as a SP-F High student, Pflaum says he was active in the Student Government Association and the National Honor Society. He was also a captain of the varsity wrestling team. Currently, he helps lead local Boy Scouts Troop 104. Pflaum is an Eagle Scout himself.

Now at Rutgers, Pflaum is pursuing a degree in genetics, with the hopes of eventually pursuing his PHD in microbiology and molecular genetics. Last fall, he was charged with teaching a 1-credit course to freshmen, which he says helped him get a sense for what it's like to be a teacher. He was also recently invited to join faculty and staff on the Academic Integrity Committee, which will be working to revise Rutger's Academic Integrity Policy.

"I have passion, I have ideas and I'm committed," Pflaum said. "I don't want to be perceived as naïve. I don't know everything. But one of the good things is that I don't have my mind set on certain ways. I don't have pre-established ideas on certain things."

While open-minded, Pflaum says he does have a set of goals he'd like to achieve, if elected. One is opening up the lines of communication between the board, faculty, staff, parents and community as a whole.

"I want to facilitate an open line of communication between the board and the faculty and the community," he said. "Right now with the teacher issues with negotiating contracts, I feel that the public perceives a breakdown of communication. We obviously need the board communicating with parents. We could be sending out monthly e-mails, asking for feedback, to learn a lot more about what the community wants for its children."

Pflaum also envisions increasing the opportunities for teachers to learn from one another. He said he thinks the board should continue to promote opportunities for teachers to get professional development and to share lesson plans and other best practices.

"One of my major goals is instilling an atmosphere of lifelong learning and a passion for teaching, to provide continuing education for teachers, the administration and staff and parents," he said.

Pflaum acknowledges that implementing new programs isn't always easy, especially these days as the school board faces a $3.4 million deficit. In response to Gov. Chris Christie's recent school aid cuts, Pflaum wrote on his Web site:

"I respect the governor for making hard choices about which services and jobs to cut in our great state of economic troubles. However, if the governor truly had the 'future' of the state in mind, he would be actively perusing ways to fund education rather than cutting aid. Undoubtedly, the foundation of any modern state economy is founded upon the education of its citizens. As a school district, we must look upon the cut in state aid as an opportunity for us to take a hard look at our finances and reduce unnecessary costs."

Pflaum says increased lines of communications are particularly important during times like these.

"Parents are concerned about property taxes, and if the board shows how successful the money's being spent, then maybe there'd be less concern about costs," he said. "I think we should be actively pursuing alternative funding. There are a ton of grants to help programs. We should help teachers find grants. We could get thousands of dollars a year for our classrooms if we seek out private funding. We can get fundraising ideas from the board, the county and the community. There's a lot of smart people out there."

Scotch Plains-Fanwood has nine total Board of Education members, split geographically based on population – seven from Scotch Plains and two from Fanwood. Aside from the open 3-year term, there is a remaining 1-year Fanwood term on the ballot, which is being run for by current member Rob O'Connor. In Scotch Plains, two 3-year terms are up for election. Incumbents Nancy Bauer and David Gorbunoff are running for both.

On Monday, Patch brought you a profile of Amy Winkler, a current board member who's running for the open 3-year term. Stay tuned to Patch for a profile of the third candidate — Michael Lewis — on Wednesday.

Got an opinion on who you think is right for the job? Send us a letter to the editor at Lindsay@patch.com.