Ted Stiles’ legacy
To the editor:
Cancer took a true champion of the Hopewell Valley last week. Much can be said about Ted Stiles, but the simple fact is that his love of nature is his legacy in our Valley, our county and our state, forever.
Dan Pace
Pennington
Check the Yellow Pages
To the editor:
As instructors of the woodworking and automotive programs here at Central High School, we would like to express our thanks to Ruth Luse and John Tredrea for their very kind words concerning our service these past 40 years.
We have had the pleasure of instructing Hopewell Valley students about the skills that are truly our passion. The value of what we teach was as relevant 40 years ago as it is today. We also would like to thank the community and past school boards for their unwavering support of our programs through the years. We all have benefited by those wise decisions.
Upon retiring we feel we need to set the record straight concerning three issues that need some clarification. The automotive program dying, the outdatedness of the Auto Shop, and the types of students that the shops service.
The high school auto classes are practical arts courses designed to introduce our students to the small engine and modern automobile. These courses are not geared to a vocational end but as an introductory and exploratory thrust. Students considering automotive as a career have the option of attending our county vocational schools which take a limited number of students from all our county high schools. We currently have 76 students in our small engine and automotive programs with no previous exposure at Timberlane and have been turning students away from enrollment due to classes being filled and not enough staff. Automotive might be dying in other parts of the county, but here it is not!
Teaching automotive to high school students is different today as compared to 30 or 40 years ago. Today’s cars are very complex, computer-controlled vehicles few people feel comfortable exploring. Students today need to know the basic systems, how they work and function, before they dive into the high technology, which usually only automotive dealerships rule. Our high school Auto Shop has a nice blend of tools and equipment to teach those basic skills and numerous other pieces of hand-held diagnostic equipment to explore the newer vehicles. Our philosophy is teach them to crawl before they can walk. Most of our students are "hands-on learners" who thrive in the environment we provide. We also have a computer- generated library of all automotive shop manuals form 1982 to 2006, which is used daily. Learning is a process that takes years of study where short cuts to high-end technology are not acceptable!
Hopewell Valley always has prided itself in its rich curriculum and electives that meet the needs of all its students. However, all too often, when referring to the industrial/practical arts courses, the statement is made that "not all kids go to college," insinuating that this is one of the main reasons why these classes are important. Contrary to popular belief, just as an example, in last year’s graduating class the following college matriculation report (2006) indicates that former auto and woodshop students are attending: Mercer County Community College, University of Colorado, Guilford College, Drew University, University of Pennsylvania, Syracuse University, Penn State, Raritan Valley Community College, Cornell, NJ Institute of Technology, Northeastern University, Lehigh, McDaniel, Coastal Carolina, Rutgers, Miami University, University of North Carolina, Bucks County Community College, NYU, Liberty University, and yes, occasionally some go into business for themselves to join the work force.
Just check the Yellow Pages. Obviously, these classes have met the needs of all the students at Hopewell Valley.
Dick Estelow,
Skip Johnson,
CHS teachers
Our Hopewell oasis
To the editor:
With the Ides of March comes not only that tantalizing air of expectation of the breaking buds of spring, but also a sense of euphoria that our community successfully worked together to realize our dream of saving the St. Michael’s property as our legacy to future generations. When New Jersey is built out in 30 years, as predicted, we will look with pride at the oasis we have created in Hopewell.
The partnership of D&R Greenway with our citizens and business community has created a vibrant model of land acquisition and stewardship. We have all enjoyed the fundraising events, made possible by the generosity of our local businesses like the Off-Broadstreet Theatre, The Brothers Moon, and Music Together, and we hope that we can continue the fun with annual stewardship fundraising events. Not only have we strengthened our environment, but also we have strengthened our communal bonds, and so this project has been a gift to us all. We owe a debt of gratitude to the Hopewell Valley News, and Ruth Luse, who have provided the necessary public communication to make this effort possible.
