Natalia Ioffe

Natalia Ioffe is an at-large member of the Jersey City Public Schools Board of Education in New Jersey. She assumed office on January 5, 2022. Her current term ends in 2028.

Ioffe ran for re-election for an at-large seat of the Jersey City Public Schools Board of Education in New Jersey. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Ioffe completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Natalia Ioffe was born in Kyiv, Ukraine. She graduated from George Washington High School. She attended Temple University and earned a bachelor's degree from Pace University in 2005. Her career experience includes working as a business operator.^[1]

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Jersey City Public Schools Board of Education At-large (3 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Jersey City Public Schools Board of Education At-large on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Matthew Schneider (Nonpartisan)	18.8	21,655
✔		Tia Rezabala (Nonpartisan)	17.0	19,603
✔		Natalia Ioffe (Nonpartisan)	16.5	19,073
		Melany Cruz Burgos (Nonpartisan)	15.9	18,327
	Submit photo	Ahmed Kheir (Nonpartisan)	15.3	17,696
	Submit photo	Sumit Salia (Nonpartisan)	9.4	10,844
	Submit photo	Miriam Tawfiles (Nonpartisan)	6.1	7,021
		Other/Write-in votes	1.1	1,225

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 115,444
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Gopanand Srinivasarao (Nonpartisan)

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Ioffe in this election.

2021

General election

General election for Jersey City Public Schools Board of Education At-large (3 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Jersey City Public Schools Board of Education At-large on November 2, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Paula Jones-Watson (Nonpartisan)	23.6	17,515
✔	Submit photo	Younass Mohamed Barkouch (Nonpartisan)	19.8	14,654
✔		Natalia Ioffe (Nonpartisan)	19.5	14,476
	Submit photo	Erika Baez (Nonpartisan)	9.9	7,327
	Submit photo	Doris Ervin (Nonpartisan)	8.9	6,606
	Submit photo	Thyson Halley (Nonpartisan)	8.3	6,178
	Submit photo	Vishesh Modi (Nonpartisan)	5.0	3,730
	Submit photo	Afaf Muhammad (Nonpartisan)	4.6	3,430
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	193

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 74,109
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Asad Dar (Nonpartisan)

2018

See also: Jersey City Public Schools elections (2018)

General election

General election for Jersey City Public Schools Board of Education At-large (3 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Jersey City Public Schools Board of Education At-large on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Marilyn Roman (Nonpartisan)	21.9	26,161
✔		Mussab Ali (Nonpartisan)	19.0	22,667
✔	Submit photo	Joan Terrell-Paige (Nonpartisan)	17.2	20,573
		Vidya Gangadin (Nonpartisan)	11.2	13,379
	Submit photo	Dominique Smith (Nonpartisan)	11.0	13,100
	Submit photo	Neil Abadie (Nonpartisan)	9.1	10,875
		Natalia Ioffe (Nonpartisan)	5.7	6,801
		Asmaa Abdalla (Nonpartisan)	4.8	5,698
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	241

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 119,495
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

John Hanussak (Nonpartisan)
Yousef Saleh (Nonpartisan)

2016

See also: Jersey City Public Schools elections (2016)

Three of the nine seats on the Jersey City Public Schools Board of Education were up for at-large general election on November 8, 2016. No incumbents filed for re-election. Ten candidates filed in the race, including former candidate Gina Verdibello and former board member Angel Valentin. They faced eight newcomers: Asmaa Abdalla, Mussab Ali, Luis Fernandez, Kimberly Goycochea, Natalia Ioffe, Mark Rowan, Sudhan Thomas, and Matthew Schapiro. Valentin, Fernandez, and Thomas won in the general election. Three candidates filed in the race but withdrew their candidacy and did not appear on the ballot: Dominique Lee, DeJon Morris, and Jose Vasquez.^[2]^[3]

