Renee Cherfane, a 39-year-old nurse and incumbent Cherry Hill Board of Education member, is running for a second three-year term in the Tuesday, Nov. 3 election.
Cherfane told Patch she is seeking reelection "to continue the momentum with current initiatives." She said board longevity matters. "Without experienced and committed members, the district cannot move forward," she said, adding that the board spent much of the past year working toward stronger collaboration and oversight.
Cherfane, who has no party affiliation, holds master's degrees in chemistry and nursing education along with a certification in nursing professional development. She works as a nurse.
She pointed to data collection and analysis as central to the district's work on rebalancing, special education, budgeting and residency verification. She said she wants the district to provide more real-time updates to the community on those efforts.
Cherfane drew a distinction between herself and other candidates on conflicts of interest. She said she is "not majorly conflicted from the daily operations of Board activity," and that some other candidates would be unable to serve on certain committees, participate in teacher and superintendent negotiations, or take part in the superintendent's evaluation. She did not name those candidates or specify the nature of their conflicts.
She also cited her three years of board experience as an advantage, telling Patch that no other candidate has had that length of recent service.
A Cherry Hill resident, Cherfane lives with her husband, Peter, and their three daughters: Olivia, Maci and Margaret. She said she completed her first board term while being promoted at her full-time nursing job and maintaining four additional part-time positions. She also volunteers as a coach, Girl Scout leader and PTA participant.
Patch said it plans to publish responses from additional Cherry Hill Board of Education candidates ahead of the election.
