Five running for three North Wildwood school board seats

Last Updated on Saturday, November 03, 2012 03:10 pm Written by Christie Rotondo Sunday, November 04, 2012 06:00 am

NORTH WILDWOOD- Five candidates for the city’s school board will face off for three seats in the upcoming election Nov. 6.

Incumbents Via Zampirri, Victoria Rozanski, and Laura Stefankiewicz face challengers Karen Bohme and Shannon Grace Kelly for three, three-year terms on the city’s board of education.

School board member Gerald Flanagan is also running unopposed for an unexpired one-year term on the board.

Bohme, formerly Karen Allen, a lifelong North Wildwood resident, is seeking a seat on the school board for the first time. She has worked in the LowerTownshipSchool District for 25 years, and is known for bringing Segway tours to Wildwood.

Bohme said one of her largest concerns for the district is the budget, which she says she wants to balance “to get the best bang for the buck, and be fiscally responsible.”

“I work in the administrative end, so I know how the budgets work,” Bohme said. “I know what demands are placed on the school. On the flip side, I’m also a taxpayer, so I feel like I have everybody’s best interest at heart.”

She also mentioned making sure school programs are run efficiently, while meeting state and federal demands – in particular, the recent demands to make changes to schools’ nutritional programs and lunches and the demands on students and teachers with standardized testing.

“With the way things are changing, and dealing with the state and federal end where I work, I feel like I have a lot to offer,” Bohme said.

She also said she was a supporter of arts programs at schools. She said music and arts programs were “very near and dear” to her heart, and necessary in a student’s life.

“It really rounds a student out, they need access to that,” Bohme said.

Bohme’s name will appear on the ballot with new candidate Kelly, 34. Kelly said she grew up in North Wildwood and went to Margret Mace, and moved back to the city seven years ago. She said she is running for the school board to become more involved in the community.

“I just want to be involved with the school,” she said. “It’s a great school, great teachers, I want to be sure it stays that way.”

Kelly is the southern regional district manager for Accredited Dermatology, and she said that her experience in a leadership position with her company will make her a good addition to the school board.

“I’m a good manager, I’m a good leader, and I hope I can bring that to the board,” she said. “Margret Mace is a good school with a great reputation and it always has been, and I want to make sure it stays that way.”

She also added that being only 34 would be a positive addition to the board as well.

“A young face and a young fresh person coming on is definitely a good thing,” she said.

Zampiri is the current vice president of the school board, and she has been on the board for seven years. She said she decided to join the board not for finances or politics, but for the kids.

“The reason why I’m on the board is for the kids,” she said. “I’m about making sure we’re giving them the best education we can.”

She said that currently, Margret Mace is exceptional at providing classes for every type of student, from additional advanced placement classes to additional help for struggling students.

She added that the current school board shares similar values.

“Everyone works together well on the school board, everyone is on the same page,” she said.

Rozanski is also running for another term this year, after serving two years on the school board.

She said she works in the North Wildwood Recreation Department, and working with kids at afterschool activities has inspired her to continue her involvement with the board.

One of the most important issues to Rozanski is monitoring bullying at the school. She said that she wasn’t sure if there had been an increase in bullying incidents, but now that all incidents must be documented, attention has been brought to the issue.

“We don’t know if it’s out there more but it’s being noticed more,” she said. Rozanski said she was particularly interested in making sure the incidents were properly handled and documented.

“I really am interested in that and making sure that’s taken care of,” she said. “And the school really has been doing a good job with it.”

Stefankiewicz is another current board member running in this year’s school board election. She was unable to be reached for comment as of presstime.

The school board election will take place Nov. 6 in conjunction with the general election.

Christie Rotondo can be emailed at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or you can comment on this story at www.shorenewstoday.com.