Results

Jersey City Public Schools, At-large General Election, 3-year terms, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Angel Valentin	15.96%	16,308
Sudhan Thomas	15.69%	16,033
Luis Fernandez	13.24%	13,534
Gina Verdibello	12.54%	12,815
Matthew Schapiro	12.34%	12,615
Asmaa Abdalla	11.01%	11,252
Mussab Ali	6.15%	6,290
Natalia Ioffe	5.27%	5,389
Mark Rowan	4.14%	4,231
Kimberly Goycochea	3.66%	3,736
Total Votes		102,203
Source: NJ.com, "Hudson County real-time election results 2016," November 8, 2016 These election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Natalia Ioffe completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ioffe's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Natalia Ioffe is an immigrant from Ukraine, living in the US since 1992. She is a product of Philadelphia public schools and has a degree in International Management from Pace University. She has been living in Jersey City since 2005, with her husband and two children - both Jersey City Public School students. Natalia served on the parent council of Cornelia F. Bradford School, raising funds to support school needs and training new parent council teams in non-profit operations and understanding district policies. Natalia's service to the local community included volunteering with various neighborhood groups. Since being elected to the JCBOE in 2021, Natalia has served as VP and President of the Board. Her priorities on the BOE have been to maintain a balanced yet fiscally responsible budget, minimizing the impact to the local taxpayers, and facilitating the successful formation of the Jersey City Public Schools non-profit Foundation.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Dedicated to transparency and demystifying the school budget
Advocate with every level of government, to ensure that Jersey City Public Schools are adequately and equitably funded
Work to raise non-profit revenues to support the needs of Jersey City Public Schools

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Public school funding

Vocational programs for public school students

Refugee support programs

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

There are two historical figures and one contemporary one that I look up to.

1. Cornelia Foster Bradford, who was a reformer of the child labor laws in Jersey City, responsible for improving lives of poor immigrant children living in the slums and working in factories since very young age. She ensured the creation of the first free kindergarten in Jersey City, fought for rights of poor children to have access to education, and was the first woman in Jersey City to serve on the school board, appointed by Mayor Otto Wittpenn in 1912.
2. Janusz Korczak (born Henryk Goldszmit) who was a Polish pediatrician and an educator who managed an orphanage and wrote some of the most poignant books on what it means to care for children and to treat them as real people with pasts and futures. His writings prepared me for parenthood better than any self-help literature. It should be said that Korczak perished in the Holocaust along with all the children in his care, refusing to leave their side.

3. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, because as a former comedian he was considered the least likely to succeed in the role of a national leader. However, in the moment of the highest danger he made a choice not to flee for safety, but to risk everything and stand by the people that needed him to be strong, for better or worse.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

John Adams (2008 TV series)

The Restless Wave, a memoir by John McCain

Up the Down Staircase, a novel by Bel Kaufman

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty with oneself and others, willingness to admit error of judgement, transparency, consistency, willingness to work toward a goal no matter how long it takes or if it is a goal that does not bring spotlight. Willingness to pay it forward for future generations, without seeking instant gratification or reward. Elevating and finding ways to invest into those that are most vulnerable, particularly children. It is better to make small progress and pave the way than to give up and make no progress at all.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Constancy, patience, adaptability to change, being mission-focused, willingness to always think outside of the box and seek innovative solutions.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Willingness to serve others and lead through service.

Being an innovative and courageous thinker when seeking solutions for difficult problems.
Being honest and consistent.
Avoiding making promises you cannot keep.
Staying humble and do not be afraid to fail, trying again.

Always have a contingency plan.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Hopefully, legacy of good works, having done something to improve lives of children.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Chernobyl reactor explosion in Ukraine in April 1986, when I was 6 years old. Like many other children I was evacuated from Kyiv because of the threat of radiation cloud expanding. My grandfather was one of the chief executives in charge of the liquidation efforts, and he died as a result of radiation exposure after visiting the reactor site.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Cleaning and stocking a vegetable store when I was 13, for about a year.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Count of the Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, because it is about patience, perseverance and personal growth in the circumstances of complete despair, and carries a moral lesson that redemption is more powerful than retribution.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Jessica Fletcher, as played by Angela Lansbury, in the TV show "Murder She Wrote".

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

"It's Probably Me" by Sting

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Becoming accustomed to betrayals, which is common in politics.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

To evaluate (hire as needed) the Superintendent of Schools in accordance with clearly established goals and state standards.

To create policies that adhere to state laws, and ensure thorough and efficient education of students as well as positive and productive environment for staff.
To be the liaison between the District Administration (mainly Superintendent) and the community.

To advocate for support of public schools with local and state government.

Who are your constituents?

Students, parents and employees of Jersey City Public Schools, as well as residents that support public schools via their property taxes.

How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?

By ensuring that the schools are adequately funded, that the unique needs of every child are met in a way that can help them succeed. Build public-private partnerships via the non-profit Foundation to raise funds for the needs of schools.

How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?