And now, as we wait for spring and summer, we look forward to meeting our neighbors on the trails in our newest park! Thank you all for your commitment to Hopewell.
Stephanie Harris
Hopewell Township
State is the problem
To the editor:
I believe the anger and negative energy that some Hopewell Valley citizens are directing at our local school officials should be redirected to New Jersey state-level officials. That is where the real problem lies. Until a tax convention in New Jersey takes place and changes the way public education is funded, taxpayers in districts like Hopewell Valley will bear the brunt of a broken system.
I took advantage of our superintendent, Judith Ferguson’s invitation to share coffee and hear her thoughts regarding the upcoming school budget. This is the first time I have ever spoken with her personally. I found her to be very willing to listen to my thoughts in a calm, non-confrontational manner. She answered all of my questions and inquired about concerns of mine. She may not have agreed with all of my ideas and I certainly do not agree with every aspect of the current (and past) school budgets, but I now better understand the process of how the budget is created. I also left the meeting knowing that Dr. Ferguson and our elected school board representatives are trying desperately to provide our students with the most comprehensive education possible given the restraints of a state-mandated budget cap.
Finally, to set the record straight once again, the people of this Valley did not vote 2-1 against CHS football. A second question in the 2001 school budget election requested funding for a freshman football team, middle school lacrosse and a freshman softball team for the 2001-2002 school year. This question was voted down so these programs were not funded nor instituted during that budgeted year. CHS football and middle school lacrosse teams were eventually and legally started during subsequent years. They remain viable and successful extra curricular activities.
No one agrees with every line item in any school budget but a look at the big picture is necessary. I am willing to support our school budget and local officials because I realize that my property value (and resale value) is directly related to the perception of the excellence of our schools. When it is time to vote for the 2007-2008 school budget, please, "don’t cut off your nose to spite your face."
Kris Kley
Titusville
Keep it green!
To the editor:
Thanks to all for a wonderful evening and to everyone who helped, donated and bought tickets to our sold-out event to help raise money for the St. Michael’s property. Our hearts are warmed and deeply touched by the outpouring of support and generosity from the people attached to Hopewell Borough and sustaining its quality and beauty. We are glad we were able to host such a great event. We apologize to those who weren’t able to attend due to the limited space. We love being a part of this community. Let’s keep it green!
Beth Judge, Will Mooney,
The Brothers Moon,
Hopewell
Industrial arts
offerings important!
To the editor:
Upon returning home from college for my spring break I was very upset to hear that the school board was considering cutting the industrial arts program from the courses offered at HVCHS. While wondering why they would do this I referred to the school districts mission statements to see if they could help me understand the school boards reasoning. I found the first two especially interesting.
1. To engage students actively in the learning process while they are working to achieve their full potential as competent, respectful, socially responsible citizens.
This may be just me but I can confidently say that I have not felt engaged in about 80 percent of the courses I have taken in the Hopewell schools. Not to say that the courses weren’t of value or well-instructed, but by nature I don’t think the so-called core curriculum is very engaging of students. In my opinion that is where electives come into play. I was proud to attend Hopewell Valley Central High School and felt very privileged to take the courses offered. Every student has a passion and it is the duty of the education system to cater to those passions. Be it music, art, athletics, or industrial arts, they are all equally important and to remove any of them would be a disservice to the student body. To learn students must be engaged and to be engaged students need electives. The removal of industrial arts would leave hundreds of students without engagement in their school day, thus leaving this mission statement unfulfilled.
2. To provide a wide array of instructional programs that assure core competencies and nurture the unique talents of the individual and that are regularly revised to meet current needs and anticipate challenges.
