Meet the school board members

New Sussex-Wantage members say they hope to instill unity, respect, By Tom Hoffman With two daughters who are college-age, Lisa Frisbie figured that running for a seat on the Sussex-Wantage Regional School District’s Board of Education would be a good opportunity for her to make a difference in the educational environment for her son, Chad, a second-grader at the Lawrence School. And while the born-and-raised Wantage Township resident said she doesn’t have a specific agenda for the K-8 school district, she is hoping to help foster an environment of “unity and respect” between what has until recently been described as a fractionated group, according to some current and former board members. “I’m definitely hoping to bring some unity, mutual respect and cooperation to the process of what the board is there to do,” said Frisbie. She’s been living in Wantage since returning to the area in 1991 with her husband Art, after teaching in Connecticut for a few years. “I’m looking to respectfully listen to everyone’s input and take into account what the public has to say. It’s no secret that the board has been very divided and hasn’t been able to come to consensus on a lot of things,” she added. For her part, new board member Theresa “Tammy” Pastore said she wants to help promote respect between the board and the community. “I don’t think people really feel that the board is together,” said Pastore, a mother of seven, including two who attend the district’s elementary schools. “I’d like to see it where the people can be proud of our school system, including the board,” Pastore added. John “Craig” Coykendall, who was also elected to the board of education, declined to be interviewed for this story, citing a policy by the school board in which Board President Thomas Card and Superintendent Dr. Edward Izbicki Sr. act as the public spokespersons for the organization. Plans for the future Frisbie, who’s currently the Freshman Transition Counselor at High Point Regional High School, said she’s hoping the board will continue investing in additional safety measures for the buildings and technologies to support education “without increasing the burden on the taxpayers.” She said she believes the $23 million budget passed by residents from Sussex Borough and Wantage Township “is a very responsible budget” that “takes into account the kids’ needs and the economic condition of the community. That’s a good place to be walking into as a board member,” she added. Pastore, a 21-year Wantage Township resident, along with her husband Tom, said that she expects to learn more about the board’s goals as she becomes further acquainted with the other board members. “I’m looking forward to it,” said Pastore. “It seems like a good group of people.”