Each year, the Hillsborough Beacon offers candidates for the Board of Education the opportunity to share their backgrounds and ideas for the school district directly with voters, to help voters become better informed. (Incumbent candidates are indicated by an asterisk).
Last week, we printed the candidates’ biographies. This week, we focus on what the candidates would like to on the board, if elected.
If elected, what topic would you focus your energy on as a school board member and what would you hope to accomplish in the next year? Are there committee assignments you would hope to receive if elected? Are there particular areas of concern you would like to address if elected?
Thomas Kinst
We must provide the educational experience to empower our children to be successful and competitive in this global and technological world. This is true whether our children graduate to attend college or enter the workforce.
Throughout my career, I have worked on leading technologies, accomplished business around the world and have helped structure teams to compete effectively. My experiences make me uniquely qualified to understand what skills, education and leadership are required in the 21st century.
Initially, I would focus my energy on the District’s Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan provides the goals, objectives and strategies for the District. It provides the framework in which the system can orient itself and move forward. The last Strategic Plan was developed in 2003, and is essentially obsolete. I believe that this made the recent budget process more difficult, as there was no clear vision with which to align. The board has only just begun working on the Strategic Plan.
I have direct experience in developing successful Strategic Plans where we assess the environmental factors, determine the organization’s goals and objectives, work across the organization to develop the strategies to meet those objectives, communicate the strategic plan, and then implement it. I would work to develop a best-in-class Strategic Plan during the remainder of this academic year including curriculum, human resources and facilities. In the next academic year, I would focus my energy on the Strategic Plan’s implementation.
I would best accomplish this by serving on the Curriculum, Personnel and Strategic Planning Committees.
Steven Paget*
While on the personnel committee I participated in the hiring of a superintendent that is professional, energetic and involved in our community and the hiring of a highly qualified business administrator. Personnel practices have been professionalized to recruit and retain the best teachers.
And while I have been gratified with these improvements and would like to see them continue, I would like to focus more of my energy on the curriculum, specifically science and math. I find the more you ask of students, the more they respond.
If we ask more from our math and science curriculum we will find our students are better prepared for their career paths. Math and science will be tremendously important for 21st century jobs and the innovative solutions that will be required in our future.
I would also like to continue to serve on the Somerset County Education Commission (a shared service in the county). This is much like serving on a second school board that oversees the alternative high school and Somerset Academy. These are well run programs that serve the county by providing an educational setting for students that are struggling in their home district without the exorbitant cost of sending them to a private institution. I have been honored to help them in their mission.
Nick Pampani
As a former student of Hillsborough my biggest focus is being that voice for the students that they do not currently have.
My recent knowledge of the schools combined with my experience of life after graduation will enable me to look at particular issues from the students eyes but with the hindsight to know what is good in the long run.
With this knowledge I plan on joining the curriculum committee if elected and from there move on to prepare the students for the future better.
Marc Rosenberg*
My focus has been on communications and curriculum. I was instrumental in developing our new and much improved district Web site and was an advocate of the Instant Alert system. I also helped institute the e-mail link between the public and the board, now in place on the Web site. Next year, my goal is to continue to improve communications with parents and the general public even more.
I have worked hard to help the district build a highly professional leadership team, now in place. As Policy Committee chair, we have completed a long overdue review and update of all policies and put them online for easy access. Making policy more transparent will be another goal for next year.
Going forward, curriculum will be my major focus. I will pursue academic excellence as the standard by which we measure our schools’ success. This is our primary responsibility and it is why parents entrust the district with their children for 12 years. While our students’ SAT scores are above the state and national average, they are not yet at the level of our peer schools in the area. I want to change that through improved SAT preparation programs.
In this era of “texting,” I want to zero in on our children’s writing and research skills, so that they can express themselves more clearly and have the ability to search for information independently and with confidence.
Finally, I want to make sure our curriculum teaches critical thinking and not just “teaching to the test.”
Barbara Sargent
There are two areas I would like to explore that would positively impact student achievement.
My first goal would be to understand the Advanced Placement programs at Hillsborough High School. According to the most recently released test data, 16 percent of eligible HHS juniors and seniors took AP tests. This number places us below the state average of 18 percent, and well below our peer districts of Somerville at 23.9 percent, Bridgewater-Raritan at 26.9 percent, and Montgomery at 42 percent. Advanced Placement classes are an excellent way for students to experience a rigorous and engaging learning experience. The writing, reading, and study skills students learn in AP level classes translate to other areas of the curriculum, resulting in a stronger student body. Expanding participation in AP classes is not costly and is within our grasp to attain.
A second goal is to investigate Hillsborough High School’s current science sequence. In recent years, other high-achieving districts have replaced Earth Science or Geo-Physical Science at the freshman level with Biology. The benefit of this change is that students move through the typical sequence of Biology-Chemistry-Physics before their senior year, thus opening the senior year for science electives, AP science classes, and other advanced offerings. Currently, HHS students need to double up on science classes if they hope to achieve this extra room in their schedule. It doesn’t need to be this way and I’d like to explore how we can help our students to have academic experiences similar to those in our neighboring districts.
