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West Milford Democratic Club hosts West Milford Board of Education "Meet The Candidates" night...
Recently, the West Milford Democratic Club hosted a non-partisan "Meet the Candidates" event at Momento's Restaurant in anticipation of the West Milford Board of Education elections. The following is a series of email responses to questions of the candidates for which there was no time to answer that night.
"Are you in favor of SROs in the school and would you be willing to reimburse the Township for the cost of providing SROs in each school?" Gruber: I am in favor of having SROs in the schools and would be glad to reimburse the Township if money was available in the budget. I am very appreciative of the Township's generosity. Schultz: No Response Gerst: No. I'm very unhappy that we need security cameras and guards in our schools. Not all NJ schools have security guards and I'm surprised West Milford does. I would like to look into the reasons why we feel we need them and go after that issue. If they are needed now then so be it. That is something that needs to be fully analyzed. School should be a place of learning and the environment should be conducive to that. Conlon: I am greatly in favor of having SROs in our schools assuming there was an agreement formulated and agreed to by the school district and West Milford Police Department. Should staffing and personnel at WMPD allow for the availability of officers to be stationed in our schools during the academic day, I would encourage this presence in our buildings. As it currently stands in the proposed and adopted 2011-12 school budget, our district is losing the equivalent of one full-time security guard in Macopin Middle School and West Milford High School. This loss of security personnel is detrimental to the scholastic environment in these buildings. Our district students should be worrying about their studies, not their safety. With regard to funding, if our budget situation allowed for us to compensate WMPD for these officers' services and that was a critical part of the negotiations, I would be willing to consider this expenditure if it meant keeping our children safe and bringing programs like DARE (Drug and Alcohol Resistance Education) back into our schools. "Should education be improved in the 5 schools? Why or why not? If yes, how?" Gruber: Education is always evolving. There are always new and improved curriculums to consider. I am not a teacher and defer to the experts (teachers, curriculum coordinators, supervisors) to inform me of necessary updates that are educationally relevant. Schultz: In my opinion, there's always room for improvement as far as education is concerned. We have 6 elementary schools in West Milford, so I'm not sure which 5 schools the question pertains to. Nevertheless, the state has established a list of Core Curriculum Content Standards to guide school board members toward subject matter that should be included in programs of instruction in school districts. The manner in which the curriculum is presented to students obviously varies due to several factors, such as the personality of the class, student needs, teaching styles&ldots;etc. One of the ongoing district goals is to expand and strengthen the learning experiences and academic performance of all students through specific grade level activities. Those involved in this initiative include the Director of Education, Teachers, Department Supervisors and Building Principals. There are various evaluation methods put in place which include assessments and data to guide instruction. Through vertical & horizontal articulation, an improvement plan is created to address deficient areas as well as an implementation plan for the proficient areas. Gerst: Education should always be improved. We should search for cost effective new ideas being implemented in other schools and try them here. Conlon: I am assuming you are referring to the five elementary schools (excluding Maple Road) which were mentioned as having a lower ranking by one source. Mr. Salleroli made reference to rankings from a website called schooldigger.com, asserting that their rankings reflect negative trends in our schools' achievement. What Mr. Salleroli neglected to point out is that schooldigger.com does not distinguish between General Education population and Special Education population test scores in formulating its rankings. Also, standardized test scores are the only criteria used by this website, thus neglecting various other influential factors which more well-informed sources (NJDOE School Report Card, New Jersey Monthly magazine rankings) take into account. Living and dying by standardized test scores misrepresents the quality of education in our school district and is an unfair demonstration of the high level of aptitude of our West Milford students. However, in response to this question, I feel that education should be improved in ALL of our schools as much as possible given the fiscal constraints we are forced to endure. I would like to see every one of our schools ranked among the state's elite in every poll from every source possible. While this goal is rather lofty, it is a great target for our district to work towards in the years to come. "The turf field was rather controversial with some allegations of impropriety and the Senior football players were denied a season of home games (Councilman Smolinski contests otherwise, but there was never a chance of home games since they were all rescheduled prior to the field being approved). How do you feel about how this field approval and installation schedule was handled? " Gruber: At this time, it's water under the bridge. The field is installed and the ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled to take place in a few days. Schultz: I feel that accepting the turf field was a no brainer. The unnecessary blocking of the installation affected not only the senior football players, but band members, cheerleaders, and the entire community. For those seniors, not being able to play on their home field in their senior year is heartbreaking to me, not to mention the issue of the thousands of dollars in lost revenue. Gerst: My focus is on the future I have no opinion on this topic. Conlon: I feel that the delay in the turf field installation was an unnecessary and unfortunate example of the dysfunction which exists on the current Board of Education. One member of the Board's objection to the project and his persistence in accusing the administration of wrongdoing and failing to perform its due diligence essentially led to the elimination of our home high school football contests, save for one game at the end of the season. His refusal to compromise with the Board and acknowledge the legal soundness of the project has cost the taxpayers of West Milford thousands of dollars and the West Milford High School senior class countless experiences and memories. Once the installation was finally approved and it began this spring, it was executed flawlessly and in more than a timely fashion. The contractor and work crew were efficient and effective in providing our township with a quality asset which will benefit all community residents for years to come. "If you were to find a $5 million pot of gold for use by the West Milford Board of Education, how would you spend it?"
