Meet Caldwell-West Caldwell Board Of Education Candidate Marie Lanfrank

This article was submitted by Marie Lanfrank, candidate for the Caldwell-West Caldwell Board of Education. 

Caldwell resident Marie Lanfrank announced her candidacy for the Caldwell-West Caldwell Board of Education last week.  

Lanfrank's years in the educational arena as a teacher and school administrator have provided her the opportunity to become an effective communicator, a consensus builder, a decision maker, a leader and team player which are all qualities that a Board of Education Member should possess.

She firmly believes that “all students deserve the best education possible and the quality of the public school system is the most critical factor in protecting resident’s investments in their homes and community. 

"When schools meet their goals of continuing to enhance their educational offerings to students, the equity in a home grows, local businesses prosper and more importantly students benefit.”

As a retired education administrator, she plans to use her professional experience and expertise to continue to strengthen the Caldwell West Caldwell Schools.  

“I will strive to ensure that the education of the students is stellar and to think out of the box for ways to maximize available resources in order to decrease reliance on property taxes," said Lanfrank. 

Lanfrank is well-known for her philanthropic efforts within the community. She is a founding member, past chairperson and current trustee of the Caldwell West Caldwell Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to maintaining and enhancing the curriculum in all schools by raising funds to help bridge the gap between state/federal funding and the school district budget.

She also implemented and initiated the popular fundraising events including The Taste of the Caldwells, Dancing with Our Community Stars, Teacher Tribute Cards & Adopt A Chair which generated more than $150,000 that was used to fund education programs and services throughout the district. 

Lanfrank is committed to revitalizing Caldwell’s downtown as a volunteer and board member of the Caldwell Merchants’ Association; she is a committee member of the Mayors Legacy for Literacy and is the liaison to the board of education for the Caldwell Council, where she has attended almost every Board of Education meeting for the past 5 years. 

Lanfrank earned a Bachelor of Arts in education with a major in mathematics from The College of New Jersey and a Master of Arts in education from Seton Hall University with a concentration in counseling and special services. 

Her post graduate studies included courses in school administration and school finance leading to permanent certification as a chief school administrator, principal and a certificate of eligibility as a school business administrator.  

Lanfrank has worked with students in grades K-12 in both suburban, urban, regional and vocational school districts as a director of special services, assistant principal, learning consultant and mathematics teacher.

Lanfrank will release her platform in the in the upcoming weeks.

There are two two seats on the board up for grabs this November. Board members Rosanne Hansen and John King will seek reelection, and will be challenged by Cipoletti, Marie Lanfrank and Charles Alberta. 

The five will be on the ballot on the Nov. 5 general election. Both seats carry three-year terms.