The Sun asked two questions of each Cherry Hill Board of Education candidate: How would you balance providing a quality education with holding the line on tax dollars? What initiatives do you want to bring into Cherry Hill Public Schools?
See candidate responses below.
Kathryn Judge:
Question #1: How would you balance providing a quality education with holding the line on tax dollars?
We have very high property taxes throughout the entire state of New Jersey. As a board member, my priority is preserving and expanding the quality of education that our students receive. In Cherry Hill, I truly feel we receive a great “bang for our buck.” The 2% cap is a start at helping the tax payer. It also helps school districts plan for today and for the future. In addition, we have made great strides over the past few years by developing shared services with the county and state. From cooperative purchasing for classroom, office, and custodial supplies office supplies, shared services for trash and recycling, to paving our parking lots, we do our best to save money. We had the tax payers in mind when we switched health care to the State Employee Health Benefits Plan two years ago. Our teachers, educational assistants and all our other unionized groups agreed to the switch. We worked as a team to save money for our district. The Board and Administration are continually looking for ways to save money. In my opinion, it’s a true tragedy when BOE members have to look at cutting programs to make ends meet. We have done a great job the last few years to avoid that kind of decision. At the bottom of the Cherry Hill School District’s website, there is a link that states: “Questions or comments about our site? Send us a message.” We welcome you to send us a message via that link regarding any cost saving ideas you may have.
Question #2: What initiatives do you want to bring into Cherry Hill Public Schools?
The most important function of a board member is to make sure that a school district is well run without micromanaging. The Board already has approved goals for the 2012–13 academic year in September. Therefore, I do not plan to introduce any new initiatives to the district, as I feel strongly about several of the goals we just approved. Three of those are:
Closing the Achievement Gap: We have some quite impressive objectives that the BOE and the District would like to meet or exceed in the coming year regarding closing the achievement gap. These goals to close the achievement gap are for demographic groups, each school and the district as a whole. We recently received our “targets” or Annual Measurable Objectives identified by the New Jersey Department of Education. Administration is working on a plan of action to concentrate on this in the coming academic year.
BYOD (bring your own device): We are behind regarding BYOD (bring your own device) and the assistance it can provide for searching information in class and at administrative meetings. The use of electronic devices for educational activities is limited by the bandwidth currently available in the schools. Our initial goal is to expand bandwidth at the high schools.
Green Initiative: I am very pleased that the district has a goal of reducing trash/waste and increasing our recycling efforts. If you attend any large function, we almost always see co-mingled trash and soda cans/water bottles that will end up in our landfills. Each school has a “Green Team” and designated large recycling containers to facilitate better waste management.
More detail regarding the goals for the 2012–13 academic year can be found on the district’s website under “District News.”
Dr. J. Barry Dickinson:
I believe we are at a historic crossroads in the funding of public education. We cannot simply just keep cutting costs to balance our school budget. This will eventually degrade the quality of the education we deliver to our students. We have to increase our revenue base through alternative sources. We can’t do this on the backs of our community. I feel the pain, as do my neighbors. We can’t keep asking our community to shoulder the burden. They can’t afford it and costs will continue to rise. As a former entrepreneur, I know how to increase the top line, as well as control the underlying costs.
The revenue side of the equation is much more difficult to manage. I know our hands are tied, to a certain extent, by state and federal mandates and the reduction state and federal aid. However, I feel that if the government mandates we provide certain services to our students, it should pay for it. For instance, if we are mandated to provide coverage in bilingual or special education, the state should fully subsidize the cost of the program. I am not naïve enough to think this just magically happens. I know it may involve direct negotiation/intervention or legal action. I also believe the Board should work closely with the Township to devise an alternative funding solution for education. Perhaps a township sales tax and/or small income tax might be a more equitable vehicle for funding education. Beyond this, I would recommend the district expand its business outreach (technology donations, naming rights, advertising opportunities, etc.), facilities renting programs, and grant writing efforts (matching funds, etc.). We own many prime properties in one of the best townships in New Jersey. Are taking full advantage of these assets? Are we renting our facilities to local churches and events? I also would also like to see the district start an business startup incubator. Why not provide an infrastructure to showcase the talent of our children and partner with them as their businesses grow? This would not only provide the students with a wonderful opportunity to learn about operating a business but also provide the district with an ongoing revenue stream as the businesses mature.
As far as initiatives, I would like to see more focus on technology in the schools. The students do have access to technology (iPads, laptops, smartboards, etc.) on an ad hoc basis, but I believe that every student should be utilizing technology in his/her daily routine. Every student should have the ability to conduct research, interact with peers, and complete coursework through the effective deployment of technology. I would like to work on ways in which classrooms can be completely infused with technology to make our students more competitive.
Candidates Colleen Horiates and Wayne Tarken, did not participate.
