As part of MercerMe’s mission to keep Hopewell Valley residents informed and engaged, we invited the Board of Education candidates in this year’s election to share their backgrounds and priorities. There are three seats open this year. Mark Peters is running unopposed for the Hopewell Borough representative. Hope Cotter, William Keithler, and Amanda Stylianu are running for two seats representing Hopewell Township. Below are their responses to help you make an informed decision at the polls.
- For incumbents: What accomplishments or initiatives are you most proud of during your time on the School Board? For new candidates: What experience or qualifications do you bring that would help you serve effectively?
Please also indicate the district or municipality you would represent.
Cotter: I’m Hope Cotter, a resident of Hopewell Township for fifteen years and mother of three sons in the district. I grew up north of Pittsburgh on not-quite-a-farm of 14 acres. I was the first in my family to go to college. I went to New York University for Journalism and a minor in physics. I am a city girl with country sensibility. In education, I taught for a year at Xavier High School in New York. I was a fundraiser at a graduate school, the New York Academy of Art. In human relations, I worked at The Enrollment Management Association, which makes the testing assessment, the SSAT. In business management, I also worked in finance with Solar Capital Ltd. I am currently on the Princeton Symphony Board and its Education committee. Combined, I have a swiss army knife of skills that will bring valuable perspective to this board position.
Keithler: It would be a privilege to represent Hopewell Township residents on the HVRSD School Board. I grew up next door in Montgomery Township and graduated from Montgomery High School before college and career took me away from the area. My wife and I moved back to Central Jersey in 2020 to be closer to family and we are excited that our two boys, ages 8 and 5, are enrolled at Hopewell Elementary School. Professionally, I work in the investment office of a large insurance company. I have two decades of experience managing to department budgets and deep expertise investing in fixed income markets, including school district-issued municipal bonds. At a time when we have $80+ million of targeted capital improvements and a lot of moving pieces in the district budget, I believe my background and experience would be additive to the board.
Stylianu: Over the past year on the Hopewell Valley Regional School Board, I’ve focused on making sure every child has the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive. A few accomplishments I’m especially proud of include:
- Partnering with Bear Tavern families to secure $125,000 in state funding for an ADA-accessible playground—so every student, regardless of ability, has a place to play and build friendships.
- Advocating for student-centered discipline, which keeps kids in school through restorative practices and in-school alternatives rather than pushing them out with suspensions.
- Raising concerns about class sizes at our elementary schools, ensuring our youngest learners get the attention and support they deserve.
- Gathering community feedback on the last referendum to help shape the revised two-question referendum that will be on the ballot this November.
- Supporting social-emotional learning programs and mental health initiatives to help kids succeed.
I currently serve on the Policy, Personnel, and Social-Emotional Learning subcommittees, where I help guide decisions that prioritize children’s well-being and academic success. I am running for re-election for Hopewell Township on the Hopewell Valley Regional School District Board.
Peters: When I originally ran for office, I did so to better understand the current financial climate of the District, while doing everything possible to preserve the programming that our Community wanted unchanged. While our first referendum was voted down, I am proud of the work of the Finance Committee and the rest of the School Board on our second request for the referendum, as it required considerable harmonization with short-term challenges and long-term needs. However, that harmonization will not be done even after the referendum vote! I’m also proud that we have a school board that – oftentimes – can disagree but can do so in a civil manner. Too many times today, we see disagreement turn into a moral superiority discussion rather than an honest debate on a topic or set of issues. Our Board does a great job with disagreeing, debating, and coming to a well thought out consensus.
- 2. This fall, Hopewell Valley voters will decide on a two-question referendum. Why do you believe the community should support the referendum? If you do not support it, what alternative ideas would you suggest to address the district’s infrastructure needs?
Cotter: The referendum is not a politically divisive issue; it is a choice to financially support our school leadership by fixing bricks and mortar issues now or wait and do it later. It’s a natural thing for a crack to turn into a chasm of disrepair. I’m choosing repair over ruin. I would respect and uphold whatever the constituency chooses. However, if voted down then we are telling future educators of our district that care has been delayed. This could hurt retention of good staff. We put the onus of putting buckets down to catch dripping water due to leaky roofs on our already stressed teachers. This takes away from teaching and learning. I would vote for both parts of the referendum. I would choose to act now over allowing further deterioration, which may be more expensive later.
