Three run unopposed for board
BY TOYNETT HALL
Staff Writer

HOWELL - Uncontested, undisputed and unopposed is what you could call the three township residents who are running for re-election to the Howell K-8 Board of Education in the April 17 school election.

Board members Mary Cerretani, Patricia Blood and Elizabeth O'Connell are unopposed in their bids for new three-year terms on the panel that oversees the operation of Howell's elementary and middle schools.

Cerretani, who is the current board president, said she serves on the board because she really cares about children. She holds a master's degree in social work administration from Rutgers University. She has two children who have gone through the Howell school district and said her background in education makes her a benefit to the board.

Cerretani works as a child study team member in the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District.

Cerretani, who praised the district for the programs it provides, said she would like to see an expansion of the district's cultural arts curriculum.

"If there was enough time in the day to make cultural arts programs available to the children that would be really nice," she said.

Blood works as a supervisor of English at Freehold Township High School. She said her knowledge of curriculum and programs makes her an asset to the board.

As she seeks to move forward with the board, Blood said she wants Howell schools "to continue to perform as well as they do and for the students to continue to exceed the state averages" on standardized tests.

O'Connell is the superintendent of schools in the Freehold Borough School District. She could not be reached for comment for this story.