Eight vie for three seats; $68.7 million budget includes staff cuts West Milford - Voters in the West Milford school district go to the polls on Wednesday, April 27, to decide whether a $68.7 million budget, that includes cuts in staffing, will be approved. Also at stake are three seats on the board of education. Incumbent Wayne Gottlieb and seven challengers, Matt Conlon, Michael J. Gerst, Christopher Gruber, Gillian Hemstead, Nicholas Salleroli, Marilyn Schultz and Gary Steele are seeking three seats on the board. Each term is for three years. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Anyone who doesn’t know where they should vote may go to www.wmtps.org to find their poling place. Click on Budget, then Budget 2011-2012, then voting centers. Matthew Conlon Age: 19 Occupation: Student; Office Assistant, West Milford PAL Education: Graduate of West Milford High School, class of 2010; currently Political Science major in Seton Hall University Honors Program Volunteer activities: Assistant Coach, West Milford High School Varsity Boys Basketball team; Youth Ministry, Our Lady Queen of Peace Church; Former Student Council President of WMHS; Former Student Representative to the Board of Education; Active volunteer in West Milford PAL and Little League If you are elected to the West Milford Board of Education, after the hiring of a new superintendent, what do you think is the most important issue that needs to be addressed and how do you intend to address it? The biggest issue facing our district is the consistent failure of the school budget because it inhibits our ability to work towards progress. As a board of education trustee, I will push for improved technology in our schools. I will encourage our staff to continue their own education in order to bring innovative teaching techniques and content knowledge into our classrooms. I will seek to maintain and enhance our extracurricular, artistic, and athletic programs. We as a community must begin to vote to pass the school budget tax levy moving forward in order to compete with rising costs and other districts around the state. As a board member, I will have a vested interest in ensuring that West Milford can compete with other schools from around New Jersey. There is no doubt that our schools have the potential to be among the state’s elite. I pledge to assist our district in climbing to that prestigious level. However, we must make the investment in our children in order to protect the programs, staff, facilities, and equipment necessary to provide them with a thorough and efficient education in West Milford. Michael J. Gerst Age: 37 Family: Wife Tricia, two daughters ages 6 and 3, one son 2 years old Occupation: Business Process Analyst Education: Associates Degree, Certification in Computer Programming; Attending Thomas Edison State College for a BSBA Volunteer activities: Heritage Committee If you are elected to the West Milford Board of Education, after the hiring of a new superintendent, what do you think is the most important issue that needs to be addressed and how do you intend to address it? There are many important issues that the board of education will need to address after the hiring of a new superintendant, but the one issue that I find most daunting is being able to fully support our school system in these financially troubling times. The BOE will need to work as a team to keep our schools funded while at the same time not taxing residents out of the town. We all must focus on the needs of children and their education regardless if you have children or not. As parents we want every opportunity for our children and as taxpayers we need to be creative and think “outside the box” to give them those opportunities. I feel this is the most important issue because our future depends upon the education of our children. Wayne Gottlieb Age: 62 Years in West Milford: 15 Family: Patricia Barrett and step-children Dante, 24, and Cesarina, 23 Occupation: CFO/Partner, musical stage-production company, NYC Education: Lorain, Ohio public schools; B.S., Case Western Reserve University; MBA, Harvard University; Continuing Ed, New York University Volunteer activities: West Milford Township Board of Education: Trustee six years, vice president one year; Member or chair of Negotiations, Budget & Finance, Wallisch-Hillcrest, Superintendent Search and Shared Services committees; liaison to state legislature six years; member, West Milford Economic Development Committee; stump removal volunteer with the Upper Greenwood Lake Property Owners’ Association; blood donor for West Milford Community Blood Drive If you are elected to the West Milford Board of Education, after the hiring of a new superintendent, what do you think is the most important issue that needs to be addressed and how do you intend to address it? Over the next three to six months, two issues central to the future of our schools will likely be resolved: (1) the legislature will consider one or more proposals to compel state workersincluding public school employeesto reimburse their employers for a portion of the workers’ health care premiums; the amount paid will likely be at least 10 percent of total premiums; and (2) the State Supreme Court will likely rule upon a challenge to the abandonment of the recently-approved school funding formula by Governor Christie. In the most favorable light, either or both of these decisions could yield additional annual revenues of between $1 and 2 million each for our district. In any case, the resolution of these issues will provide more certainty regarding the income side of our budget. At that point, we as a board should initiate a