Cogan: 'I Want to Make Sure That Everyone is Rising to Their Potential'

Editor's note: Patch continues its weeklong series of Board of Education candidate profiles with a look at Alison Cogan. Yesterday, incumbent was featured.

moved to Troy Hills in part because she and her husband felt the school system would provide a solid education for their five young children.

This year, Cogan decided to run for school board, her first foray into public office, because she wants to help shape the future of the .

“I’ve been going to board meetings since I moved here four years ago and this year it seemed like a lot of things were going on and it was hard to tell exactly what,” Cogan said. “As I attended more meetings, I decided that instead of wondering what was going on, I’d like to be involved.”

While living in Randolph, Cogan, 38, ran a child care center in Parsippany, requiring her to hire and supervise teachers as well as deal with state regulations, set curriculums and mandates, she said. She is also a certified public accountant.

“I have a pretty good professional background,” she said.

Four of Cogan’s children are in the Parsippany-Troy Hills school system. Her fifth is a special needs student and goes to school outside the district, she said. Through volunteering for school functions and coaching sports, Cogan said she’s gotten to know many of the teachers and administrators in the school district.

One of the biggest problems she sees with the way the district is run is in administrator salaries. She was upset by the and fears that other similar mistakes would be made if the board keeps its status quo.

“There’s concern about the superintendent’s contract, that was the big one,” Cogan said. “And then there’s three more administrators getting ready for retirement and the thought of the same people being involved in renegotiating in getting new administrators is worrisome.”

Cogan said that in light of the economic conditions over the past two years, she would like to ensure that each new administrator contract is “realistic” and that the school district is “paying the appropriate salaries,” she said.

“We’ve asked teachers to make concessions, we’ve asked janitors to make big concessions,” she said. “It’s only fair that everybody should be made to share.”

Cogan would also like to help remedy what she calls a “lack of transparency” on the part of the school district, she said.

“This year the board was doing things and not explaining them well,” she said. “Parsippany has a really bad image now in the public’s view and I don’t think it’s deserved and I don’t think it’s going to encourage people to move to Parsippany and keep this school district at a high level.”

Cogan didn’t make the decision to run for school board lightly. Cogan said she discussed it at length with her husband and also talked to each sitting school board member so she would know exactly what she is in for, if elected.

“I think things come down from the top, if the board doesn’t have pride in Parsippany, why would teachers and students strive to do their best?” she said. “I want to make sure that everyone is rising to their potential.”