Using the platform of the Jersey City Public School Foundation, build a network of corporate donors and alumni that can support the school district to compensate for extensive cuts in state funding in recent years.

What constitutes good teaching? How will you measure this? How will you support advanced teaching approaches?

Good teaching is measured by student academic and personal success, whether it is test scores or graduation rates, but also the willingness of students to return to school and complete their education after life circumstances prevented them from doing so at the same time as their peers. Seeing the graduates in the adult education program shows that the powerful impact and impression made by inspiring teacher that helps adult students overcome challenges and reach their potential.

In what areas would you like to expand curriculum? For example, do you see a need for advanced technical training or apprenticeships? What sort of innovative programming would you advance if given the opportunity?

Personally I would like to expand the number of honors and AP classes available to all high school students throughout the district, as well as expand the magnet programs on middle school level. Also I would like to see specialized Arts and STEM programs and opportunities for vocational skills on a high school level. This will help make our district more competitive as a learning environment and expand opportunities for our students, better preparing them for the future of their choice.

What strategies or plans would you advance to ensure the schools are properly funded?

By focusing on non-profit fundraising, advocating to restore state funding, and seeking more collaborative partnerships with the municipal and county government to save costs and expand opportunities.

What principles drive your policies for safety in schools?

Each policy should be rooted in the context of how it will make our district a better place to work/study in and whether the policies are inclusive and cognizant of the diverse population of our schools, both employees and staff.

How might you support the mental health needs of students/faculty/staff?

One of our district's top Strategic Plan priorities is the social-emotional health of the students. I would work to ensure that the investments in therapy services, mental health clinics and other methods of support do not diminish but continue and expand district wide.

Tell us your favorite joke.

The essence of Jewish optimism is that things can always get worse.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Jersey City Education Association (JCEA)

Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO)

Elect Women NJ

Describe your ideal learning environment for students.

An ideal learning environment accounts for the unique needs of every child. Jersey City ranks as the most diverse city in the nation, it continues to grow in population and wealth. However it is important to note that in Jersey City public schools - minority students make up the majority, two-thirds of them are classified as economically disadvantaged and a large percentage are English language learners. Each of these children comes with a set of unique needs that must be met in order for them to succeed.
To reach every child on their level, the classrooms must be adequately staffed, which in the time of nationwide teacher shortage can only be accomplished by competitive salaries. Additionally the district needs continuous support programs, academic, social-emotional and vocational (as well as family support) to be able to truly help each child.

How do you feel like your school district handled the coronavirus pandemic? What, if anything, would you do differently in the future?

Jersey City Public Schools was one of the first districts to embrace zoom learning to ensure the continuity of education. As soon as it was safe to reopen schools, the district administration and the school board made sure to continuously listen to parent needs as well as CDC guidelines to return to in-person learning in a safe way. To address the learning loss and provide mental health support the district expanded summer learning and additional tutoring services as needed, as well as opened mental health services in several schools.

What will you do to build a relationship with parents in the district?

Informational sessions and town halls and by visiting meetings of local neighborhood organizations.

What are your preferred strategies for faculty, staff, and administration recruitment?

Successful recruitment is best accomplished by offering competitive salaries and benefits. It is also important to work with the municipal government to create living incentives for public school employees, such as discounted parking permits and workforce housing.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

The government should be accountable to the people in its financial dealings. Public records of financial reports and transactions should be easily accessible to the press and the public, as per the open public record laws. In my experience consistent government transparency results in greater support from the public.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2021

Natalia Ioffe did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.

External links

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Candidate

Jersey City Public Schools Board of Education At-large

Personal

Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 16, 2024
↑ Mandy Gillip, "Phone conversation with district business administration office," August 2, 2016
↑ Hudson County View, "Newark BRICK Academy Schools CEO withdraws from Jersey City BOE race," September 7, 2016

[1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 16, 2024

[2] Mandy Gillip, "Phone conversation with district business administration office," August 2, 2016

[3] Hudson County View, "Newark BRICK Academy Schools CEO withdraws from Jersey City BOE race," September 7, 2016

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Natalia Ioffe

Contents

Biography

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Jersey City Public Schools Board of Education At-large (3 seats)

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Endorsements

2021

General election

General election for Jersey City Public Schools Board of Education At-large (3 seats)

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2018

General election

General election for Jersey City Public Schools Board of Education At-large (3 seats)

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2016

Results

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

2021

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

Trending

Public Policy

Information for candidates

Get Engaged

Services

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