Students need educational diversity in their day and their unique talents must be catered to. Those who believe the core curriculum of math, science, history and English is of the most importance and value to students, I feel, have the wrong impression. Albeit they do exist. The students who wake up in the morning eager to learn about polynomials and 19th century American literature are by far the minority, so why should those programs be placed at the top of the academic system? Personally I rate the value of a course on how I can use what I learn from it and I have used nothing more than what I have learned in the courses of the industrial arts programs. It is because of those programs that I chose to pursue mechanical engineering, It is because of those programs that I am on the Dean of Engineering Scholarship at Northeastern University, and it is because of those programs that thousands of students have left the high school with skills that serve them for their entire lives. Again I feel the removal of the industrial arts program would make the fulfillment of this mission statement questionable at best.
In their decision to remove the industrial arts curriculum I have to ask the school board, whose mission statements are you following?
Ben Van Selous
Hopewell Township
A little perspective
To the editor:
As the April 17 election date draws near, the usual campaign rhetoric has begun in earnest, especially as it concerns the school district budget for the 2007-2008 school year. Residents are to be encouraged to express their opinions, and it is gratifying to live in a community where they indeed do so.
Nonetheless, a little perspective is helpful here. As a school board member for the past year, I have seen first hand that (to borrow from the commercial) this is not your father’s Hopewell Valley any more. The days of living in a sleepy, rural community have passed us by, and the school district is hardly immune to the challenges, financial and otherwise, presented by our increasing complex society. A few facts are in order to illustrate the task at hand.
The school district currently manages a $65M budget, which is no small feat. At more than 60 square miles, our district is one of the largest geographically in the State of New Jersey. Its facilities, with a total value of $53.2 million, collectively comprise the single largest community asset in the Valley, with total area of just under 750,000 square feet. Of its seven buildings, three (amazingly) date back to the Coolidge administration: Hopewell Elementary (1925), Toll Gate (1927) and the administration building (1929).
Every day, more than 4,000 students, 630 staff members and some 200 visitors work in and pass through our schools. In addition, hundreds of community members regularly make use of the gyms, fields, classrooms and the PAC, often seven days a week and late into the evening, not to mention the many schoolchildren who also use the fields and gyms for after-school programs. I can assure you that the school district understands that student, staff and visitor safety is paramount in these facilities, and that deferred maintenance is risky both in terms of potential disruptions to the educational process and also in terms of it being more costly in the long run.
One must add to this the transportation of 2,765 students on a daily basis, which includes 79 special education students bused to out-of-district facilities from Camden County to the northernmost areas of New Jersey. That massive undertaking, which includes the necessary vehicles, their maintenance and repairs, drivers and administrative staff, as well as other components, accounts for an annual budget of just over $4 million.
In short, it is not easy to manage all that our district provides to the community, especially with significant financial challenges, including unfunded state mandates, and all the while maintaining the exceptional academic results that our community demands in Hopewell Valley. While it is easy to become fixated on specific items, I believe it is wiser to take a less myopic view, recognizing our district for the large and complex operation that it is. I ask that you step back and look at the big picture before casting your vote on April 17.
Jeff Bartolino
Hopewell Township
Keep bright
light shining
The following letter was sent to members of the school board, the HVRSD superintendent and assistant superintendent and submitted to the HVN for publication:
I understand there is again a proposal to entirely eliminate the primary strings program from the budget for the next school year. As HVRSD board members, many of you have children who are in, or who have gone through, the HVRSD school system and have benefited from the curriculum of the HVRSD, including the primary strings program offered to first- and second-year students at the elementary schools, and your first-hand experience may be information you may wish to share in final budget meetings. I have found, all three of my children, with different skills and talents, benefited from primary strings, and feel it is part of what makes our school system great.
In December, as a parent of second and fourth grade students attending Stony Brook and a sixth grade student attending Timberlane, I enjoyed beautiful concerts presented by the music departments of both schools. The concerts were extremely well-done evidencing money allocated to the HVRSD music department is money well-spent.