Keithler: I will be voting YES on both questions on the bond referendum and hope that district voters on the fence will do so as well. The headline amount on the referendum is large and I recognize the depth of skepticism in a number of corners of the community. It may take time to earn back some of the trust that has been lost, but I am committed to doing so with fiscal responsibility and deliberate, sustained transparency. In my mind, fiscal responsibility begins with acknowledging the very real issues we have and tackling them head on in our capital budget. We need to get our current Bear Tavern and Tollgate students out of trailers and establish the physical infrastructure across the district to accommodate the enrollment growth that is coming. It would be very difficult to fund these capital needs without the bond, which is why I am in favor of it. If the referendum passes, borrowing the money will be the easy part. The hard work will come on the back end: controlling costs in an inflationary environment to ensure district finances are on a sustainable footing for the long term. District voters can expect me to be a polite but persistent expense hawk if elected to the Board.
Stylianu: I strongly support both referendum questions. Question one addresses critical infrastructure needs across all six schools—projects we must do, not just nice-to-haves. Passing the referendum allows us to access state funding to help cover the cost. If we don’t, we’ll need to pay out of the operating budget, which means no state funding and devastating cuts to programs and staff. Question two focuses on classroom space at Bear Tavern and Toll Gate Elementary, where enrollment growth is straining capacity. This will reduce class sizes across all four elementary schools and, importantly, allow us to move kids out of unsafe, outdated trailers and into real classrooms.
For me, it comes down to this: either we act now and invest in safe, supportive learning environments with state funding, or we pay more later while sacrificing the quality of education our kids deserve.
Peters: Our community is at an impasse with shared services and the financial challenges those shared services currently face. Not only is our Regional District challenged, but our Emergency Services face much of the same. Inflation is very real (and no, I’m not referencing CPI, but actual inflation that many of us have seen with costs over the past 5-8 years), and those rising costs hinder public budgets. Additionally, we have three separate town governments within Hopewell Valley that do not see eye-to-eye with where the District’s importance sits amongst its constituents. Whether we want to talk about it aloud or not, PILOT programs continue to hinder the ability to truly approach long-term planning in a methodical way, much in part due to the unknowns that surround them, including but not limited to demographer reports that severely underestimate impact on school districts and shared services more broadly. To top all of this off, many of you have heard me say over and over: “Trenton does not make it easy to run a school district”, and it’s true! Laws and regulations designed to help specific issues – at scale – compound at levels that tax revenue cannot support, and Districts across the state are facing very difficult financial decisions as a result. This referendum affords us an opportunity for a long-term solution on the critical infrastructure of our regional district – including more space for our children to learn in – so we can turn our efforts to other areas where we can better monitor and control spending on behalf of the taxpayers.
- 3. Regardless of the referendum outcome, the district will continue to face challenges such as enrollment growth, rising costs, and aging infrastructure. How would you help the district move forward on these issues?
Cotter: I think if we had a dramatic reading of the budget everyone would find fault lines. The budget is really where you see solutions to all three of the concerns listed above. As the exterior world becomes more corporate and privatized, some public-school programs may need sponsorship from foundations and businesses who have moved into our county to profit from our community. In short, we need really good partnerships.
Keithler: The outcome of the bond referendum will determine whether we are able to embark on a well sequenced set of construction projects or whether we will need to spend the coming years engaged in an annual triage of emergent infrastructure issues. In either scenario, I commit to pragmatic, transparent decisions that prioritize the health and safety of our students and allow us to attract and retain world class teachers and empower them to bring their best every day to the classroom.
Stylianu: I believe in planning proactively. That means anticipating classroom space, staffing needs, and student supports so we’re not scrambling after problems arise. I’ll continue to ask tough questions about how we allocate resources, while making sure we protect the programs that make Hopewell Valley special—music, theater, robotics, art, athletics—so every child has a chance to explore their passions.
