Hoppes, Levy, McMillan, Williams seek board seats

BY ELANA ARON Correspondent

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP- Four candidates are running for three three-year terms on the Freehold Township K-8 School District Board of Education in the April 15 school election.

The candidates are Mike Williams, Grace McMillan, Jason Levy and Robert Hoppes.

Williams, McMillan and Hoppes are current members of the board.

Hoppes has lived in Freehold Township for more than 35 years and had two children go through the school system. He has served on the board for 19 years.

“The focus for me has always been the children,” he said. “I believe that over the years we have done a lot of things to improve the school system. Our focus is to improve, because if you don’t improve, you go backward.

“People are upset about things happening in the state. Our immediate goal is to continue with our plans to improve the curriculum

and make things better for

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP

the kids in Freehold Township.

“The state has mandated new controls, and it’s a considerable change. It’s a lot more stringent than in the past, and we have to step up to the challenge…I think that we have a very good school board and that we (the board members) have a great relationship with the township. I think that as a community, if we pull together, we can do that,” Hoppes said.

Levy, a resident of Freehold Township since 1999, has a daughter in first grade and a son who will be entering kindergarten in September. He said he has been thinking about making a run for the board for several years in order to provide the best education possible for the community’s children.

He said he has watched his property taxes rise every year, due in large part to the school budget.

“That is placing more of a burden on the taxpayers,” said Levy, who is a regional sales manager for a promotional items company.

“I believe there are ways to look for cutting waste and I would try to find new solutions to old problems.

“As a fresh face, I can come in with new ideas. I realize that some fixed costs cannot be changed, but we can look to see if the district is being as efficient as it can be. When contracts come up, they should be negotiated with the best interests of the school district in mind,” Levy said.

McMillan has lived in the area for 40 years, teaching elementary school and special education children inWindsor. Her three grown sons attended Freehold Township schools, and she has served on the board for 15 years.

“We have always tried to continue to improve the district,” she said. “I would like to be a part of that growth. I’m very proud of this district and it’s been a very exciting 15 years. It’s my way of giving back to the community, to contribute to the betterment of the community. We have outstanding board members, teachers, and administrative staff, and it’s been a pleasure. “We try to do the best we can while beingmindful of taxpayers in our community,” said McMillan. “We’vemet all of our obligations, but we feel a great responsibility TOWNSHIP to the town as well, to be fiscally responsible; to try tomaintain what you have without cutting curriculum standards is an ever-increasingly difficult task.”

Mike Williams has lived in Freehold Township for 60 years and has served on the board from 2004 until the present. He put two sons through Freehold Township schools and is retired after 40 years as a teacher and administrator.

“Freehold Township had always excelled in its instruction, and a big piece of that is staff development,” said Williams. “One of the areas of concern is technology as it continues to move at a rapid pace.We have to put time and energy to be at the cutting edge of that. Freehold Township has always suffered grievously under the current state funding formula. I’ve tried to tell them (the state) time and time again, but they don’t seem to listen.”

News Transcript Managing Editor Mark Rosman contributed to this story.