Millstone has contested school board election

In stark contrast to recent years, there are more candidates than seats available in Millstone's annual school board election.

Thomas Foley There are four candidates running for the three, three-year term seats available on the Board of Education. Current President Thomas Foley is running for re-election against newcomers Patrick Whalen, Amy S. Jacobson and John Pearson. Current board members Laura Dreifus and Sergio Galindo opted not to run for re-election.

Sal Casale, who the board appointed to a vacated seat last year, is running uncontested for the remaining two years of that seat's term. The election is April 21.

Casale, 39, is married with two children in the school district. A graduate of St. John's University in New York City and a retail investment product manager at Merrill Lynch, Casale said his top priority for his next year on the board would be ensuring the core mandate to educate while dealing with significant financial hardships and state influence.

He said the school district's top issues are the lack of Board of Education control to contain costs, maintaining or improving the quality of education within the confines of state law, and the lack of interest in the community for the school district due to the recent decline in test scores, and increase in fees for school services that were once part of the annual budget.

John Pearson "Instead of our state government helping Millstone and working with us to solve problems, impracticalities are forced onto the district that work directly against the ability to maintain or improve current education levels," Casale said.

Foley, 47, is married with two children. He has a bachelor's degree in business administration and currently works as a health information technology consultant with his own consulting practice. He is running for his fourth term on the board, and said the most important issue in the school district is continued academic achievement.

"The intent of the core curriculum standards is to prepare the students entrusted to the board for jobs of the future," Foley said. "We need to ensure we meet that challenge."

Patrick Whalen Foley challenged anyone to find another district in New Jersey that has comparably advanced its curriculum and academic achievement over the last ten years while spending the least amount of money per student.

"This is a result of a great group of educators in our district," he said.

Foley also addressed other issues the district faces pertaining to funding. He noted that the state has set a new funding formula to force K-8 districts into regionalization.

"It inflicts large financial pain onto the taxpayer, even though previous regionalization studies have demonstrated it increases Millstone's property taxes, making it a no-win situation," Foley said.

Millstone will be participating in a county superintendent of schools-mandated regionalization study later this year with Roosevelt and the Upper Freehold Regional School District (UFRSD). He has been appointed to the county finance committee that will study the findings.

Foley said the school district should look into more shared services without regionalization, such as setting up an enterprise fund that receives revenue from participating districts that share the costs of transportation, curriculum, facilities management and other services.

"The problem isn't the local boards," Foley said. "It's the county and the state. They are too entrenched in processes of yesterday and too worried about votes versus addressing the real problems in education."

He continued, "The acts/mandates of the county and state have negatively impacted Millstone's ability to operate the home rule of our educational institution we call the Millstone Township School District."

Foley also said that one of the board's most important decisions is selecting a superintendent.

"We will have this opportunity again at the end of Dr. [Mary Anne] Donahue's contract, which expires in 2011," he said.

Foley also said he would like to see more board transparency.

"We took some steps this year yet there is more we can do," he said.

Whalen, 42, is married with two children. The attorney graduated from Rutgers College and Rutgers Law School in New Brunswick.

Whalen decided to run for the board to maintain and improve the quality of education in Millstone despite growing challenges and economic troubles.

"I am committed to our town, and, obviously, I have a direct personal interest as my children are just starting their education here in Millstone," he said.

Whalen said the most pressing concern for the district is directly related to economic troubles.

"We have to find a way to maintain excellence in education, which in turn will reward our children and community, as well as improve/maintain property values while at the same time addressing and responding to the concerns of all Millstone taxpayers/residents who want to see property taxes reduced not increased," he said.

Whalen said the board's top priorities should include finding ways to cut costs and save money, concluding negotiations with the Millstone Township Education Association for a successor contract, and improving communication and interaction with the community.

"In addition, I am interested in finding ways to allow teachers to get back to what should be their primary goal — teaching — by rewarding creativity and commitment," Whalen said. "I believe the No Child Left Behind Act has left many teachers behind. It has left them disillusioned because so much time is spent on testing and more testing. Education of our children must not solely be measured by constant tests. There has to be a way to reward and promote qualitative education."

Jacobson, 39, is married with four children. She has a master's degree in physical anthropology from Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz., and a doctorate in anthropology from Rutgers University. Jacobson said she has a sincere desire to help ensure the quality of education that Millstone children receive in the public schools.

"I am also interested in participating in the process that provides fiscal accountability to the taxpayers of the township," she said. Jacobson said the district currently has to deal with the possibility of regionalization and reduced state funding of schools.

"While as a local board member these issues are beyond the scope of the position, I would enjoy the opportunity to become more knowledgeable on these subjects through resources available to board members offered by the New Jersey School Board Association," Jacobson said.

She said the board also has to clarify and renegotiate the send/receive agreement the school district has with the Upper Freehold Regional School District and should work with state legislators to change the laws for better representation regarding the costs of tuition and how Millstone tax money is spent in that school district.

Jacobson would also like to see the school district establish a full-day kindergarten program, which she considers essential to the foundation of a child's early education and social development. Jacobson noted that current research supports her position, as do the many states and municipalities that have already made full-day kindergarten curriculum mandatory.

"The cost of implementing this program is minimal and the benefits substantial," she said. Jacobson said the board has to concentrate on improving communication with the community to stress the importance of education, student accomplishments and passing budgets.

"It is imperative that we pass a budget," she said. "We need to clearly communicate and reiterate to members of the community that investing in our schools and the education of our children enhances property values and the quality of life in our town."

Jacobson said it is unfortunate that the burden of public education in New Jersey is placed squarely on the backs of property owners.

"Yet until state reform in school funding is achieved, all we can do is try to balance these priorities to the best of our abilities," she said. "If elected I will try very hard to work to improve communication and transparency of the processes that go into making decisions that affect not only the education of the children of the township, but also the property tax burden on the homeowners in Millstone Township," she said.

Pearson, 65, is married with two children. He attended Trenton State College, which is now The College of New Jersey in Trenton, and currently has a job in sales. Pearson has lived in Millstone for approximately 37 years, and owned a small business in Clarksburg

"Like many residents, I have always had an interest in the community but did not have the time to devote to becoming more actively involved," he said. "Now that

am semi-retired, I feel that I have the time to work within the community to help move the district forward."

Pearson feels the most important issue facing the district is continuing the educational excellence it currently provides.

"Upholding that outstanding education during these difficult financial times is paramount," he said. "The Board of Education must also be responsive to the needs of the community that involve the children."

In his view, the board's top priorities this year and next are budgeting and deciding how available money will be spent in the district.

"There are always the issues that involve maintaining our newer buildings and upgrading our older elementary school, having the funds to allow the educators to advance programs already in place and keep current with new programming that will increase our students' performance, and finding a way to bring the community and school district together to make the most of the talents and skills that are available to help the district," he said.