She inherited not only a love for her community but also that strong feeling she has that she needs to give back in every way she can. These are the reasons Rebecca Wells says are drawing her to seek another term on the school board, this time the Henry Hudson Regional Board of Education.
A native of Highlands, Rebecca Kane Wells, like her father and brother, was a chief of the Highlands Fire Department and continues to actively serve as captain of the department. She has served the volunteer department for a quarter of a century and was its first female fire chief when she held that office in 2009. Her husband, Charles, who is the borough’s fire marshal, is also a former chief of the department.
The active ever busy professional also served 15 years on the borough council, including as council president and has been a member of the Highlands Housing Authority since 2010. That the town appreciates everything the former councilwoman has done for the borough was evidenced in 2013 when she was selected as Grand Marshall of the Highlands St. Patricks’ Day Parade.
In education, Becky served on three boards of education; she was a member of the Henry Hudson board for one term, the Highlands Board of Education until it was closed last year and now on the current board.
That is the transitional board that was appointed and will be active until January, when the five persons from Highlands and four from Atlantic Highlands who are elected in November will take office as the first elected board of the new Prek-12 Henry Hudson Regional School Board of Education. She is also a member of the Tri-District Education Foundation.
The board member feels these elected and appointed positions, her own personal experience history and continuing to stay active and allow her to see through initiatives happening in the school district will make her an effective board member. The fact the three local schools regionalized into one district this year “was a great accomplishment, decades in the making,” and she was happy to be a part of the transition.
However, she said, she feels all the work and time involved in making the progress “took many hours of administration from our true task at hand, the children and their educational goals.”
A graduate of Henry Hudson, Rebecca also graduated four years later from the Middletown Township Fire Academy, and in 2008 received a degree in business administration from New Jersey City University. She is a contract manager with York Telecom Corporation in Wall where she has been employed for 18 years.
Addressing the question of regionalization with Sea Bright in the school district, Rebecca said as a taxpayer in Highlands she would love the addition for the benefits it would bring. However, she added, “they need to be able to get out of their current arrangement with Oceanport to join us. To that end once they are allowed to be able to join another district, we have to make sure that it is financially prudent for both communities.”
The candidate said while she is aware that under current financial formula proposed should Sea Bright become part of the district “there is no way financially that Highlands can lose.” But she added “we have to be mindful that for this to successfully pass it must pass in both communities” of Highlands and Atlantic Highlands. For that reason, she said, the formula “has to be fruitful for both neighboring towns.
Wells pointed out history of the educational system in Highlands and Atlantic Highlands, citing the many shared services, including a superintendent, the elementary schools and high school have shared even before regionalization of the three schools, and cost saving measures she said have already taken place with the PreK-12 regionalization of the two towns. That includes the convenience and good sense of one single board replacing three separate boards.
“This makes it easier to streamline policies and procedures and align our three schools. In the years ahead there will be more positive changes; at this point our staff now has the ability to move throughout the district giving them more room for advancement, and career development,” The board member pointed out.
She blames the problems with the recently accomplished regionalization taking so long on the lack of direction from the Department of Education, identifying it as a governmental agency that wants and strives for regionalization yet has been a bit like a deer in the headlights when it came to merging these three small schools. “The administration, staff, students and community were all ready and on board, per the election. Our residents are ready to see any tax relief and this regionalization is just the beginning.,” she said.
As a board member, Wells feels she can administer policy by working with the Administration and strong leadership, saying “we are moving daily towards making strides to better the district. We are working hard to increase test scores while adding more programs to our overall portfolio. “
In response to the question of how she can improve that situation, Well pointed out that Covid has been a factor in education and “schools have their work cut out for them.” As a parent of youngsters in the 5th and 7th grades, as well as an adult daughter who went through the local school system several years ago, she said she is acutely aware of learning setbacks that happened. In addition to educational setbacks, there have also been social and emotional issues spawned during the Covid experience, and “we need time, and we are implementing new ways to teach our children for their overall success. “
Wells is seeking one of the two two-year terms to be decided in November by Highlands voters, along with Diane Knox, both running with the slogan, Hudson’s Bright future. Barring a surprise win by any write-in candidate, both Wells and Knox will be elected to the board in November.
There are contests for the one full three-year term, with newcomer Suzanne Thomas who is running under the slogan Leadership, Integrity, Community, being opposed by board member Irene Campell.
Four people are running for the two one-year terms representing Highlands, Donald Krueger, Regina Melnyk, Allison Burel and Kevin Ege.
Campbell, Wells, Krueger, Knox and Ege are all running under the slogan of Hudson’s Bright Future.
