BY DANIELLE MEDINA
Correspondent
CHRIS KELLY staff The four Brick Township Board of Education candidates (r-l) Dr. William Boyan, Virginia Reinhold, Frank Pannucci and Dan Rosa, listen to questions from Brick Township High School students April 4. They may be too young to cast a ballot in this year’s school election, but some Brick Township High School (BTHS) students proved that it’s never to early to get involved in the democratic process.
At a Candidates Night on April 4, nine students from Tony Asaro’s American Politics class fired some hard-hitting questions at the four people vying for two seats on the Board of Education.
“We’re not here to tell you how to vote or who to vote for,” said BTHS Principal Dennis Filippone, who moderated the forum. “But it is critical that you do vote and exercise your democratic responsibility as a citizen of the United States and Brick.”
Incumbents Dr. William Boyan and Frank Pannucci, and newcomers Virginia Reinhold and Dan Rosa were given a minute and a half to respond to the students’ questions, which covered a range of topics from their motivation for running to their credentials to their position on key issues.
Boyan, a medical doctor in private practice in Brick, said that although he has an “alphabet soup” of credentials — B.A., M.B.A., M.D. — and is a “lifelong student,” his best qualification is that he is a parent.
“I have the best interest of my kids and the children of my friends at heart,” Boyan said.
Pannucci, a retired high school teacher who has been on the Brick Board of Education for 15 years, said that serving “is in my blood,” and his experience and history make him a useful member of the board.
“There are things we’ve started that I’d like to see through,” Pannucci said, “and there are new things on the horizon — like No Child Left Behind mandates and technology advancements — that I’d like to be a part of.”
As vice president of the PTA at Lake Riviera, president of the PTA at BTHS and a member of the Special Education PTA, as well as a substitute teacher’s aide, Reinhold said that she has had the chance to see “the good, the great and the ugly” in Brick’s schools.
“People don’t have a problem spending money on the most expensive sneakers or going to the movies,” Reinhold said. “Children’s education has got to come first and foremost.”
Rosa, a firefighter in Irvington who started a lacrosse team in Brick, said that he is running because he has a problem with the way money is spent in the district.
“I don’t think central administration does everything they can do to help the children,” Rosa said.
Each candidate was asked about their position on the district’s proposed $124,310,790 budget, which includes a 12.5-cent tax rate increase.
Boyan and Reinhold said that they will both vote to approve the budget, while Pannucci and Rosa said they would be voting against it.
“We are frugal to a fault,” Boyan said. “Our administrative costs are the lowest in the state, and our percentage of dollars spent in the classroom is higher than any other district.”
“I have a hard time voting for a budget that I see has a lot of waste,” Rosa said, citing the district’s use of consultants and administrative raises. “If the money was going in the right direction, I’d be for a 20-cent raise.”
Pannucci added that he believes there are areas that could be cut from the budget and that the district needs to restructure how it constructs its budgets.
When asked what the first cut they would make if the budget doesn’t pass, both Boyan and Reinhold said that they weren’t sure what was left to eliminate.
However, Pannucci said he thought there were some “frills” and “a job or two that we can cut.” He questioned the district’s need for a public relations person as well as the hiring of an interim principal at Brick Memorial High School and a consultant to answer the Township Council’s questions on the budget.
“How do we expect to keep teachers when the salary structure is the lowest in the region?” asked BTHS junior Kristin Sim-mons.
Both Boyan and Pannucci agreed that most teachers choose to stay in the district because of the health benefits they receive and the tremendous support they get from the district’s personnel.
“Most stay because they are devoted professionals and are dealt with professionally,” Boyan said.
Boyan also cited the district’s continuing education opportunities and the possibility of promotion from within.
There were a number of issues that all four candidates were in agreement on. They all said that they would support a building referendum and an all-day kindergarten program, and they agreed that the privatization of the district’s service personnel — cafeteria workers, bus drivers and custodians — was not in the district’s or the township’s best interest.
“I want people from my town driving my kids to school,” Rosa said.
In their summations, each candidate urged the public to vote on April 19 and to encourage others to vote as well.
“It’s important to be a part of the process,” Pannucci said. “Don’t be part of the problem.”