| Author |
Message |
    
Dave
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 5, 2001 - 9:53 am: |     |
What active role if any do you think the township committee can play vis a vis the school district? Do you favor having Maplewood and South Orange residents vote directly for the school budget rather than through the Board of School Estimate? |
Admin
| | Posted on Saturday, June 16, 2001 - 7:18 am: | |
DAVID HUEMER:
Yes, I favor having the public vote on the school budget.
The usual answer to the first part of the question is that the Township Committee should have either a "hands off" or fiscally antagonistic relationship with the Board of Education or senior staff. I reject both answers.
As a starting point, the Township Committee can, through its public statements and actions, and without interfering in educational policy, demonstrate to the students, parents, staff, and taxpayers its commitment to having our schools be national models of excellent 21st Century public education.
I would have voted for the special question that three current members of the Township Committee voted against in their capacities as members of the Board of School Estimate. The merits of the items included in the special question far exceeded the additional tax burden it represented: roughly $14.00 per Maplewood resident.
Our current After School Program works well but has waiting lists. The Township Committee can play a critical role in eliminating those waiting lists by bringing together the South Orange and Maplewood Recreation Departments and the School Districts to expand these programs. These programs pay for themselves. All of our families who want it deserve access to these programs. |
Admin
| | Posted on Saturday, June 16, 2001 - 7:22 am: | |
SCOTT KISCH:
We can settle the second part of the question right away I support having residents vote directly for the school budget.
As for the first part, I can think of a few ways to work together and help each other. The TC has a two-way role here. It needs to be an advocate for its residents (lobby the BOE) - while serving as an advocate for the BOE (lobby Trenton/DC) as well.
Unfortunately, NJ, as a whole, only gets 3.5% of its public education dollars from the federal government. The national average is 7%. We need to form coalitions w/other districts in order to provide a louder, more formidable voice to lobby for increases in funding. If elected, I will use my position as a pulpit for advocating this.
When it comes to student placement, performance, disabilities, discipline and any/all other scholastic or logistical concerns, I can only pledge, at this point, that your voices will be heard. Dr. Horoschak has already agreed to meet with me even though I am still just a candidate to talk about many of these issues next week.
But, in the end, I will apply the same standards to the BOE that I think you should apply to me if Im elected to the TC. We should demand a dollars worth of service for each dollar paid in taxes. If you don't believe that I'm doing my part to extract that from the school system, then you should extract me from the TC. |
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