Vote November 8th!
Who We are
About Us
Pepper Evans has been a resident of Mercer County for over a half-century, forty years in Lawrence. Widowed in 2005, she raised her two daughters in partnership with Lawrence Township Public Schools. Now in their twenties, they are both college graduates making meaningful contributions to society. Pepper has fostered several successful entrepreneurial enterprises and now works as an independent living consultant helping older adults age with dignity. She is also a long-time staff member of the Silver Century Foundation, a private family foundation that addresses ageism and proactive aging issues. Previously, she was a Founding Board Member and served as the first Board President of HomeFront. On the Board, she chairs the Finance Committee, chaired CIAPD for many years, and served on the others as a committee person.
Michelle King is a 24 year Lawrence Township resident, and she and her husband have 5 daughters, ages 17-28 years old. She has served for 6 years on the Lawrence BOE, and is currently chair of the CIAPD committee, as well as a member of the Finance committee, DEI committee, and the Guidance and Mental Health committee. Previously, she has also served on CR&LA and Negotiations. Her professional background includes teaching special education, as well as serving as part-time faculty at TCNJ School of Education for the past 19 years.
Amanda Santos works as a Procurement Specialist for the State of New Jersey, and also runs a private music lesson studio in Lawrence. She has three children- her youngest is preschool-aged, her middle attends Lawrence Intermediate School, and her oldest attends Mercer Elementary School, a school for students with disabilities. Amanda has served on the Board for 1 year. She is currently the chair of the Equity Committee, a member of the CIAPD and Community Relations committees, and is the liaison for Special Education.
Experience & Education
Pepper Evans
Pepper is committed to becoming a highly-trained school board member. Building on her Certified Board Leader certificate, she earned Master Board Member, ultimately reaching the highest level from the Board Member Academy, Certified Board Leader. Passionate about reading, she tries to meet the 100-Book Challenge each year.
Pepper is vying for a fourth term on the Board of Education. Before her board service, she served three three-year terms on the Lawrence Township Board of Education, including a year as Vice President and President. She was active in the PTO in her daughters’ schools and served as PTO President. Additionally, she was a Girl Scout leader for many years and coached Rec sports teams.
Michelle King
BA in Special Education from LaSalle University,1986
MA in Educational Psychology from Temple University, 1989
PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from University of Pennsylvania, 1997
Michelle Is proud of her service thus far on the school board. She has been a strong advocate for increased guidance and counseling services throughout the district and has supported developing a variety of strong instructional programs that can serve our special needs population from preschool to the end of their school years, Michelle manages the board self-evaluation process to insure that our board continues to set worthy goals and to demonstrate growth themselves. Her experience on the board includes work on several committees, such as curriculum and instruction, community relations, negotiations, and finance.
Amanda Santos
American Public University, 2022, M.A. in Political Science
Westminster Choir College of Rider University, 2017, M.A. in Vocal Pedagogy
Westminster Choir College of Rider University, 2006, B.A. in Music
She was appointed to the Board of Ed in August 2021, and would like to continue working towards a more inclusive and dynamic school district. As Chair of the Equity committee, she is working on creating more opportunities for student activities to include all students, regardless of ability.
Our priorities
Pepper Evans
"I am running for another term to
continue the commitment to meeting student needs with an emphasis on social-emotional
learning, supporting staff to offer high-quality academics for all students, and building
relationships with our diverse student body to prepare them for whatever the future may hold"
Michelle King
"My current goals/positions include advocating for increased documentation of progress towards the Strategic Plan goals, and to continue to provide a high level of Social and Emotional Support for all students in spite of funding changes"
Amanda Santos
"My number one priority is supporting our students' mental health and restoring academic achievement, particularly after the past few years of uncertainty and struggle"
