LPS candidates view superintendent search

Incumbents Steve Williamson and Dorothy Anthes are facing off against Karen Conlon and Grant Miller in the April 18 school election.

By: Mae Rhine
   LAMBERTVILLE — Perhaps the biggest task facing the Lambertville Public School Board of Education will be to hire a new superintendent.
   That’s on the minds of the four candidates vying for three three-year seats on the board in the April 18 school election. They are incumbents Steven Williamson and Dorothy Anthes as well as Karen Conlon and Grant Miller.
   Mr. Williamson, 48, is a financial and business analyst for Cenlar First Savings Bank in Ewing.
   He received a bachelor of science degree in marketing in St. Joseph’s College in Renssallaer, Ind., in 1980.
   He and his wife, Carol, have three children, Steven, 18, Bryan, 16, a junior at South Hunterdon, and Rebecca, 11, a fifth-grader at Lambertville Public School.
   He has been a member of the Board of Education for a total of five terms, serving as vice president for four years, president for two years and as Finance Committee chairman for 14 years.
   He has been involved with the Lambertville-West Amwell Youth Baseball Association for 15 years, serving in various director positions for more than 12 years.
   He also is involved in the Lambertville Basketball Association and is a member of the New Jersey Mortgage Bankers Association.
   Mr. Williamson said there are several critical issues facing the school. The first is hiring a new superintendent.
   "We need to be certain that the needs of the school and the community are accurately identified and a candidate is chosen that fills those needs," he said in an e-mail interview. "The candidate must have all of the skills that are required to move our school forward educationally. We must not settle for a person that does not have all of the skills required; our children deserve better than that.
   "I have learned over the years that many boards simply hire the best candidate that applies. Sometimes the best candidate that applies may not fill all of the school’s needs or possess all of the skills need to be successful."
   He said hiring a new "educational leader" is "absolutely the most important responsibility of any board of education."
   He added, "I believe that my experience, as a lifelong resident and 15-year member of the Lambertville Board of Education and skill sets will add value to that process should I be re-elected."
   School finances are another important issue to Mr. Williamson.
   "The system does not work nor is it equitable," he said. "Over the years, I have lobbied for change and will continue to do so should I be re-elected. The system must be fixed for both our children and our taxpayers.
   "Even though the system is broken, this does not abdicate boards from their second most important responsibility — passing a budget annually that moves the school forward, meets thorough and efficient as required by the state Department of Education and is fair to the taxpayer. While that may sound easy, it is not.
   "We must balance the needs of our children with those of our taxpayers’ ability to pay without losing sight of our primary obligation — to educate our children. It requires mid- and long-range financial planning. And, sometimes, it takes hard choices and sometimes unpopular choices.
   "This is something that I believe I bring to the board. The ability to understand school finance, help the administration understand and weigh the options, demand and participate in mid and long-range financial planning, fiscal management and make decisions are all skills that I currently bring to the Lambertville Board of Education."
   Mr. Williamson said he is also concerned about declining enrollment.
   "Over the past 10 to 12 years, our enrollment has declined from approximately 300 children to our current enrollment of approximately 160 — a decrease of over 46 percent. While in many regards, this is a good thing; in others it is not. It makes our job of offering a broad educational experience much more difficult. Managing our fixed overhead becomes far more complicated, and class size, which has been debated for the past four or five years, will continue to be debated unless this trend reverses.
   "While we may not spend more money, our cost per student rises as our enrollment declines. As our cost per student rises, we are faced with the possibility of penalties from the state in the form of reduced or even eliminated state aid. Continuing to manage this process is a critical issue that will face LPS over the next several years."
   Mr. Williamson said his 15 years on the board as well as his business experience are what makes him valuable to the board.
   "We are currently beginning the search process for a new chief school administrator, which, in my opinion, is the most important responsibility of a board of education. I have been through two searches in my tenure on the board and can bring my experience to the process again. It is critical to identify what the needs of the school and the community are and seek only the best candidate that fits those needs. It is a very tedious process that I can be of help to this board should be reelected.
   "Also, my professional background in finance is a skill that all boards need, particularly in these times of extremely difficult budgets. Property taxes in New Jersey are the highest in the country, and schools are a big part of that. It is incumbent on all boards to seek creative ways to fund programs in our schools. We need to find alternative solutions to our problems.
   "The status quo is not acceptable. Our school receives less than 9 percent of its revenues from the state through state aid, as compared to a state average of approximately 40 percent. Therefore, the burden of our budget falls primarily on the local taxpayer.
