By dave benjamin
Staff Writer
FREEHOLD BOROUGH — Two candidates are running for the right to represent Freehold Borough on the Freehold Regional High School District Board of Education. Voters will elect a candidate on April 15 to serve the three-year term.
The candidates are Freehold Borough’s present representative on the board, Bernice Hammer, and challenger Michael Buchalski.
Residents of Freehold Borough and Freehold Township vote on the borough’s representative.
Hammer is retired educator who worked in the Freehold Regional High School District as a media center director.
"My immediate goal, if re-elected, is to work toward greater unity in the district," Hammer said. "The divisiveness which has existed has been costly in time, energy and dollars. If the sectionalism were dispelled, energy could be expended to keep improving the education of 11,000 kids."
When asked why the district had seen the loss of many veteran administrators and other personnel over the last few years, Hammer said, "Employees leave the district for a multitude of reasons, running the gamut from increased salary offers to disgruntlement. [The district] does not, to my knowledge, have a procedure of an exit interview with employees who are leaving. Reasons for departure could be categorized and studied so that we can work toward keeping talented personnel."
Looking at the issue of school taxes and what can be done in an attempt to hold them under control, Hammer said pressure must be placed on state legislators to do their job to revamp the property tax structure.
"It is an unpopular issue and not one that leads to re-election, so it is being passed off," she said.
"The [proposed developer impact fees law] should be enacted instead of being shelved year after year," she added. "This legislation would force contractors to pay for the rising costs attributable to their housing projects."
Speaking of school programs that are mandated by the state, Hammer said, "When the state mandates a program, it must provide the funding and not burden local taxpayers."
Over the past year, some mention has been made at the board level of the potential need to construct a seventh high school in the district. No formal proposal for a new high school has been made to the board.
Addressing that issue, Hammer said, "A seventh high school will always be in the picture, but whether it will become a reality is questionable with the attitude of the regional’s population about property taxes, the self-interests and the sectionalism that exists."
Buchalski said his immediate goal for the district is to work in concert with other board members, administrators, teachers, parents and all taxpayers to provide each student with the best possible educational experience.
He said this can be accomplished by improving the curriculum at all six high schools; ensuring that all facilities and equipment are continually upgraded to meet current standards; being responsive to the needs of students, teachers, administrators and taxpayers; and allowing each student to be able to maximize his or her potential.
Buchalski said he would like to point out his individual strengths, which include working with more than 100 municipalities throughout the state, primarily in the area of property taxes.
"I have extensive knowledge of the financial issues and pressures facing school districts," he said. "Having four children within the district, as well as having been involved through coaching and other community activities with hundreds of other children throughout the district, I have a unique personal understanding of the issues affecting the students in today’s society."
Buchalski said the most effective way to hold the line on property taxes, as it affects the school budget, is to limit the development of non-senior citizen residential housing projects.
"Many of the district’s municipalities have attempted to control this growth through downzoning and acquisition of developable land for open space purposes," he said. "New development of well conceived senior citizen communities, as well as commercial, office and light industrial complexes are also effective remedies in controlling real estate tax rates."
Regarding the prospect of building a new school, Buchalski said, "In that the estimated enrollment projections for the regional district indicate there will be 12,300 students by 2006, which is virtually identical to the total current capacity within the six existing high schools, a seventh high school is clearly in the picture. As it is now 2003 and completion of a new high school will take a minimum of three to four years, this situation requires immediate consideration."