Gruber: In no particular order: building and grounds maintenance, staffing, technology, classroom materials, & sports uniforms and equipment. Schultz: I would like to see Apple ipads given to every student. Gerst: My reality is, what are we going to do when mandatory costs increase another 3 to 5 million next year? How are we going to fund our school and not raise taxes? That is why I am running. So I can help find a solution to that problem. "(Addressed to Mr. Wayne Gotllieb) What have done to contribute to the educational welfare of the children in this District? How do you explain since you've been on the Board the ranking of UGL has gone from 200 to 800 out of 1200 schools in NJ?" Gruber: This question is not applicable to me. Schultz: No Response Gerst: No Response Conlon: No Response "Realizing that there are budget constraints still, what is your belief about the need for non-academic pursuits (music, art, sports, etc.) in the schools? Are they necessary? How should they be paid for? Do you believe sports should take priority over other extracurricular activities?" Gruber: Non-academic pursuits are absolutely necessary. They should be included in the budget. I do not believe sports should take priority over other extracurricular activities. I believe both are valuable. Schultz: Any of our high school seniors seeking college admission will tell you that a successful application must contain at least some extra-curriculars in addition to an impressive grade-point average. Not too long ago, the Department of Education acknowledged the importance of extra-curricular funding in an advisory to the Sparta BOE in the face of that body's attempt to defund a fully number of programs. Extra curriculars often involve a team or group action concept. Increasingly, our preferred teaching approach for core subjects also incorporate teamwork as applied to problem solving. In both cases, the challenges may be open-ended or require substantial creativity for their resolution. Activities such as music, art & athletics develop the multiple intelligences that each of us possess. They contribute to the kind of well-rounded background I would want West Milford graduates to reflect. Gerst: Studies show on average that student participating in music do better in school than those who do not. Sports are an extracurricular activity. We need to give the students as many options as we can for the money as far as what stays and what goes needs to be discussed. Conlon: I place a great value on these types of extra-curricular and co-curricular activities, including those in the arts, athletics, and academic enrichment. They are not only necessary to aid our students during their time in our district schools, but they are imperative for students who are applying for college to have on their resumes. I believe that the 'team-building' which takes place in many of these activities is crucial to teach our children about compromise, respect, and how to form and maintain positive relationships with others. Many of these clubs are service-oriented and benefit not only the school, but the community as a whole (e.g. WMHS Green Team, which has taken great strides towards raising environmental awareness in the township; and WMHS Model United Nations, which has increased political awareness by hosting candidate debates for Board of Education and Town Council). I do not believe that one activity is necessarily more important than others, because each club/group/team benefits different students in different ways. In terms of paying for these activities, I am not in favor of any type of blanket Student Activity Fee because these costs deter students from participating. In these tough economic times, certain students find difficulty asking their parents/guardians for $75 just to join a club or play a sport. We cannot put our children in this position by forcing a fee. We already have booster clubs for each sports team which collect parent dues and purchase uniforms and equipment for our children. Many of the after school clubs do their own fundraising. Some of our sports teams (hockey, lacrosse, dance club) already pay hundreds and even thousands of dollars towards covering their own facilities usage and transportation costs. To further burden these children and parents is unfair and unjust, and we as a district must offer these opportunities for our students to succeed. "Because of budget constraints, there is discussion about charging fees for extra-curricular activities (sports, band, TV/media club, student newspaper, clubs, etc.), what do you feel about charging such fees?" Gruber: I was one of the few people in town who paid the activity fee that was requested at the beginning of this school year. I understand that the fee was requested to make up for losses due to the budget not passing. It was returned shortly after the school year started. I was not happy about the fee, but was willing to pay it to prevent the loss of activities. Schultz: Please see my answer above. Personally, I would not like to see these fees imposed for fear it would deter a good portion of our student population from participating due to the additional expense that many might not be able to afford. Gerst: If the board agrees that fees are needed after research and discussion I would not have a problem with it. Conlon: I place a great value on these types of extra-curricular and co-curricular activities, including those in the arts, athletics, and academic enrichment. They are not only necessary to aid our students during their time in our district schools, but they are imperative for students who are applying for college to have