Four West Amwell Board of Education hopefuls seek three three-year terms. They are incumbents Cindy Magill and Christopher Castellano and Leila Rice and Peter Gasparro.
By: Mae Rhine
WEST AMWELL The four candidates for three seats on the West Amwell Board of Education are concerned about rising enrollment and property taxes in the face of flat state funding.
Incumbents Cindy Magill and Christopher Castellano are being challenged by Leila Rice and Peter Gasparro in the April 18 election. Incumbent Joey Michelchuk opted not to seek re-election this year. The three open seats are for three-year terms.
Ms. Magill, a 23-year resident of the township, has been on the board for 10 years and its president for three years.
She is self-employed at her business, Magill Storage in New Hope.
Ms. Magill, 52, has a bachelor’s degree in communications from Temple University and has done some graduate work in early childhood development.
She and her husband, Randy Magill, have a daughter: Elizabeth Magill, 22, a son, Sam, 20, and a niece, who resides with them, Angela Elia, 16.
As her children were growing up, Ms. Magill said she was actively involved in what she called the usual child-related activities PTO, Scouts, athletics and South Hunterdon Regional High School band and cross country parents as well as homeless shelters and food and clothing collection for the needy.
Now that her children are out of school, she serves as president of the West Amwell board, vice president and finance officer for the Hunterdon County School Boards Association, and member of the New Jersey School Boards Association’s board of directors, representing Hunterdon County.
She also is a team leader at new board members’ orientations and a volunteer at the workshops. She also continues to do work for the homeless, collecting food and clothing and working in shelters and safe houses when needed.
She is concerned about the growth in the township in the face of no increases in state aid.
"Like so many schools throughout New Jersey, we continue to face growth in the community and work tirelessly to meet the challenges that presents," she said in an e-mail interview. "At the same time, we are faced with unfunded mandates from the state, flat funding from the state, small state aid contribution only 39 percent whereas most states contribute over 50 percent which have led to increased property taxes, diminished state funding for school construction and rising costs of insurance and utilities."
As a board member for a decade, she said, "Many people have asked me why I continue to put myself through this as my children are long out of West Amwell, and the issues get tougher every year.
She explained, "You used to be able to get away with just worrying about your own local school. Today, the problems are much more far-reaching, and the problems countywide and statewide reach right into our community. My service to the board has never been about my children. It has been about my passion about children and education in general.
"I wanted to contribute everything in my power to support, improve and maintain a school that did amazing things every day. I still feel that way 10 years later. I bring the history and experience of those 10 years as well as the knowledge of working at the county and state level. I have always felt that the best could be achieved when the administration, staff and board work as a team and not against each other. That has proven not only to be the philosophy of the board and administration, but our accomplishments have proven that theory to be true."
Ms. Magill said she is in her first year of a three-year position on the New Jersey School Boards Association and wants to keep her seat in West Amwell "so I can fulfill that obligation."
She said she feels it is important that the "voice" of the small school districts be heard. And she doesn’t feel regionalization is necessary.
"With all of the talk concerning regionalization, it is my genuine belief that the same goals can be accomplished through articulation, shared services and sharing of space and staff without the tremendous cost of regionalization," she said. "We did an intensive study through the county office last year along with Stockton, Lambertville and South and realized that we were already on the right track and just need to keep moving forward.
"The cost of an actual regionalization would be a tremendous burden to the taxpayers and one that you’d never see the financial benefit of. We presently have articulation going on between the administrators, teachers and board presidents of all four schools. It is an exciting thing to be a part of, and I would like the opportunity to continue in that endeavor."
She is concerned about the burden education puts on the taxpayers.
"One of my main areas of focus and concern even before joining the board was the tremendous financial weight of education on the local taxpayer," she said. "We must find a way to fund education without driving people out of their homes and discouraging new families from coming to New Jersey.
"A shift in the tax responsibility a shift, not an increase would help balance school revenue sources. New Jersey should be funding education at the national average of 50 percent, thus relieving some of the pressure on the home owner and insuring that the cost of education is shouldered by those who have the ability to pay.
She said she is working at the state level to find a solution.
"As long as we continue to fund education mainly through property taxes, we will continue to erode community support for essential school programs and services," she said. "Through my work at the state level, I have become aware of the many proposals that are before our Legislature that are ‘revenue neutral.’ They would shift a large portion of school revenue away from local property taxes and shift it over to a progressive state tax."
She added, "The Legislature and supporters of education continue to work with this issue, and I would like to be able to continue to be a part of the solution.
Ms. Rice, 37, calls herself a stay-at-home mother to her two young children.
Previously, she was a college instructor in history and writing at two universities. She also taught soldiers in the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky.
