By Donald Gilpin
In what is usually the most hotly contested race on the Princeton ballot, the School Board election this November will see just three candidates running for three available positions.
Dafna Kendal will be serving a fourth three-year term on the Princeton Public Schools (PPS) Board of Education (BOE), Susan Kanter a third term, and Erica Snyder will become a new member of the Board on January 1, 2026. Debbie Bronfeld will be stepping down at the end of this year after nine years on the Board.
With a new superintendent, Mike LaSusa, in place since July 1, the PPS seems to have entered a period of relative harmony and stability after several years marked by some turbulence and rapid administrative turnover.
“I’ve decided to run for reelection because I believe continuity is critical,” Kendal, who is currently Board president, wrote in an email. “The district is moving in the right direction, and we have a dynamic and energized administrative team under the leadership of our new superintendent, Dr. LaSusa. The Board and administration are working collaboratively, and I believe it’s important to maintain that momentum by ensuring consistent, steady leadership to support the great work happening in our schools.”
Kendal serves on the Board’s Equity, Personnel, and Student Achievement committees.
Kanter, the BOE vice president, echoed Kendal’s sentiments. She went on to point out some of her priorities in the coming term. “I am excited and invigorated to continue my work as I seek my third term working on the Princeton Board of Education,” she said. “The next three years will provide unique opportunities and challenges for our district. In serving on the Board, students have always been and will continue to be my prime focus, both in terms of meeting educational expectations and emotional needs. I look forward to supporting our new superintendent in meeting these goals.”
She continued, “I do not want to minimize the challenges this district will face as we navigate Princeton’s expected growth and other potential changes to our financial model. In my first two terms I served as co-chair of the Operations Committee, as well as a member and co-chair of the Long-Term Planning Committee. I hope to continue to use this experience to focus on both long-term and short-term financial planning, implementing referenda with fidelity, as well as supporting building maintenance and technology needs. I believe my experience and enthusiasm on these committees as well as my current postings on Policy and Student Achievement, and the year I have spent as vice president of the Board, will allow me to effectively meet the demands our district will face in the coming years.”
Snyder, a former high school teacher, K-12 professional development coach and instructional technology specialist with more than 20 years’ experience in education, was the first runner up in last year’s BOE election, placing a close fourth in a six-person race for three seats.
She wrote in an email that she “is looking forward to bringing her knowledge and experience to the Board to help tackle: the intentional use of technology across the district to improve student outcomes and create engaging learning experiences; the need for all students to have access to an appropriately rigorous curriculum that provides a more advanced and deeper dive into a subject without specifically teaching to a test; and the smooth transition of new staff, including the superintendent, as well as helping the schools and families navigate the upcoming challenges of construction and growth.”
Snyder went on to say that she “is also committed to continuing to build better communication and cooperation between the Board and the town, the schools, and the wider community.”