Peters: We are going to have to continue to have real discussions on where and how we are spending our money – a discussion that has been top of mind over the past three years of my first term. The #1 feedback from our community has been, do our best to minimize disruption with the programming that is loved and expected from the District. But, let me be clear – we are in a very challenging time. My goal in my second term is to work toward a long-term solution that enables us to better understand and rectify the financial position we are in, even when things may be out of our control, and that is going to mean some tough discussions with our Community. This will also require full support from Hopewell Township, Hopewell Borough, and Pennington Borough elected officials. But, our commitment remains the same – We want to provide the best environment for students to flourish, to provide them preparation for the next steps in their lives post-High School, and deliver the best educational experience possible.
- 4. How can the district ensure that all students are treated fairly and equitably, particularly in addressing any biases in policies, practices, or disciplinary actions?
Cotter: I think the programs that strengthen our students moral code are the keystone here. Character Strong, WOLFPACK Standard in Timberland Middle School and the high school program’s mental health supports are preventative to the erosion of ethical behavior. I think the menu of disciplinary actions should be clearly stated so that when a student steps out of line, the consequences are clear regardless of orientation.
Keither: This one starts at the top, ensuring that we have strong administrators that value fairness and prioritize equal treatment in the day-to-day operations of our schools. The board has a role in ensuring that expectations for administrators are clear and then holding them accountable.
Stylianu: Equity has been a cornerstone of my work on the board. This year, as a member of the Policy Committee, we expanded restorative practices in our disciplinary code, which keep kids in school, help them understand the impact of their actions, and give them the chance to repair harm. I believe fairness means holding students accountable while also supporting them to grow. Every child deserves to be guided, not pushed out, and our policies should reflect that.
Peters: Like most Districts in New Jersey, we follow policy and procedures that come down from the State that must be followed. The Administration does a terrific job ensuring that those policies are enforced all the way down to the individual school level, and the Board will continue to ensure that is happening.
- 5. Social-emotional learning: What are your views on how the district should support students of all identities, including those who identify as LGBTQ+?
Cotter: I tell my kids every morning: you never know where another person is coming from when they step on that bus. HVRSD has had the most compassionate responses to our youth, and we need to grow that and show that. The Hope Squad, Youth Mental Health First Aid, support therapy dogs and afterschool clubs for LGBTQ+ has provided oasis after oasis of safe-harbor through educating its teachers, parents and student-to-student support groups. There are non-profits that are specialty advisors in some of these areas that HVRSD have as allies.
Keithler: Again, I think it starts at the top with administrators that set a respectful, inclusive tone. My experience to date has been with Hopewell Elementary School and I love what I have seen. Personally, I have zero tolerance for bullying or any other type of activity that intentionally denigrates individuals or groups of students based on any aspect of their identity. None. I have a lot more tolerance though for the social friction that arises honestly and organically as people encounter unfamiliar social, gender, family, or cultural dynamics in our community. LGBTQ+ students can expect me to have their back, as can members of the community that have kind and earnest intentions but simply get confused on the best words to use in a particular situation.
Stylianu: I believe every child should feel safe, seen, and supported in our schools. This year, I supported a new high school requirement that ensures all students participate in a course focused on either service learning or cultural competence. This gives students the chance to work across differences, broaden their perspectives, and build respect for all identities. Social-emotional learning is not just about resilience and confidence—it’s about teaching kids to value diversity, respect one another, and contribute positively to their community.
Peters: Our district ensures that every student feels safe, respected, and ready to learn. That starts with the environment our teachers, faculty, staff, and Administration provide every day. This, coupled with state-mandated policies, provides the backbone to how our District continues to navigate Social-emotional learning.
- 6. What is your position on how the district should respond to challenges related to school library content and curricula?
Cotter: I believe a library rich in diversity is necessary for developing critical thinking. Hopewell is really where red and blue meet on the heat map; that’s a good thing. I believe we need a carousel of content where students are both informed and challenged in order for them to make their own conclusions. Of equal measure to be considered with library content is the brutal firehose of information available on phones and the internet outside of school. Inside our schools, age-appropriate content should be available to our students. When a case it brought, it should be reviewed by a committee.