dialogue with the stakeholders in our schools to examine and possibly restructure our mix of academic and extra-curricular activities to reflect anticipated future funding. In so doing, we should not abandon our commitment to increased academic achievement for all of our students. Christopher S. Gruber Age: 45 Family: Married to Lisa for 15 years, two daughters - one is a sixth grader at Maple Road School and one is a ninth grader at West Milford High School Occupation: Self-employed contractor Education: BFA Computer Graphics from William Paterson College Volunteer activities: Certified coach for recreation soccer, have been both assistant and head coach If you are elected to the West Milford Board of Education, after the hiring of a new superintendent, what do you think is the most important issue that needs to be addressed and how do you intend to address it? At this time, I think respectful and open communication among board members and the new administrator is of the utmost importance. I intend to address that by participating fully in discussions, listening carefully, speaking respectfully, reading materials thoroughly, and voting knowledgeably while attempting to balance the best interests of the students and their parents, the teachers and other district staff members, and board of education members, as well as the taxpayers who may not have children in the district. I do not know what experience or what goals this new administrator will bring to the table. He or she is the chief operating officer of the district and I look forward to the opportunity to work with a superintendent who is willing and able to lead this district. Gillian Hemstead Age: 50 Years in West Milford: 12 Family: Married to Gary Steele for 16 years; one daughter, 14, in Macopin Middle School Education: Bachelor of Arts from NYU; Juris Doctorate from Rutgers-Newark Law School Occupation: Attorney representing abused and neglected children in Superior Court Volunteer activities: Commissioner on the Environmental Commission for the last eight years; trustee on the Library Board If you are elected to the West Milford Board of Education, after the hiring of a new superintendent, what do you think is the most important issue that needs to be addressed and how do you intend to address it? I believe the most important issue facing the board of education is that the members do not work together and everything suffers as a result. We are losing ground in West Milford. West Milford High School has dropped in rankings from being ranked 159 out of 359 in 2004-05 to 215 out of 376 in 2009-10. My goal is to restore the board into a fully functioning entity whose members work collaboratively and respectfully. I have worked as a commissioner and trustee in West Milford for many years. I have the ability to work with people that hold different opinions and always have been able to resolve these differences and work towards solutions. Different opinions must be respected instead of attacked. Everyone has something to contribute. Trustees shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions, employees and teachers shouldn’t be afraid to express their ideas and views, and parents should be encouraged to be actively involved with the district no matter how critical their opinions may be. Our greatest strength lies in the diversity of our views. I believe in transparency and accountability. We should have nothing to hide. I have worked for the benefit of children for many years and understand the importance of education and am dedicated to working with everyone for the betterment of our school district. Nicholas Salleroli Years in West Milford: 17 years Family: Married to Margaret over 20 years; proud father of Nicholas, 8, and Alexander, 5 Occupation: Successful businessman/entrepreneur of 25 years and the owner of an A+ rated company listed with the New Jersey BBB; member in good standing with the New Jersey Business and Industry Association; 10 year member of the Lakeland Bank Advisory Board/Bloomingdale Branch. Education: Graduate of Don Bosco Prep High School 1981; Bachelor of science in business administration/marketing Marist College 1985 Volunteer activities: Active parishioner with Our Lady Queen of Peace Church; Member/Advisor of the Our Lady Queen of Peace Finance Council; 3rd Degree Knight with the Knights of Columbus OLQP Council #6139; Former president of the OLQP Home and School Association for two years; Chaired numerous events and fundraisers for Our Lady Queen of Peace Church and School. If you are elected to the West Milford Board of Education, after the hiring of a new superintendent, what do you think is the most important issue that needs to be addressed and how do you intend to address it? The most important issue is the need for consistent top quality education and school safety. I’ve reviewed the school rankings on www.schooldigger.com and was not impressed with the current trends regarding West Milford’s HSPA Language Arts Literacy and HSPA Math rankings. The trend from 2003-2004 to 2009-2010 is generally on the downslide. Our high school is ranked 27 places below “the middle” or now in the lower half of all New Jersey high schools. Of 376 high schools, our high school ranking went from 150 in 02-03 to 215 in 09-10. In the same timeframe UGL went from 334 to 824 and Paradise Knoll from 126 to 349 of 1,256 schools. I must give credit to one of our shining schools, Maple Road School; it went from 463 to 99 in the same six years. How can one grammar school in our district be 99 and another be 824? We should strive to have all of our schools in the top 100. This would be a great goal for a new