Frank Heelan

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Frank Heelan

Prior offices:

Edison Township Public Schools school board, At-large

Years in office: 2011 - 2017

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Education

Bachelor's

Fordham University

Ph.D

Columbia University, Teachers College

Graduate

New York University

Personal

Profession

Educator

Frank Heelan was an at-large member of the Edison Township school board in New Jersey. He won re-election in a general election on April 23, 2014. He did not file for another term in 2017.

Biography

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Heelan earned his bachelor's degree from Fordham University, his master's degree from New York University, and his Ph.D. in educational administration from Columbia University's Teachers College. Before retiring, he served as an educator and district superintendent for 25 years in the Manville School District in New Jersey and the Tuxedo Union Free School District in New York. Heelan also served as the president of the School Development Council in Rutgers University's Graduate School of Education.

Elections

2014

See also: Edison Township Public Schools elections (2014)

Frank Heelan, fellow incumbent Jingwei Shi, and newcomer Beth Moroney defeated five challengers to win the three at-large seats in the general election on April 23, 2014. Shi, Heelan, and Shivi Prasad-Madhukar campaigned as one slate and Moroney, Kiel Thoms, and Chang-Hui Shen campaigned as a separate "Team E3" slate.

Results

Edison Township Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 3-year term, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Beth Moroney	18.1%	2,133
	Nonpartisan	Frank Heelan Incumbent	17.7%	2,089
	Nonpartisan	Jingwei Shi Incumbent	15%	1,768
	Nonpartisan	Shivi Prasad-Madhukar	13.4%	1,581
	Nonpartisan	Kiel Thoms	12.4%	1,466
	Nonpartisan	Patrick Amaral	11.5%	1,353
	Nonpartisan	Chang-Hui Shen	8%	945
	Nonpartisan	Naseeruddin Mohammad	4%	473
Total Votes				11,808
Source: Edison Township Public Schools, "Public BOE Meeting - Reorganization Meeting," April 28, 2014

Funding

Heelan did not report any campaign contributions or expenditures to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission during the election.

Endorsements

Heelan did not receive any official endorsements for his campaign.

2011

Edison Township Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 3-year term, 2011
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Sapana Shah	16.2%	3,152
	Nonpartisan	Gene I. Maeroff Incumbent	15.7%	3,038
	Nonpartisan	Frank Heelan	14.1%	2,741
	Nonpartisan	Anu Garrison	13.8%	2,682
	Nonpartisan	Anthony Massaro	13.4%	2,601
	Nonpartisan	Lois Yukna	10%	1,935
	Nonpartisan	William F. Brunner Incumbent	6.7%	1,307
	Nonpartisan	William Van Pelt	5.4%	1,057
	Nonpartisan	Arthur Esposito	4.6%	886
Total Votes				19,399
Source: The Star-Ledger, "Middlesex County 2011 school election results," April 28, 2011

2009

Edison Township Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 3-year term, 2009
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Deborah Anes Incumbent	16.1%	3,030
	Nonpartisan	Joseph Romano Incumbent	14.8%	2,779
	Nonpartisan	David Dickinson Incumbent	13.7%	2,566
	Nonpartisan	Frank Heelan	13.5%	2,538
	Nonpartisan	Alka Aneja	11.6%	2,184
	Nonpartisan	Ralph Errico	9.1%	1,711
	Nonpartisan	Natu Patel	8.6%	1,620
	Nonpartisan	John Szilagyi Jr	7.2%	1,343
	Nonpartisan	Christina Olsen-Hussein	5.3%	991
Total Votes				18,762
Source: Michael Rispoli, The Star-Ledger, "Middlesex County school election results," April 22, 2009

Campaign themes

2014

Heelan shared a campaign website with Jingwei Shi and Shivi Prasad-Madhukar where they listed themes for their 2014 campaigns:

“	Students First Every act by a school board should be based on what is best for students. A school system exists primarily to advance the interests of the students, not the interests of the adults. Independence and Integrity We three candidates pledge to always act with integrity. Furthermore, we are independent and not beholden to any group or organization. In addition, none of us has or will have a relative working for the system. Fiscal Responsibility Taxpayers of Edison are shouldering a huge burden to support their public schools. They pay 90% of the costs whereas, in the average school district in the State, the local taxpayers provide only 56% of the operating funds. We will always spend money responsibly and with full appreciation of the needs of taxpayers. Governance Governance is the work of school boards. They do not administer the schools. That is the job of the superintendent and those he/she recommends for the various positions. Meddling in the work of employees by board members is called “micromanagement”: it is improper and we deplore it. Openness There will be no secrets on the school board on which we serve. We will fully divulge what we do to the extent legally permissible and air the issues. The people pay the bills and they have a right to know what is happening.	”
—Jerry Shi, Frank Heelan and Shivi Pradad's slate campaign website (2014)

2009

Heelan's former campaign website listed the following campaign themes for 2009:

“	Education The Edison Board of Education needs to improve in several areas if students are to prosper in its schools. They must provide more computers and upgrade the wiring infrastructure. Students taking Advanced Placement courses should receive greater incentives to earn college credit by taking the AP tests; currently, only one of three students enrolled in AP courses is tested. The World Language offerings must be vetted and changed, if necessary, so that our students are properly prepared for the evolving global society of the future. Due to the high number of student suspensions relative to state averages in the high schools and middle schools, a program to reduce student suspensions should be launched, following the example of the in-school suspension program at Edison High School. Fiscal Responsibility The Board should oversee taxpayers’ money with greater prudence and frugality, especially in these stressful times with Edison residents losing their jobs and foreclosing on their homes. The current leadership of the Edison Board has squandered taxpayer resources by unilaterally placing a superintendent on leave for two and a half years at a cost of $500,000. The Board Leadership has failed to carry out its key job of searching for and hiring the most qualified superintendent. All decisions of the Board, including raising the required graduation credits from 115 to 130, must consider the fiscal implications to taxpayers relative to the educational benefit to students. School Overcrowding The Edison community has displayed its distrust of Board leadership by rejecting several recent bond referenda to relieve the overcrowded conditions of Edison’s Public Schools. Student enrollment in the District for the 20 year period from 1988 to 2008 has increased over 40% with only a modest amount of classrooms added to accommodate the increased number of students. Science classrooms and labs must replace “science on a cart” with adequate instructional spaces to compete with other global students in an increasingly scientific world of the future. The taxpayers need a School Board with leadership they can trust to create a long-term plan to address the overcrowded conditions of Edison’s schools, balancing the student enrollment cycles with the affordability of Edison’s taxpayers. Accountability The Board should be accountable and should listen to the public. Some members of the current Board have conflicts of interest with family members as employees and consequently are ineligible to vote on many critical issues that come before the Board. I have no conflicts of interests, no family members on the District payroll nor do I have any personal interest in businesses dealing with the District. Students deserve the best teachers and staff based on ability and I will uphold integrity in the hiring and promotion process.	”
—Frank Heelan's campaign website, (2009)

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term "Frank + Heelan + Edison + Township + Public + Schools"

Frank Heelan News Feed

See also

• Edison Township Public Schools, New Jersey
• Edison Township Public Schools elections (2014)

External links

Suggest a link

• Edison Township Public Schools
• Office website
• Campaign website (dead link)
• Facebook page
• 2009 campaign website