More recently, she worked as a policy analyst on child development and education issues for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., under both the Clinton and Bush administrations.
Ms. Rice has a doctorate and master’s degree in American history from Vanderbilt University and a bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary in Virginia.
She and her husband, Terry, have two children Clara, 6, a first-grader at West Amwell, and Aidan, 3.
Ms. Rice said she has been involved at the school since her daughter started going there. She volunteers for the PTO and the Cool School Committee, which is raising money to buy air conditioners for classrooms.
This year, she served on the Executive Committee of the PTO as corresponding secretary. She also was one of two PTO representatives on the Cool School Committee, a joint effort of the PTO, Board of Education and school administration. She also was the co-chairperson of the school’s annual Holiday Craft Night this year.
Ms. Rice has been the leader of her daughter’s Girl Scout troop for the past two years, which are now the first-grade Brownies. She also participated in South Hunterdon’s Strategic Planning Task Force during the 2004-05 school year.
She also said she feels board members must be "responsible stewards of our community’s limited tax dollars."
While doing this, she said, the school must provide "an excellent educational experience for all of our students."
In an e-mail interview, she said, "West Amwell is a wonderful school, but, like any school, it faces challenges. We need to keep up with changes in education research and technology. We need to manage a rising enrollment, and we must continue to improve academic achievement to ensure that our students are well-prepared for the future.
"But because our budget is not unlimited, we must think creatively, prioritize carefully and build upon our many strengths to ensure that our children’s educational experience is top-rate.
"The Cool School Campaign is an excellent example of how we can find creative solutions to fix problems and improve our children’s environment, and I have been proud to be an active part of that effort."
Ms. Rice said her skills and experience provide her with "strong qualifications" to be a board member.
"I have a background in education and teaching experience," she said. "My work on education policy and child development issues for the federal government has given me a detailed understanding of the issues facing local schools. Many of the issues that I worked on are still relevant for West Amwell School today, including the No Child Left Behind regulations, the development of reading curricula and issues related to children with disabilities.
"At West Amwell, I have had experience working with school administrators, board members, parents and teachers on our Cool School Campaign and other PTO activities."
She added, "I believe our school board needs representatives who are willing and able to spend a great deal of time and energy working for the school. I do have that time and energy to give to the school, and I would feel privileged to serve on the West Amwell Board of Education."
Mr. Castellano, 33, is a chemist. He received a bachelor of science degree in ceramic engineering from Rutgers University in 1995.
He is married to Lois, 35, and they have a son, Sean, 2½.
Mr. Castellano has been involved in some committees on the board. Outside the school, the majority of his volunteer work is affiliated with Rutgers University.
Working with the Rutgers Alumni Association, he co-chaired both the Young Alumni Committee and the Homecoming Committee and is a member of the Rutgers Engineering Society.
He was awarded the Class of 1931 Award for volunteer service and leadership last year and will be inducted as a Loyal Son of Rutgers in April.
He also has also served as a lector at St. John’s Church in Lambertville.
As with the other candidates, he believes the main issue facing the school is to "maintain the high level of excellence and performance of our school and staff in the face of leveled state support and increasing enrollment."
Mr. Castellano was appointed to the board last year to finish out the remaining year of the term held by Chris Kascik, who resigned.
He said in an e-mail interview, "While I’m a ‘rookie’ in the sense that I have only served one year so far on the board, I have learned much in every aspect of the board’s function and responsibilities. My work with the various Rutgers alumni committees has provided me with a background in budgetary planning and event coordination/communication, which meshes well with the finance and buildings and ground committees. I also have a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and dive right into new tasks and projects."
Mr. Gasparro, 37, is occupation director for partnership development at Barclays, a bank in Wilmington, Del.
He received a master’s degree in corporate communications in 2001 and a bachelor of science degree in marketing in 1990, both from Seton Hall University.
He and his wife, Paula, have four children, Antonio, 7, Sofia, 4, Marco 22 months, and Olivia, 6 months.
He is a member of the Architecture Committee for the Hills at Hunterdon community and a soccer coach for the Greater Flemington Soccer League for the 2004 and 2005 seasons.
"Overall, I believe we are blessed with a great administration and faculty," Mr. Gasparro said in an e-mail interview. "We need to work to maintain good class sizes during future growth. We need to maintain a positive small school atmosphere while providing the best most competitive environment we can."
He said his "open mind" is one of the skills he can bring to the board.
"I don’t seek this position with any personal agenda or large-scale issues in mind," he explained.
He added, "I hope to bring my 15 years of management experience to the board and deploy the same process I would in my professional life; learn and educate myself as much as possible about a topic; and then render the best opinion or decision that I can."