superintendent and board. Regarding safety: Speaking to a custodian, I asked if there was a drug problem. He spoke of repeatedly finding small bags containing a white residue or stems of marijuana. Now these materials are being flushed down the toilet. I would demand these items be collected and turned over to the police as evidence for investigation. We need to start addressing drugs in our schools and get out of denial. I look forward to start making a difference in our town for staff, taxpayers and, most of all, our children. Marilyn Schultz Age: 48 Family: Husband Gary, married for 26 years; Children: Gary, 25-years-old, 2004 graduate of WMHS, Olivia, 18-years-old, a senior at WMHS, Callie, 15-years-old, a freshman at WMHS Occupation: Volunteer Education: Graduate of Fashion Institute of Technology Volunteer activities: Upper Greenwood Lake (UGL) Activities Committee, UGL PTA vice president four years, UGL PTA president three years, West Milford Parents Association President nine years, Our Lady Queen of Peace CCD teacher nine years, Macopin PTA President five years, Maple Road PTO parent, WMHS PTSO parent, WMHS Basketball Booster Club President three years, WMHS Field Hockey Booster Club secretary two years, West Milford Education Foundation member for five years, vice president one year, Cub Scout leader, Girl Scout leader, volunteer for town youth sports, Lifetime Member of New Jersey PTA. If you are elected to the West Milford Board of Education, after the hiring of a new superintendent, what do you think is the most important issue that needs to be addressed and how do you intend to address it? The first order of business for the new board would be to elect a qualified Superintendent who would set the tone for the district and in turn, would set the tone for the new board. If I’m elected to the board of education, there are several important issues that will need to be addressed and in my opinion, the order of importance would be dependent upon the results of the school budget election- passing or failing. First and foremost, 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. Regardless of the outcome of this election, one thing is for certain: we need ethical and responsible board members whose primary focus is education. As per New Jersey School Boards Association, “The board member who works best is one who knows what the job is.” Board members are supposed to give “primary allegiance to the children and to providing for all students to achieve through establishing an effective educational program- and exhibits that allegiance by focusing the majority of time and effort on the establishment and oversight of district goals.” A school board member shall abide by the Code of Ethics in order to be effective in his role and responsibilities; I would like to see all board members working together for the betterment of our children and the community. By working together as a team, together we can achieve more. I will work towards promoting respect and integrity, and hopefully with that will come the trust. Then and only then can the board take on one of the greatest issues facing our school district, which happen to be the same issues facing our families at home and in our businesses- expenses are increasing and our funding is decreasing. Gary Steele Age: 56 Years in West Milford: 12 Family: Married to Gillian Hemstead; two children, Orie Steele, 22, in a master’s program at Stevens Institute of Technology and Haley Steele, 8th grade honors student Occupation: Director of Photography/producer/director/film and television Education: Bachelor of Arts degree Film and Television, NYU; Minors in physics and philosophy Volunteer activities: Township CASA committee for three years; volunteer for PTA, field day, chaperone for various recreation department events; community volunteer at GreenFest, Autumn Lights Festival, Recycling is not Rocket Science, Environmental Commission, to name a few; member Local 600 as a director of photography; have been active in public access to local government, seeking transparency and accountability. If you are elected to the West Milford Board of Education, after the hiring of a new superintendent, what do you think is the most important issue that needs to be addressed and how do you intend to address it? The school board is broken. This district is at a crossroads. No one can say that the board with its current majority for the last six years has done a good job at setting policy for the district. Some examples: senior administration resigning, legal council resigning, operating an un-permitted solid waste dump on school district property, canceling all football games but one with a perfectly good playing field in place able to handle a full season, scheduling a football field rip up and replacement during football season. Not good decisions. Seven years in a row West Milford High School did not meet the adequate yearly progress by state standards and has been classified as a school in need of improvement. Why the cover up? The notices never went out as required under the law. All swept under the carpet. That will not happen under my watch. It is simply common sense to first identify and admit problems so they can be appropriately addressed. At the board level that means setting policy. My goals if elected are: Respect for the opinions of all elected board members. Transparency for all education goals and programs along with honest budgeting. This means posting the budget on the Web site, not just a summary, that’s what happened this year. What don’t they want you to know? Accountability. When we are not making the grade addressing why this is happening.