Save Holmdel Students
Your Voice Matters
Last year, concerned parents highlighted the long history of Terence Wall’s behavior of harassment, intimidation and bullying and concluded that he is not fit to be on the Holmdel Board of Education. See Terence Wall.
Despite that, Chris DiMare unabashedly endorsed and supported Terence Wall even after all the information came to light.
This year, Chris DiMare is endorsing two incumbents, Jeff Mann and John Buckley, and a new candidate Kevin Schroeter. That alone probably should tell you who you should not vote for.
Mann Buckley and Schroeter are claiming credit for everything good that has happened to our school district. But let’s take a look at their specific actions, in particular, Jeff Mann and John Buckley.
Failing Report Card
Did you know that since Chris DiMare, Jeff Mann and John Buckley joined the Holmdel BOE, our school taxes have gone up 16% or $9 million.
From the district’s budget presentations (comparing the 2022-23 to 2025-2026) with the change over the last three budget cycle:
Tax Levy (Local Property Taxes – General, i.e., excluding debt service):
From $56,368,485 (2022-23) to $65,317,943 (2025-26) = $8.95 million or 16% increase
The school tax hikes are out-of-control.
Is this what they self-described as "proven leadership" and "measurable results"? Is this the kind of leadership you want to re-elect to our school board?
Lying to Holmdel Residents
On October 15th, Mann Buckley Schroeter falsely claimed on their Facebook page that their rivals Joanne Lam, Brittany Manning and Dr. Greg Fernandez “have pledged to follow whatever Trenton dictates and are backed by those who supported keeping Policy 5756 in our schools.
They were quickly called out by Lam Manning Fernandez on their Facebook page the next day:
“Mann, Buckley and Schroeter must be getting desperate – now they are lying to Holmdel residents.
…
We advocate for parental rights and for any parent who wants to be involved in their child’s education. We have no plans to change the BOE’s Repeal of Policy 5756.
If Mann and Buckley had shown up at the CILU forum, they’d have heard it straight from us.”
Is lying to Holmdel residents a part of what they self-described as “proven leadership”? Is this the kind of leadership you want to re-elect to our school board?
See link below for the response by Lam Manning Fernandez: https://www.facebook.com/holmdeleducationnotpolitics
Teachers' Contract
Failing Grade?
UNPREPARED, even with 2 months to prepare
John Buckley and Chris DiMare want you to believe that they are working hard on the teachers’ contract negotiation.
It’s not a secret when the teachers’ contract was ending. This is a known fact for a long time.
But did you know that John Buckley is the BOE member leading the negotiation for the new teachers’ contract? Even though it took more than 2 months to schedule the first mediation meeting, John Buckley and the school attorney were NOT prepared for the meeting and said so at the meeting. No proposal was presented by Buckley and Company. That meeting was then cancelled, wasting everybody’s time and money.
The teachers have now started the school year with no contract.
Is this what they self-described as "proven leadership" and "measurable results"? Is this the kind of "unprepared" leadership you want to re-elect to our school board?
On Oct. 16, 2025, HTEA posted on their Facebook page more insights on the negotiation process: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17u9yW1tMB/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Mann Buckley Schroeter Withdraw from Holmdel BOE Race???
On Monday, Oct. 6th, Holmdel BOE candidates Jeff Mann, John Buckley and Kevin Schroeter filed a report with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission indicating that they were running for Holmdel town council as Republican candidates. See the picture of the report below.
Are these three candidates running against Greg Buontempo and Brian Foster?
Should we interpret this to mean that they are not running for the Holmdel school board election (which differs from the town council election and is nonpartisan with no party affiliation) and should be removed from the BOE ballot?
Was this a Freudian slip or just incompetence?
In September, Mann, Buckley and Schroeter put up a banner at DePalma Farm in direct violation of Holmdel law. Now, it seems like they don’t know or can’t decide which office they are running for.
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In November, Holmdel residents will have to decide whether to trust this kind of “proven leadership” with their children’s education.
Buckley and Mann on HFA Lawsuit
In August 2025, two Holmdel mothers filed a lawsuit against the Holmdel Football Association, claiming a coach ripped a helmet off a 7-year old child’s head and then screamed at another child, calling him a “quitter”. See links to two articles below.
Both John Buckley and Jeff Mann are involved as football coaches, but neither candidate has made any comments about the incidents.
Holmdel school district has a code called Holmdel BLUE: Be Respectful, Live Responsibly, Uphold Fairness and Embrace Citizenship. As members of Holmdel BOE, their silence is deafening!
This is not a surprise considering their views on school bullying. Watch what they had to say when asked about the issue of school bullying at the candidate’s forum in 2022. See the videos below.
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Is this what they self-described as "proven leadership" and "measurable results"? Is this the kind of leadership you want to re-elect to our school board?
Links to articles on the lawsuit
Patch article: https://patch.com/new-jersey/holmdel-hazlet/holmdel-youth-football-coach-yanked-7-year-old-s-helmet-berated-players
NJ.com article: https://www.nj.com/monmouth/2025/09/nj-youth-football-coach-ripped-helmet-off-7-year-olds-head-screamed-at-players-lawsuit-says.html
Buckley and Mann on Bullying
John Buckley on Bullying
Jeff Mann on Bullying
Busing Fiasco and Budget Deficit
In support of Terence Wall and Chris DiMare, John Buckley and Jeff Mann voted yes in 2024 to underfund transportation expenditure, which, coupled with the change in HHS start time, led to the busing fiasco last September.
It was also known at the beginning of 2025 that the school district has a major deficit looming, but both Buckley and Mann voted for a budget that depended on a $600,000 bailout from the Holmdel Township Committee and “kicked the can” down the road to 2026. Is this because this is a re-election year for both Buckley and Mann?
Mann, in a 2022 Asbury Park Press article, admitted that he was a bad student and went through their savings pretty quickly because he didn’t change his spending habits after losing his job in 2008.
Is this what they self-described as "proven leadership" and "measurable results"? Is this the kind of leadership you want to re-elect to our school board with a looming $2.5 million deficit?
DePalma Farm Political Signs
Holmdel has an ordinance that specifically prohibits political signs at DePalma Farm. But that didn’t stop BOE candidates Jeff Mann, John Buckley and Kevin Schroeter from erecting a giant banner and putting up lawn signs at DePalma Farm.
Is flouting Holmdel law part of the self-proclaimed “proven leadership” and “measurable results” that Mann Buckley and Schroeter like to tout? Is this the kind of leadership you want to re-elect to our school board?
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NOTE: As of October 5, 2025, the DePalma banner was finally removed and is no longer there.
Jeff Mann and his attendance
Ask Jeff Mann how many meetings (Board meeting, Committee as a Whole and Subcommittees) has he attended versus meetings that he missed? As a BOE member, shouldn't he be at more meetings?
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Is this what they self-described as "proven leadership" and "measurable results"? Is this the kind of leadership you want to re-elect to our school board?
Jeff Mann and his Cleaning Service
The school district has notified the union that paraprofessionals could be laid off and "privatized"? The privatization of janitors is also on the table. We know from history and Holmdel's bus drivers experiment that privatization don't work to the benefit of the school district.
Did you know that Jeff Mann owns a cleaning service? Will he recuse himself on voting on this issue at BOE meetings and agree not to submit any response to Holmdel's RFP for cleaning services? Or will Mann put his self-interest first?
Is this what they self-described as "proven leadership" and "measurable results"? Is this the kind of leadership you want to re-elect to our school board?