David Wald
I would focus my energy on making sure that we better prepare our children for college. This would include increasing enrollment in our advance placement classes.
I want to make sure that our schools offer a well rounded curriculum which includes academic and sports programs as well as real life training and knowledge.
I feel that with my experience, I would have the most impact by serving on the facilities, negotiations and personnel committees.
What is the best idea you’ve heard for improving schools? Please be as specific as possible.
Thomas Kinst
One great idea for improving schools is an “academies within a school” concept. After a rigorous academic core curriculum in grades 9 and 10, students would opt for one of a number of “academies” that are oriented to different disciplines such as Math/Computation, Performance and Visual Arts, Literary Arts, Science/Engineering, Liberal Arts and Business.
It would empower the teachers to provide a richer and deeper curriculum that incorporates and tailors core concepts within the directed discipline. It recognizes that students learn and are gifted in different ways. Students would become more motivated by going deep within a tract that matches their interests. This would provide a unique and excellent education that would differentiate the students in college applications or job searches.
Another great idea I read in a letter to the editor in the Hillsborough Beacon, in which the author suggested that the paper publish a bio on the “Scholar of the Week” to accompany the “Athlete of the Week.” I couldn’t agree more! We should publicly celebrate excellence across all dimensions — athletic and academic, artistic and civic, and more.
I propose creating a “Super List” (somewhat akin to a Dean’s List, but better) where the Superintendent awards membership to excellent students, for the dimensions mentioned earlier. This award would receive public celebration and become part of the student’s transcript.
Steven Paget*
One of the best ideas I have heard is to create a partnership with corporations to sponsor a “Career Summit.”
We have parents and residents that work for many diverse companies in central New Jersey and the district could tap into this valuable resource. We would set up a conference where students can connect with these businesses and, depending on their interest, learn about different companies, career options, interviewing skills, resume writing, etc. The school district would work with parents and residents to help recruit speakers/presenters from their current companies to participate in this event. I see the incredible value that Johnson & Johnson provides for our Robotics team and how much that kind of mentoring really adds to the growth of the students involved.
We can broaden the conference to a program of cooperative/work study which would extend the connections even farther. Our students will get a competitive advantage by learning about career opportunities, what they can do and the companies that are out there. I think parents would really value such an opportunity if it was available for their children and companies would value the connection to the bright minds that live in Hillsborough.
Nick Pampani
One of the most intriguing idea’s I have heard was the idea of making homework optional and concentrating on more practical assignments such as research papers. Doing this will teach students responsibility in their education while preparing them better for college and career level assignments.
Marc Rosenberg*
Educational research clearly shows that the three most critical success factors in a child’s education are: 1) lots of family support at home, 2) great teachers, and 3) more quality instructional time. From what I’ve seen of the outstanding parental involvement in our schools, I think we have that covered.
As for great teachers, I think we have one of the most professional staffs around. So my “best idea,” consistent with what many other successful districts are doing, is to increase the amount of quality instructional time we provide.
With so many state mandated requirements, our children are sometimes forced to choose between required classes and other programs of interest, including music, art, literature, advanced writing, and much more. Plus, in the high school, it severely limits the number of AP and advanced or practical courses students can take.
I take the phrase, “well-rounded education” seriously. That’s why I believe we should try to increase instructional time to give our kids more flexibility and diversity in their academic pursuits.
At every school level, from the high school right down through the middle and elementary grades, I’d like to see more instructional time in our programs. This will take time and creativity, but I believe it’s important in providing the comprehensive education our children need to be successful.
Last year, I recommended that the district establish a task force – including the community – to examine the costs and benefits of these ideas. I look forward to hearing the results by this summer.
Barbara Sargent
It has been my good fortune to have worked in a number of quality school districts, surrounded by smart and enthusiastic teachers and dynamic school leaders. The common theme that kept all these school communities on a path of excellence was a continuous focus on providing the best instructional programs possible.
There is no one “golden idea” that schools use to achieve greatness. They do it through intensive teacher training, inclusive and visionary leadership, and purposeful and engaging instruction. Hillsborough is that kind of school district.
I believe we simply need to refocus our collective thinking and dialogue at the board level and ask the questions that will continue to move us forward. How are we measuring up against our neighboring districts? What opportunities exist for our students and faculty? Are we providing the best experience possible for our children? Are our schools better now than they were a year ago? Five years ago?
This is the best way to improve our schools, and I am confident that I can be a voice for educational excellence on the Hillsborough Board of Education. I am grateful for your consideration and hope you will support my candidacy on April 21.
David Wald
I would like to see more communication between parents and teachers.
I have recently heard of Web sites that are setup by school districts where parents and teachers can communicate securely and even post quiz and test scores. Often parents do not know how their children are performing until it is too late to make a change for that marking period.
With constant communication parents can work with their children or take appropriate action to improve test scores, studying habits, etc.