Issues and Vision | Daniel Frenklakh For

Key Issues & Vision

Daniel is committed to making Verona schools a benchmark for excellence. By focusing on academic support, fiscal responsibility, and student well-being, we can build a stronger future for every child in our community.

Vision: Update the Verona Master Plan to incorporate a strong desire to increase English and Mathematical proficiency, and offer additional, useful, programming.

Daniel firmly believes in evidence-based actions, and evidence dictates that early reading intervention is one of the most effective methods of increasing lifelong preparedness. Actively seeking out grants that help Verona increase the amount of reading intervention specialists will help set students on a better path from the start. This would have the side effect of improving students mathematical capabilities, as word problems make up an increasingly greater part of the curriculum as students grow older.

Daniel also believes in suggesting new, useful programs to administration at the Upper-Middle and High School level. For example, in addition to offering a "Success in Testing Class" (Specified on the Home Page), Daniel would further support our students by bringing back inexpensive optional after-hours SAT tutoring , saving parents potentially thousands of dollars for expensive private programs. The only associated expenses would be the pure cost of stipending teachers to run the program.

Academic Support

Fiscal Responsibility

Vision: Ensure the Schools Run at Optimal Efficiency while Maximizing Transparency.

Everyone knows the FY 2027 Budget was an incredibly difficult process this year. However, the public simply was not adequately informed throughout the process. Daniel would push for the FULL PROPOSED BUDGET to be released a week before the public hearing, so the public has adequate time to review and offer its opinions. Furthermore, the process of making the budget should involve numerous instances of outreach in the forms of Q&A sessions with board members and administrators, so that any concerns the public may have can be ameliorated. Daniel would support publicizing these sessions being done over the school communication platform Apptegy.

Futhermore, a board with Daniel Frenklakh would prioritize solutions, including:

- Increased grant requests for competitive grants in addition to aid

- More shared services to save money with neighboring school districts and the township

- Looking into stipending Verona's existing student teachers to certify as substitutes.

- Updating the VEA contract to offer greater than $5000 for those faculty who opt out of the district health insurance. It currently costs the district upwards of $42,000 to insure a family, and if a number in between that saves the district money and makes it worth it for a faculty member to switch to their spouses' insurance, it should be looked into.

- Passing board resolutions to call for state legislators fully-funded extraordinary aid to schools, as well as encouraging legislative solutions to lower the district's healthcare burdens.

Student Well-being

Vision: Encourage programs to instruct students on strategies to improve their mental health, and support existing extracurricular and co-curricular programs.

School can be an incredibly stressful time for students, with a high academic course load, the potential for bullying, and plenty of extracurricular activities as well. Daniel would prioritize promoting private channels for students to communicate their problems to someone who will listen. He would also support hosting a short assembly where some mental health coping strategies, as well as resources, can be shared to students. The implementation of this will certainly look different depending on age group, but it is crucial all students feel supported and like they have someone to talk to. The district can utilize its pre-existing legally mandated relationship with CarePlus to do so, as well as grants.

Additionally, Daniel would support student programs that already have proven to increase student wellbeing. For example, Daniel would be a strong advocate for the Verona Music Program, and oppose any further cuts unless they are absolutely, 100% necessary. Moreover, Daniel would support all of our athletics programs while ensuring any policy set by the board ensures they remain fiscally responsible.