on their resumes. I believe that the 'team-building' which takes place in many of these activities is crucial to teach our children about compromise, respect, and how to form and maintain positive relationships with others. Many of these clubs are service-oriented and benefit not only the school, but the community as a whole (e.g. WMHS Green Team, which has taken great strides towards raising environmental awareness in the township; and WMHS Model United Nations, which has increased political awareness by hosting candidate debates for Board of Education and Town Council). I do not believe that one activity is necessarily more important than others, because each club/group/team benefits different students in different ways. In terms of paying for these activities, I am not in favor of any type of blanket Student Activity Fee because these costs deter students from participating. In these tough economic times, certain students find difficulty asking their parents/guardians for $75 just to join a club or play a sport. We cannot put our children in this position by forcing a fee. We already have booster clubs for each sports team which collect parent dues and purchase uniforms and equipment for our children. Many of the after school clubs do their own fundraising. Some of our sports teams (hockey, lacrosse, dance club) already pay hundreds and even thousands of dollars towards covering their own facilities usage and transportation costs. To further burden these children and parents is unfair and unjust, and we as a district must offer these opportunities for our students to succeed. "If the current Board selects a Superintendent, will you support this decision or start the process over?" Gruber: I do not foresee starting the process over. However, I would have to meet the candidate before voting for him or her. Schultz: From my understanding, the new board will be selecting the Superintendent, although the selection process has already begun. The hiring of a qualified Superintendent is especially important because moving forward; he/she would set the tone for the district and in turn, would set the tone for the new board. The district must build a culture of trust. The board and superintendent must possess a common vision and work together to communicate that common vision. Gerst: I need to be in the situation to have an answer or else I'm just guessing. Conlon: The current Board does not have the authority to select a new superintendent. However, if elected, I would listen to the comments and guidance of all of my Board colleagues in order to make the best-informed decision possible. If their recommendation(s) make sense and highlight the clear 'best candidate,' I would have to take their opinion(s) to heart in my decision-making process. However, if we do not have a candidate who is the 'right person for the job,' I will not select a candidate just for the sake of filling the vacancy. I will only support a superintendent candidate who will join me in demanding long term educational excellence for the West Milford school district. What I would not do is ignore the findings of the lengthy interview process and blindly select an unqualified individual who will allow certain members of the Board to take over the administering of the school district. "If the focus of education becomes test scores only, don't we deprive our students of a well-rounded education to prepare them to function in the real non-standardized world?" Gruber: Yes. Schultz: Any of our high school seniors seeking college admission will tell you that a successful application must contain at least some extra-curriculars in addition to an impressive grade-point average. Co-curricular and extra-curricular activities provide for a well rounded education Gerst: Education should be about using your mind for thought not memorizing and regurgitating for test scores but that is what our education system seems to have become sometimes. Conlon: Yes, we do deprive our students of a well-rounded education which will prepare them for the real world, a world in which standardized test scores have no place save for 'keeping up with the Joneses' in competitive academic discourse. The problem with putting the sole focus of our schools on test scores is that these tests are not necessarily the best indicators of our students' aptitude or scholastic achievement. For example, the frequently mentioned 'standard' of standardized tests, the SAT, is now being replaced by the ACT in many southern and western states as the prominent high school aptitude test and is being more widely accepted and even preferred by many major colleges and universities. At the West Milford Democratic Club Board of Education Candidates' Night, Mr. Salleroli made reference to rankings from a website called schooldigger.com, asserting that their rankings reflect negative trends in our schools' achievement (except for Maple Road, which was ranked in the top 100 in New Jersey). What Mr. Salleroli neglected to point out is that schooldigger.com does not distinguish between General Education population and Special Education population test scores in formulating its rankings. Also, standardized test scores are the only criteria used by this website, thus neglecting various other influential factors which more well-informed sources (NJDOE School Report Card, New Jersey Monthly magazine rankings) take into account. Living and dying by standardized test scores misrepresents the quality of education in our school district and is an unfair demonstration of the high level of aptitude of our West Milford students. |
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