   "While we need to lobby our state government for change, we still must find ways to provide our children with all of the opportunities that they deserve and need in order to effectively compete in the world as an adult without bankrupting our taxpayers."
   Mrs. Anthes, 49, is a registered nurse at Abington (Pa.) Memorial Hospital and the clinical charge nurse of the GI Procedure Unit.
   She graduated from South Hunterdon Regional High School in 1975 and from the Abington Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in 1978.
   She has been married for 26 years to Richard Anthes, a former city councilman. They have three children, Larry, Cindy and Rick Jr.
   She is finishing her second three-year term on the board. She is chairwoman of the board’s Policy Committee, a member of its Building and Grounds Committee and a member of its Personnel Committee and Negotiations Committee for the 2005-06 school year.
   She is a member of the Hunterdon County Medical Reserve Corps, past treasurer of the Lambertville Public School PTA, a past member of the South PTSO and its Football Booster Club and formerly a member of the Lambertville-New Hope Ambulance and Rescue Squad.
   She also was involved with the Lambertville Ramblers Football program, the Lambertville-West Amwell Youth Baseball Association and the Lambertville Basketball Association.
   She is a member of St. John’s Church in Lambertville.
   In an e-mail interview, Mrs. Anthes said the main issues facing Lambertville are "providing a quality education to all of the Lambertville children while being faced with flat state funding, declining enrollment, diverse student needs and increasing burden being placed on the local taxpayer to support public education."
   She also touched on the task of finding a new superintendent the appropriate leadership at Lambertville Public School "to keep our school headed in a positive direction."
   Talking about what she can continue to bring to the board, she said: "Any decision the school board makes has a direct impact on the community at large, whether it is in what class size a child will be in, who is best suited to lead our school into the next decade or how will a taxpayer be affected financially?
   She noted school board decisions have a wide-ranging impact on residents — from tax bills to the number of children assigned to a classroom.
   "I believe with my experience as a board member, I have been able to look at the whole picture when making decisions. I have no agenda, or any children in the school that would be directly impacted by my decisions. But I do have the past experience of my children, all of which had different abilities and needs while students at Lambertville Public School, to be understanding of issues when a tough decision needs to be made."
   Ms. Conlon, 47, who has lived in Lambertville since 1986, has never run for public office before.
   She is in sales and business development for International Banking. She received a bachelor’s degree in 1980 from LaSalle University in Philadelphia.
   She has been married since 1987 to Mark, and they have two children, Devin, 12, a sixth-grader at Lambertville Public School, and John, 10, a fourth-grader there.
   She is a past member of the Lambertville Zoning Board of Adjustment and the Lambertville Planning Board.
   She was active in the South Hunterdon Communities Facilities Task Force, which helped gain support for the $20.8 million referendum that was approved last September.
   She is a member of the Lambertville PTA, has been "room mom" for both of her children, and regularly attends board meetings. She also supports the Lambertville Area Education Foundation.
   Besides finding a new superintendent, she is concerned about decreasing enrollment.
   "The size of our student body has decreased, which creates both a challenge and an opportunity," she said in an e-mail interview. "We need to continue to develop educational programs that are challenging and exciting for all students at Lambertville Public School and work within the constraints of the budget."
   As a past member of the Lambertville zoning and planning board, she said, "I understand how a board operates and its limitations. I have been an active and involved parent at LPS for the past six years. I admire the dedication of the current LPS board members. They work hard to insure LPS provides a valuable learning experience to the students. I believe that change is good and would like the opportunity to become more involved with the school. I look forward to bringing new ideas and fresh perspectives to the board."
   Mr. Miller, 38, is director of channel sales and alliances for a privately held software company. He received a bachelor of science degree in marketing in 1990 from Kutztown University.
   He has been married since 1995 to Christine. They have a daughter, Julia, 6, a kindergartner at Lambertville and a son, Will, 3½.
   He has lived in Lambertville since 1996 and recently bought a second home there.
   "We really need to take the work of the existing board members and continue to develop educational programs that are challenging and exciting for all students at LPS and work within our budget," he said in an e-mail interview. "Class sizes have been getting smaller, which presents both an opportunity and a challenge."
   He added, "I will also look forward to continue the effort to strengthen relationships with the community and organizations like LAEF and the PTA.
   "Lambertville is a great place to live, and community involvement is important. I can’t think of a better way to accomplish that then by being involved with the school and the educational initiatives that affect our entire community. By applying my professional experience to the LPS board, I believe I can bring new ideas and fresh perspectives to the board."
   He added, "I am a product of a public schools system and a big supporter of public education."