Keithler: Purging libraries and curricula of any topic does nothing to remove that topic from the world our children emerge into each day at dismissal. I think it is better for our kids to encounter challenging content in district classrooms than to leave them to fend for themselves in society or worse, to encounter more extreme and grotesque discussion of the topic in the dark corners of the internet. We need to teach kids empathy, active listening, critical thinking, and the ability to articulate their own personal reactions to content they view as objectionable in a respectful and constructive manner. On that basis, I am unlikely to support the banning of content from libraries or the curriculum.
Stylianu: The school board has a responsibility to ensure that all curriculum and content is reviewed carefully and approved through a transparent process. I will not support policies that restrict content based on identity or viewpoint. Students should have access to diverse books and materials that help them learn about themselves, the world, and each other.
Peters: Similar to other “hot national hot topics”, my experience on our Board in my first term is that we’ve done a good job handling both sides of this issue. In the past year, I have not seen or heard much significant feedback from parents on either side of this particular issue that leads me to believe that our Administration is not taking the proper approach at this time.
- 7. Facilities and environmental impact: What role should the School Board play in addressing the district’s responsibility to climate change—through both education and reducing its environmental footprint?
Cotter: Privately, I’ve installed two solar arrays on properties. I’ve advocated for Indow Windows to have better HVAC in my home. However, in the large public institution like HVRSD, it might not be possible to secure updates as a priority. The school board is responsible for governance of the buildings, and the stewardship of state curricula. We have older infrastructure that it not representational of an ideal eco-friendly model. But, we can teach through engineering, clubs, science and AI, alternatives for our youth to have an awareness and economy of earth’s limited resources.
Keithler: I have a deep personal and professional interest in climate science, finance, and conservation activities. There are plenty of no cost or low cost opportunities to partner with local conservation and stewardship groups on education and resilience initiatives. These would be the easy wins. Reducing the district’s emissions footprint would be a tougher nut to crack since emissions are tied to the district’s larger, longer term assets such as building systems and the vehicle fleet. To some degree, our footprint will reduce organically as older assets reach the end of their useful lives and we replace them with newer, more efficient hardware. But given the many significant fiscal items to be managed over the next few years, it would not be practical to retire currently productive assets (vehicles, HVAC systems, etc.) prior to the end of their useful lives solely to achieve emissions reduction targets.
Stylianu: The board plays a vital role in addressing the district’s responsibility to climate change. Recently, our Climate Committee shared ways the district can reduce its environmental impact, and I fully support continuing that work. If the referendum passes, it will be an especially important opportunity to ensure infrastructure improvements and building expansions are both environmentally and fiscally responsible. On the education side, I believe we must prepare students to understand and respond to the climate challenges they’ll face in their lifetimes. That means continuing to weave sustainability and environmental responsibility into learning at every level. Learn more about my vision at https://voteamandahvrsd.com/school
Peters: The Board continues to weigh all options related to infrastructure impacts that may be beneficial to green initiatives. In some cases, those options are more financially advantageous while in other cases, they are a considerably higher cost. While that may be difficult for some to hear, given the current financial challenge we are in today, we must take into consideration the potential financial impact on many large-scale projects. That being said, I have been impressed with the Board’s general consensus in wanting to be proactive (when we can) related to our impact on green initiatives and climate change.
Bonus Question: Do you read MercerMe for local news? If not, how do you stay informed about what’s happening in Hopewell Valley?
Keithler: Yes, I read MercerMe and all of the local newspapers. Additionally, I am involved in a number of local community organizations and am known by others to be an active and earnest listener, regardless of the opinions of those with whom I am engaged.
Stylianu: Yes, I read MercerMe regularly and deeply appreciate their commitment to covering education and local issues in Hopewell Valley. It’s a vital resource for staying connected to what’s happening in our community.
Peters: I love independent journalism & MercerMe is great!
