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North Brunswick Board of Education Candidates
The election will be held on April 17 from 2 to 9 p.m. at the same locations as the November elections. The last day absentee ballots will be accepted online or by the county is April 16 at 3 p.m. David Higham
Residence status: 23 years in town Educational background: Bachelor's degree in political science from Glassboro State College Profession: University administrator at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Community service: North Brunswick Soccer Buddy Ball
Other qualifications: Experience at higher-level education institution in assessing federal government resources and the viability of such projects Children: Two daughters, 18 and 17 years old, who both went through the North Brunswick school system Reason for candidacy: Maintain small class size, enforce code of behavior, ensure children meet expectations at each grade level, involve the community more Budget concerns: Excellent job done this year hiring additional teachers, increasing textbooks, funding capital improvements; decreased class size is critical to student achievement Ways to balance the budget without sacrificing education: Look toward the administrative side and evaluate the administrator-per-pupil cost; cutting teachers creates larger class sizes, which decrease student achievement rates; lobby Trenton legislators Request for shared services and school regionalization: Supports shared services; believes regionalization should be explored but only if smaller schools are not turned into larger
Funding for special education programs: Try to reduce transportation costs for out-of-district students Allow employee insurance contributions: North Brunswick must compete with other school districts, and since there are a lot of retirees, highly qualified teachers must be attracted with a competitive salary and benefits package Controlling overtime costs: Overtime needs to be looked at case by case; the new superintendent needs to evaluate if maintenance services are being completed in the proper manner Handling school violence and gangs: Work with the police department and community resources; need resources for the elementary schools and higher grades Mandatory uniforms: The district needs to evaluate uniforms as well as the current dress code; uniforms could reduce clothing costs for parents as well as peer jealousy
supports sponsorship, "within reason" Vision of the district in one year: Have current budget passed, major capital improvements in place and a new state aid formula
Karen Hirrschoff
Residence status: Lifelong resident Educational background: Bachelor's degree from Trenton State College Profession: Retired four years ago after serving 33 years as a North Brunswick Township choral music teacher for grades K-12 Community service: Three-year
Other qualifications: Works well with eight current board members; has kept original campaign promise of advocating the fine arts department Children: son, age 21 Reason for candidacy: Said she believes in children and that they deserve education by the finest and most honest teachers Accomplishments during her current term: Successful standardized test scores, completion of the high school facility, onset of construction projects and elementary and middle schools Budget concerns: Board worked hard this year to provide single-digit increase, but 85 percent of the budget is allotted to salaries, benefits and special education mandates; will continue to try to acquire grant money Ways to balance the budget without sacrificing education: Rotate capital projects for roofs, boilers, air conditioning systems, etc.; read educational magazines to find new ideas; pursue grant funding Request for shared services and school regionalization: Shared services are a good idea if schools are not cut too thin - needs more discussion Funding for special education programs: State-mandated; need self-contained classes such as new in-house autism class; students should be able to stay in their own neighborhoods with their own friends Allow employee insurance contributions: It is a contractual issue that is seen in other districts and other industries; could be negotiated at the next contract discussion in two years Controlling overtime costs: Overtime should not be a result of shared service positions; usually overtime results from plowing snow, fixing broken pipes or repairing a leaky roof; supervisors should oversee the work that is to be done Handling school violence and gangs: A staff development class is needed for teachers, administrators and parents Mandatory uniforms: Unsure about uniforms but believes the dress code needs to be enforced; some kids dress nicely at home and then change in the bathroom Corporate sponsorship of the high school stadium: Corporate money funded the Montgomery Township artificial turf field; supports it as long as the name of the North Brunswick field is not changed; scoreboards can house advertisements as well Vision of the district in one year: Have new additions at the high school tweaked; groundbreaking at the elementary schools and middle school begins; continuation of successful standardized test scores; safety as a priority
Fred Hunter
Residence status: Seven years in town Educational background: Bachelor's degree in public administration from The College of New Jersey; additional studies in finance from Rutgers University and Middlesex County College Profession: Owner of Hunter Financial Management Services Community service: Former member of the Ewing Township Zoning Board for five years Other qualifications: Has worked with many teams with many backgrounds on many projects Children: Stepson 13, daughters 14 and 13 attend Linwood Middle School, son 1 month old Reason for candidacy: "My only agenda is that I have children and I want to do what's best for them." Concerns about the budget: Improve the state property tax issue Ways to balance the budget without sacrificing education: Need to pursue grant funding Request for shared services and school regionalization: Said he is "not 100 percent familiar with shared services" but his "gut feeling" is that the district may not be at that point yet, but it should be discussed Funding for special education programs: Said that although programs are state mandated, the state gives little money toward the programs; the state needs to help in terms of mandates Controlling overtime costs: Without increasing the budget or hiring new personnel, overtime costs could be an option; employees are already doing multiple jobs, so if the district is understaffed, it may not be acceptable Handling school violence and gangs: Supports having a police officer at the middle and high schools; officers should speak to the students as part of the curriculum; cameras and hall monitors are needed Corporate sponsorship of the high school stadium: Does not support because he believes corporations will want something tangible they can advertise on Allow employee insurance contributions: There may be other areas to consider first before health insurance; need to attract and retain good teachers Mandatory uniforms: He said he went to a parochial school and wore a uniform and feels that even Catholic school uniforms can be individualized; believes the parents are not always to blame because the children sneak around; if gang colors become problematic then uniforms should definitely be required Vision of the district in one year: Have videotaped and live board meetings; hopes new superintendent achieves his initial goals; see structural maintenance improvements
