Election 2022: Chris DiMare, Holmdel School Board

HOLMDEL, NJ — Chris DiMare is one of eight candidates seeking three seats for a full term on the Holmdel School Board in the Nov. 8 general election.

In these profiles, based on the questions provided, the candidates give voters information about themselves and their positions on the issues. Patch publishes individual profiles leading up to the election.

DiMare is on a list of Save Holmdel schools, which prioritizes academics; a focus on children’s emotional and social well-being; and opposes new state-imposed sex education standards, he said.

Learn more about the candidate Chris DiMare:

Last name: Christian Di Mare

Age: 44

Town of residence : Holmdel
Job sought : Holmdel School Board
Are you an incumbent or do you have previous board or civic experience? Nope
Do you have a campaign designation or list? Save Holmdel Schools, with Jeff Mann and John Buckley
Campaign website: https://saveholmdelschools.org
Family: wife, Sarah; children Liv (second grade at Village, 7) and Leo (sixth grade at Indian Hill, 11)
Education: Masters, Technology Management, Stevens Institute of Technology; backelor degree, computer science, University of Rhode Island.
Occupation: Business owner, located at Bell Works, Bridge Technology Partners, a talent acquisition firm, building engineering leadership teams for Amazon

Why do you want to run for the school board and what in your experience or background prepares you for election:

Having been a student in grades 1-12 in the Holmdel School District and having two children in Holmdel Schools today, I would like to give back to our community and pay it forward by dedicating time to finding solutions for that we strengthen and preserve Holmdel’s reputation for providing high quality schools. I had an amazing educational experience growing up in Holmdel and my children were very happy in the schools in Holmdel. I grew up in this city and it’s important to me that we nurture the next generations of Holmdel students and ensure that all benefit from these same positive experiences.

I am a successful small business owner operating within the most diverse community, the tech industry. Throughout my life, I have proven that I roll up my sleeves, collaborate well with others, and commit the time to get the job done successfully. I am a passionate leader who will rise to challenges to execute our plan.

I volunteered for many years as the head coach of HYAA. Sport is a challenge and while I may not have taught your child to hit a home run, I have taught him to hold his head up high, stay confident and keep failing. These are life lessons that children will follow forever.

While watching during the pandemic how parents in Holmdel have lost their voices and state policy has dictated what our schools can and cannot do, we need strong school board leaders who will stand up to influences and to outside pressures and will always do what is best for our Holmdel children and families. We must keep Holmdel, Holmdel and Holmdel parents should be decision makers for our children.

If you are running as part of a slate, please explain the main positions on the slate if there are agreed positions. Please name your list and its other candidates:

Save Holmdel Schools, with Jeff Mann and John Buckley.

Positions: give priority to academics; focus on the well-being of children, emotionally and socially. We oppose new state-imposed sex education standards. We respect family values ​​and individual freedoms. We want to protect the rights of parents by ensuring their role in the education of their children and by ensuring the transparency of the programs and by promoting the responsibility of all stakeholders

Name what you consider to be the major issues currently facing your district and how you plan to address them. These can be local issues and/or statewide issues:

Fortunately, two major issues are behind us. Holmdel has hired a new superintendent, Dr. Scott Cascone and I’m encouraged by what I’ve seen so far, especially with the communication with Holmdel’s parents and the creation of a new positive vibe within our schools, which is essential. And the teachers’ long-standing contract has been finalized, a great way to start the 2022-2023 school year.

A priority in schools today is to educate students and staff about mental health and to provide advice and resources to those who need it.

With the pandemic behind us and our children and teachers starting the new school year in the classrooms with their bright smiles, we must focus on the well-being of children as they continue the transition to normality.

What can we do for our children after they have gone through so much dysfunction in the past two years, critical years in their development? In presenting the Holmdel District budget, two of the budget challenges for Holmdel are: 1. Expanding social and emotional learning and mental health supports and 2. Continuing to address the learning loss identified in due to the pandemic. It is worrying.

What can and can’t we afford to do? We need to be creative in finding solutions and doing all we can to ensure that all children manage the transition well, catching up socially, emotionally and academically, ensuring that no student be left behind. Many vulnerable children may not be able to adapt and we need to identify and prioritize children who need our help.

The pandemic has also emotionally drained teachers and other staff. We need to strengthen relationships and communication between parents, teachers and administration to better support each other and work together to create a better future for all.

Coming out of the pandemic, school districts in New Jersey have been hit with the controversial mandate for updated sex standards to be implemented in schools. There is material within that, in my opinion, is highly inappropriate to be taught in our schools and at such a young age. We must come together as a community to decide what is best for our children. It is disheartening to see that this has been one of the main concerns of state politicians after what our children have just been through. I am committed to ensuring that the voice of Holmdel’s parents is heard and that we do what is best for Holmdel, not what politicians tell us. We are the parents, and they are our children. My message is: let children be children!

What changes or improvements do you see for the district that could improve educational life and is there a way to achieve this:

The pandemic has taken so much away from the school experience and now that we have moved forward, Holmdel schools need to rebuild our school culture. I have been part of the Holmdel Hornets community since 1985 and will do my part to create positive experiences for all and amplify our school spirit.

We need to create a safe environment for all children so they can focus on their learning. We need to do a better job of teaching our children respect and holding those responsible for wrongdoing so they understand how to take responsibility and learn from it. I am heartened as we begin this new season, under Dr Cascone, how hyper focused schools are on school culture and promoting respect, two campaigns I will help lead at home.

The pandemic has demonstrated the value of technology in the classroom, and I would like to find ways to increase our offerings. Technology was a primary focus throughout my college and in business, and as a parent, I instilled the value of being technically savvy in my children, who became passionate about coding, creating of websites and the creation of fake online businesses.

What more can we do to ensure Holmdel students are prepared for their future?
There are comments from high school that we can do much better with guidance and counseling services, preparing students who plan to go to college and children who plan to drop out of higher education and start their career or business after grade 12. It’s essential for our children that we do the best job possible of helping them create their vision, and then helping them chart their path.

Candidates for the Holmdel Township School Board:

Full mandate – Vote for three

• Deborah Wilson, School Community Advocate
• Elisabeth Urbanski
• Chris DiMare, Save the Holmdel Schools
• Jeff D. Mann, Save the Holmdel Schools
• John Buckley, Save the Holmdel Schools
• Joanne Lam, Education First
• Alicia Unusan, Education First
• Mathew Weisfeld, Education First