For Immediate Release: October 29, 2021

Contact: Experience Matters Team | ExperienceMatters.OT@gmail.com

Ocean Township, Monmouth County- To begin things, the Experience Matters Team of Irene Gilman, Denise Parlamas, and Steve Clayton would like to thank all the candidates who sacrificed a good deal to run for the Ocean Township Board of Education. It is a selfless position, and we applaud all those who want to serve.

We have emphasized our leadership experiences throughout our campaign. Why? Let’s go back to 2016; Steve Clayton just got elected to the Board and met with then Board President Denise Parlamas and the Superintendent for new Board Member orientation. Denise said to Steve that it might take a full term to learn everything, as the schools’ budget and operations are so vast. Denise was correct! There is a learning curve for anyone with that level of material.

We have lived in extraordinary times these past 20 months, which were not of our choosing, but we need to adapt to them to steer us to a sustainable future where our given all the tools to exceed at the highest of levels. That is where experienced leadership comes in; we have seen what works and what hasn’t worked in the past. Working with the School District Administration and using a professional program evaluation framework, we can use our learned experience to help make the critical choices in the months and years ahead.

It has been a pleasure getting to see a lot of old friends during this campaign and make some new ones. We don’t take a single vote for granted. If elected again, we are eager to continue to serve our students, staff, parents, and taxpayers in the future. Ocean is a special place that has meant a lot to all three of us. Together, we can help the next generation of students create their Spartan Legacies, whatever they choose them to be.