LETTERS

From the issue of March 22, 2007.

Board candidate offers introduction
To the editor:
   I would like to use this forum to introduce myself to the South Brunswick community. My name is Surabhi Agarwal and I am running for the South Brunswick Board of Education with the hope of creating an even better school district in this township.
   I have been a resident of South Brunswick for more than 14 years and have two children who attend our schools. There are three issues that I am passionate about:
   • the quality of education our children receive,
   • the environment in which they receive that education, and
   • the costs our taxpayers incur in providing that education.
   The South Brunswick school district is highly regarded with respect to the quality of education it provides. However, we need to ensure that we maintain that quality and improve in areas where there are deficiencies. For example, our school system has an excellent district-wide music program and curriculum, and students throughout the school district have good flexibility with regard to the higher mathematics courses that they can pursue.
   We should develop a similar program for the sciences, particularly in light of the growing need for workers with scientific/technical skills. A good first step would be to improve access to teaching aids and resources especially in our elementary schools. Some teachers in the elementary schools are scrambling for teaching aids such as microscopes or experimental sets of magnets. We should be able to make such basic materials available to our teachers.
   Another way to improve the quality of science education is to develop partnerships with local companies — for example, located just a short distance from the high school is a research site for Wyeth, a pharmaceutical giant. We could partner with Wyeth to bring in scientists (e.g., biologists, chemists, pharmacologists) as guest lecturers to foster greater interest in the sciences.
   To improve the quality of education in general, we need to periodically review the curriculum and ensure that it adapts to the needs of a global society. Many students still cannot point to France or Iraq on a world map — we need to begin focusing on global studies and geography in the early school years.
   We also need to further encourage the use of computers in the elementary schools to ensure that our children learn computer skills early on.
   For college-bound high school students, we need to ensure that Honors courses actually teach material at that level and that Advanced Placement courses provide the skills required to pass the AP exams.
   Equally, we must be cognizant of "course-title inflation" at other school districts and ensure that our students are not at a comparative disadvantage. We should strengthen college placement and counseling services — many South Brunswick high school graduates have attended prestigious institutions such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Stanford. Counselors should tap into this alumni network and have these students serve as mentors to academically driven students in the high school.
   We also need to have more equitable distribution of funds for extra- and co-curricular activities so that students have high-quality extra-curricular opportunities, whether they want to be in Marching Band or on an academic team.
   We need to be innovative and resourceful and seek to improve and enhance our educational programs to benefit all children in light of ever-increasing budgetary restraints and make sure that all children receive an exceptional education that will enable them to adapt and function in a world that is rapidly changing.
   This brings me to my next point. As the Academy Award-winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" made clear, the world environment is increasingly becoming fragile, and all of us, including school districts, need to do our part in improving the quality of our environment.
   We must work to find ways to use renewable energy sources for our school buildings, such as incorporating solar panels. Other large school districts in New Jersey, such as Toms River, Bayonne, and Pennsville, have already started such programs, and the government subsidizes such initiatives. We could also switch to alternative fuels for our school buses that would generate less air pollution, creating a better environment for our children.
   Lastly, we can reduce paper mailings generated by our schools and encourage use of the sbschools.org Web site and e-mail. For those families without computers, we, as a community, can definitely find ways to get computers in these homes (e.g., a computer donation drive). Reducing paper mailings would not only save resources but also money that can be put to better use.
   We can also ensure that our children are served fresh, nutritious food in the school cafeterias, with fewer preservatives and chemicals. We would be setting a wonderful example for our children by pursuing these "green" initiatives in our schools.
   Lastly, we need to address the issue of the ever-increasing school budget, which is now estimated to be more than $131 million. We need to critically review all expenses on a year-round basis and root out all unnecessary expenditures (e.g., paper mailings). We must ensure that we allocate and redistribute the funds such that the focus is on educating our children and not on administrative costs. We have a responsibility to all taxpayers in the community to use these funds wisely to improve the quality of education in our schools.
   I will consider the needs of the South Brunswick community, parents, teachers, and students and represent and serve all parties to the best of my ability. If you would like to talk to me about any of these issues, please feel free to call me at (732) 422-7763 or send me email at [email protected].
Surabhi Agarwal
Kendall Park
Support Delgado for school board
To the editor:
   We face again a school board election with multiple individuals expressing their wish to get involved and serve the needs of the community. When evaluating the candidates running, one individual, among the many qualified candidates, clearly has the necessary attributes to best represent the educational interests of our community.
   I wrote, a few years back, that the top three attributes that make the best representative are commitment, experience and leadership. I believe that police Capt. Harry Delgado best exemplifies these three attributes and should continue serving the interests of our children.
   Capt. Delgado has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to all the children in South Brunswick. His commitment to education allows opportunities for every child to explore different areas of interest and reach his or her potential. His support has helped lead our district to recognized excellence in all of our academic, athletic, arts and music programs.
   Capt. Delgado has the experience of being a school board member for the past twelve years and has been very involved with the changes that have and continue to affect our school district and we would all benefit from his continuity. Capt. Delgado is the father of two children, one who still is in district, and knows what it’s like to be impacted by actions that have been made.
   But even more important then just time served, Capt. Delgado has the added experience of representing South Brunswick at the county and state school board levels. Capt. Delgado is currently the vice president for county activities of the New Jersey School Boards Association. He is currently a member of the Middlesex County Board for Professional Development. He served as president of the Middlesex County School Boards Association, its representative to the New Jersey School Boards Association board of directors, and the South Brunswick delegate to the NJSBA Delegate Assembly. In these uncertain times of constantly changing direction in the state government towards education issues, his experience in these positions is vital.
   Capt. Delgado is also an effective leader on the board and within the community. He has previously served three years as school board president and three years as vice president. He is a captain in the South Brunswick Police Department, and president of the South Brunswick Police Superior Officers Association Fraternal Order Of Police. He has been an advocate for programs such as DARE, SAFE and others that promote safety and awareness in our schools. Mostly, He has been most successful in facilitating open communication and consensus building from all members of the community in addressing the issues in the last several years that have impacted our children.
   As you carefully consider the necessary attributes: commitment, experience, leadership; as well as integrity and other qualities that are needed, I’m sure you’ll join me in supporting Harry J. Delgado as our and our children’s representative to the South Brunswick school board.
William H. Kennedy
Kendall Park
Vote for Tupe, Shah, Delgado and budget
To the editor:
   The school board election will be held next month on April 17, 2007. We urge all South Brunswick voters to support adoption of the budget. The school board has done a great job in developing a budget that attempts to comply with the governor’s pronounced 4 percent cap increase, while at the same time ensuring that our school children receive the highest quality education possible.
   The board deserves a lot of credit, including current members Ann Tupe and Harry Delgado. Their experience as multi-term board members is invaluable. They have served our township school children and the taxpayers well over the years, by balancing the need to provide the best education possible to our children, but at a reasonable cost. These two goals can be mutually exclusive, but Ms. Tupe and Capt. Delgado have done a remarkable job in attaining both of them.
   We are also supporting Mac Shah for election to the school board. Mr. Shah has been a resident of South Brunswick for more than 10 years and he has been involved in many community activities and organizations. His children attend South Brunswick schools, so he has a vested interest in maintaining the high quality of education that we have come to expect from our school system. Mr. Shah attended all the recent board meetings regarding the budget, and that demonstrates the high level of dedication and commitment that he will have as a board member. He will make an excellent addition to the school board.
   In closing, we encourage all Township voters to support the budget, and to re-elect Harry Delgado and Anna Tupe and to elect Mac Shah to the board.
Anthony and Janet Campisano
Kendall Park