BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer

MILLSTONE - Kathy Winecoff will no longer serve on the Millstone Township Board of Education, but she has made a career out of doing just that.

Earlier this month, Winecoff began her new job working as a field representative for the New Jersey School Boards Association. She will work out of the association's Voorhees office.

Winecoff served on the township's board for nine years, including three years as president and one year as vice president. She also served as president of the Monmouth County School Boards Association for two years and vice president for student activities for one year.

When asked about some of the highlights of her tenure on the Millstone Township Board of Education, she cited the two referenda that passed.

The first referendum paid for the renovations at and the addition to the current middle school. The second referendum is covering the cost of construction for the new middle school on Baird Road.

Noting that the Township Committee purchased the property for the new school, Winecoff said the project "shows what can be accomplished when two government bodies work cooperatively."

Other notable events during her tenure included the hiring of two new superintendents.

The district first hired Dr. William Setaro, whom Winecoff said started the ball rolling for curriculum improvements. Such changes led to a dramatic increase in the students' state test scores, she said.

When Setaro left last year, the district hired Dr. Mary Anne Donahue, who formerly worked as an assistant superintendent in the district, to take his place.

Winecoff said that hiring Donahue allowed for a smooth transition in the educational leadership of the district and did not create delays in the new middle school project.

Looking back, Winecoff said the establishment of the Millstone Township Foundation for Educational Excellence (MTFEE) - a nonprofit organization that raises funds for school district programs that the school budget does not pay for - has played a key role in bringing new programs to the district.

One of the most difficult aspects of serving on the board for Winecoff was being viewed 24/7 as a board member.

She also considered it difficult and problematic when as a board member she had to negotiate a contract with her child's teacher, principal or vice principal.

In retrospect, Winecoff, who also represented Millstone on the Upper Freehold Regional Board of Education, said she would have asked for the Upper Freehold board seat earlier.

"To see the programs and activities for the students, as well as working with their budget and building project, has given me a greater understanding of the district."

Winecoff said that a Partnership Committee has been able to establish a more cooperative relationship between the two districts.

"The districts are realizing that there is much we can do together that will be beneficial for both districts," she said.

Rather than run for another term on the Millstone Board of Education, Winecoff decided that after nine years she would move in another direction.

"Due to the time commitment of being on the board, I haven't been able to do much in the way of volunteering at the high school that my son, Mark, attends," she said. "It so happens that I have been asked to sit on the Advisory Board, similar to a board of education, at St. John Vianney [in Holmdel], and I have been doing this since March of this year."

She applied for the New Jersey School Boards Association position in December and knew that if she got it she would have to leave three of the four boards she sat on.

"So rather than run and resign, I decided not to run," she said.

In her new job, she works with school boards in Camden, Gloucester and Cumberland counties. Her duties include responding to requests for information and providing consultation and assistance to boards, board members and administrators, as well as providing professional staff support to the county program. In addition, she coordinates presenting and marketing at county school board association meetings, programs and activities, and also conducts in-service educational programs.

Winecoff offered advice to new board members.

"Always come to meetings prepared," she said.

Board members should not be afraid to ask questions, she said. Winecoff suggested that new members ask a senior member to be their mentor and take advantage of training programs offered by New Jersey school boards.

Winecoff said she wished more people would attend board meetings to understand what the board does.

"The board doesn't sit and try to come up with ways to increase the taxes, but [it] does try its best to provide a good education for the children in Millstone Township," she said. "People need to understand that when the board raises taxes for the residents, they are also raising their own taxes, too."

Winecoff, who said she is very proud to have sat on the Millstone Township Board of Education, said her family is establishing a Winecoff Scholarship Fund to recognize an eighth-grade student with outstanding leadership skills.