CANDIDATES FORUM, April 4
Saul Rubinstein
Montgomery Board of Education
I believe my experience and expertise in management, education, labor relations, problem solving and consensus building can be of service to the board and the community. I hold a Ph.D. in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and both a master’s degree in education and an MBA from Harvard University. My undergraduate degree is from Swarthmore College. I am a professor at Rutgers University School of Management and Labor Relations. I am married, with a daughter in Orchard Hill Elementary School, and I have been a Montgomery resident for 12 years.
In addition to my academic work, I have 25 years of experience consulting to both management and unions in the areas of quality and productivity improvement. My clients were Fortune 500 companies in service and manufacturing, and public-sector organizations including education. I have found that organizations can both improve their quality and lower their costs through the ways they involve their employees and engage their constituencies.
Montgomery’s excellent school district was one reason we moved here. As a parent and educator, I appreciate much of what I see in the schools, particularly the quality of classroom instruction. As a Rutgers University professor, I well understand the financial constraints currently facing our state’s public institutions. I also understand what colleges are looking for in applicants today. I think this experience can be useful to the board in addressing these current challenges:
Over the past year, I have seen frustration build over the feeling by parents that their concerns were not being adequately heard by the board and administration. The board has a critical need to rebuild relations and trust with the community through more openness. We need a truly collaborative process with greater opportunities for input and participation that includes all stakeholders.
The search for a new superintendent who can lead our district to educational excellence with a leadership style that embraces consensus, and welcomes dialog and the active participation of parents, teachers, students, administrators and the school board.
Financial support from the state has decreased while costs have increased, and we have to work together to look even more aggressively for additional sources of revenue and ways to control costs while maintaining and improving educational quality.
I am concerned about the impact of mandated standards and testing requirements on curriculum. Seventy-one percent of the nation’s school districts have reduced the hours of instructional time on other subjects in order to focus on reading and math to prepare for testing. We need to provide education that not only satisfies the mandated standards but goes beyond them to other areas of the curriculum that are critically important for our children in an increasingly global economy.
Montgomery has experienced significantly higher teacher turnover than comparable districts or the state average. I am also concerned about increasing class size. Attracting and retaining the highest-quality teachers will be challenging in light of the financial constraints on the district.
I believe strongly in participation and local democracy and welcome the opportunity to serve this community.
Lisarenee Benz
Montgomery Board of Education
My name is Lisarenee Benz and I am asking for your support as I run for the Montgomery Board of Education. The reputation of the school system was a great factor in our family’s decision to move here in 1998. The township has grown tremendously and the school system has gone through numerous changes since that time, but I still feel secure in choosing Montgomery Township as my home. My children have and continue to receive an excellent public education. I have found their teachers to be challenging and creative enough to accommodate individual student learning abilities.
Montgomery residents value the reputation of academic excellence in our school system. We have consistently been among the best-performing school districts in New Jersey while at the same time having a cost-per-student expense well below the state average. There is universal consensus in the community that we continue to maintain this level of academic excellence.
Yet the school system is at a crossroads; enrollment continues to increase, expenditures continue to grow and we have to find a new superintendent to lead our district. We need a school board that brings together various backgrounds and experiences so that we can successfully accomplish the tasks set forth. It is also imperative that the board and community work hand-in-hand toward a common goal of providing the highest level of academic excellence for our children. We need to develop a fair and open environment built around mutual respect and cooperation, as well as active participation by the community in addressing issues and recommending solutions.
My educational background and work experience has involved analyzing and understanding data and developing the appropriate process to achieve success. An industrial engineer by education, I have been employed as a management analyst with Andersen Consulting, vice president and technical liaison for Citicorp Select Investments and an independent systems consultant. I will bring the same process-driven approach to the school board so that we, as a community, can make informed decisions for the benefit of our children.
Being an integral part of my children’s upbringing is very important to me. When they entered the school system, I actively participated in the classroom and school functions. I have also served as vice president on the Village Elementary and Middle School PTA.
I am running for the board in partnership with two other parents who share the same ideals that I have regarding the quality of education and community involvement Mark Conforti and Christine Ross. Each of us brings a complementary skill set, a unique expertise and a balanced perspective to the board. But together, we will seek out public input, address concerns in an open forum and strive for academic excellence as we look to provide the best possible educational experience for all of our children.
I hope you will support all of us and the school budget on April 18.