Peter Kenny
Residence status: 14 years in town Educational background: Attended Oakcrest Academy, Livingston Park Elementary School, Linwood Middle School, North Brunswick Township High School and Woodcliff Academy; currently a home-schooled high school senior Community service: Vice president of the North Brunswick Youth Council; former student government representative at Linwood Middle School; former treasurer and vice president of North Brunswick Township High School Other qualifications: Believes his autism and age of 18 years old could help him foster more appropriate special education programs and add a new perspective to the board Reason for candidacy: Keep taxes low, offer the community a change Concerns about the budget: Students miss out when programs are cut; wants to keep certain programs in-house, especially special education; have teachers instruct more than one subject to save money Ways to balance the budget without sacrificing education: Meet with parent-teacher organizations and principals; hold fundraisers; wants to go to the state and fight for funding Request for shared services and school regionalization: Objects because they "won't help the budget, which is at a crossroads now"
Peter Kenny (cont.)
Funding for special education programs: Disabled and handicapped students need the services; he said he will "fight for it" and "stand up to the state" How to control overtime costs, specifically maintenance personnel: no comment Handling school violence and gangs: Security needs to be increased at the high school; as the Youth Council vice president, he has already met with the mayor and police director about issues he is aware of Corporate sponsorship of the high school stadium: Agrees because he said the "budget is terrible and we need money for the kids" but disagrees because the businesses will want something in return Allow employee insurance contributions: Disagrees because then teachers will leave and new teachers won't come to North Brunswick Mandatory uniforms: Has seen younger students dressed inappropriately; believes there needs to be a dress code Vision of the district in one year: Have fewer programs taken away and "take baby steps in turning the budget and the Board of Ed. around"
Richard Liguori
Residence status: Lifelong resident Educational background: Bachelor's degree in finance from Rutgers University; MBA from Rider University Profession: Financial analyst for Cadbury Adams Community service: Two years as chairman and three years as vice chairman of the North Brunswick Township Zoning Board; trustee and chairman of the North Brunswick Educational Foundation; former member of the Human Relations Council; former member of the Affordable Housing Committee; charter member and past Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus at Our Lady of Peace Church; choir member, lector and former religious education teacher at Our Lady of Peace Other qualifications: Experience being a consensus builder; attended the North Brunswick public school district Children: Two sons, ages 6 years and 17 months; 6-year-old attends Judd Elementary School Reason for candidacy: "I want to ensure every child in our town receives an education he or she deserves in a fiscally responsible manner." Budget concerns: Attended seven of the nine open workshop forums; believes the open process was beneficial this year; satisfied with seeing the infancy of plans developed to achieve goals in the areas of safety and security, capital improvements, technology, classroom size and additional teachers Ways to balance the budget without sacrificing education: Try to increase grant money; don't rely on Trenton's promises but instead fight for a resolved property tax plan and increased state aid; set a five-, 10- or 15-year capital improvement plan Request for shared services and school regionalization: Said shared services are "always a good idea" but regionalization is unclear because at the county level, the school district could lose its identity; supports cost cuts with regional superintendent but does not agree elected officials who handle budgetary matters should be disbanded Funding for special education programs: Increased number of students requires a higher need for services and more teachers; they should be kept local instead of busing them to various locations throughout the state Controlling overtime costs: Employees must be supervised during their 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. shifts and everyone must work responsibly so overtime is avoided; jobs must be completed as effectively as possible; additional personnel may be needed to complete overabundant tasks Handling school violence and gangs: Administrators and staff members need constant training; the district needs to work with the township police department as well as surrounding communities Corporate sponsorship of the high school stadium: Said the Educational Foundation has built corporate relationships that can be advantageous to a certain extent; does not want to see the businesses take over the names of the schools Allow employee insurance contributions: Said everyone in corporate America contributes to their insurance plans so it could be looked into Mandatory uniforms: Needs to be looked into but "clothes are a way of expression, so we need to be careful" Vision of the district in one year: Careful expenditures of taxpayer money; safety and security systems implemented; beginning phases of capital improvements; new funding formula from Trenton; pursuance of remediation at high school; increased technology at every school level; informative and timely Web site; transparent meeting process.
- Jennifer Amato
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