The voluntary student participation in the music programs at the middle school level is remarkable! The well-attended music programs are evidence of a bright light in the total education of our children in the HVRSD. The music program is run by teachers who are talented, enthusiastic, hard-working music lovers and all our children benefit from these qualities. My hope is in times of tough budget decisions, the school board will choose to keep the bright light shining by continuing to introduce children to hands-on music at the earliest level keeping first and second grade strings a part of our curriculum, together with the music lessons our older children receive during their school day. Many Stony Brook parents also had the rewarding experience of attending a violin lesson of first and second grade students during American Education Week. Every child was proficient and engaged in Mrs. Hail’s lesson. Children are proud to bring home their violin during their first and second grade years to give their family a "concert." Children are more likely to voluntarily broaden their interest in music and the arts in and out of school because of the very special early introduction to music lessons our school district provides.
The shift from a comprehensive curriculum to a bare minimum is very concerning. In charging user fees for music lessons, sports and other elective activities, how are parents getting more for less for their children’s education? I believe the scaling back of special programs such as primary strings could be part of a downfall of what makes our school system great.
I appreciate your taking the time to think about how you and/or your children have benefited from the HVRSD curriculum and how the proposed budget cuts will affect the next generation of students of the HVRSD before you finalize the proposed budget cuts for next year.
Liz Gambino
Hopewell Township
McHugh
gets response
To the editor:
I am writing this letter in response to the numerous letters from Brian McHugh regarding his position that the school district should use open source software as a way to save money. I have 20 years working in the computer technology industry ranging from technology implementation to architecture to technology strategy advisor.
I’ve read through some of Mr. McHugh’s past commentary and I think he has made some great points on a number of areas that can be improved and I understand have even been implemented. However, the idea of implementing Open Source software as a cost saving measure is dead wrong.
Free software is like a free puppy.
I’m aware of many alternative technologies in the marketplace today, but we want to make sure our children are prepared for the future as we see it today. As an example, Mr. McHugh suggests switching from Microsoft Office to OpenOffice. Since Microsoft Office is now the standard productivity application in the majority of businesses today ranging anywhere from Enterprise business, to small business, to home computers, I agree with the school district that it is in the best interest of our children to proceed with Microsoft based applications. A move to another platform when our budgets are tight and the computer services staff is already trained on the Microsoft Office technologies would not save the district any money. Even if all of the upfront costs of: removing software, acquiring software, deploying software, etc., were significantly diminished, it does not negate the fact that this software has to be supported by someone(s). This further implies that additional staff would have to be hired in order to service this type of move or retrain current staff, but hopefully not replace our staff, who is already well versed in supporting Microsoft Office. In either case, that requires more money that is not available with the current budget squeeze. It’s the hidden and uncertain costs that need to be assessed not just the cost of acquiring the software. Acquisition of software is about 5 to 10 percent of the actual cost, where ongoing maintenance and support is the majority of the costs in any institution.
The Open Source business model is based primarily on services (i.e. consulting) because in general they do not charge a license fee for products. They do charge for maintenance services. Most Open Source-based business see Open Source software as a way to generate services revenue. If your business model is fundamentally based on growing your service’s revenue stream then you are fundamentally not motivated to reduce complexity! Complexity drives services revenue streams. Reductions in complexity lower your services revenue opportunity.
From another perspective, this move would also put undue pressure on our children and their parents. Recently, I was helping my son with fraction arithmetic. As we worked together, I quickly realized the challenge of trying to show him how to solve these problems based on the way I was taught which conflicted with the way he was being taught. In comparing this to technology, can you imagine the conflicts that would arise when children are forced to use software at school that doesn’t mesh with the software they use at home, since the majority of our communities computers are running Windows and Microsoft Office? And then think of the sheer frustration of the parents trying to bridge the gap.
As I’ve seen it in the industry, we need to evolve from the emotional conversation and focus on how we can improve on the current district investments. I’m willing and planning to volunteer my time.
Craig Lieboff
Pennington

