Hammer, Moses seek FRHSD seat

BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer

FREEHOLD — Bernice “Bunny” Hammer will square off against Harold “Heshy” Moses for the Freehold Borough seat on the Freehold Regional High School District Board of Education in the April 21 election.

Hammer is the current representative from the borough.

Under the board’s voting system, residents of Freehold Borough and Freehold Township will vote for the representative of Freehold Borough.

Hammer, who said she is “of the age of majority,” is a retired educator. All of her children attended Freehold Borough elementary schools and Freehold High School. Those of her grandchildren who live in the district attended FRHSD schools. She presently has a grandchild attending one of the FRHSD schools.

Moses, who said he will be “60 years young” in May, has lived in Freehold Borough for 19 years. He is a retired teacher and coach who taught at Freehold High School for more than 30 years. Moses said that since he retired from teaching and coaching in 2006, his only job now is singing and playing guitar in the “Half Brothers” duo.” Moses has no children in the district; however, he said he does have many “kids of kids” that he taught at Freehold High School.

The candidates were asked and responded to the following questions.

What do you believe makes you a qualified candidate for a seat on the board?

Bunny Hammer: Aside from meeting all the legal requirements necessary to run, I believe I have demonstrated by my involvement my passion for educating the children of our district. Since school taxes make up the greatest portion of one’s property tax, I have shown concern that the taxpayer get the most for his or her money. I feel I am a qualified candidate for the board by demonstration and articulation. I have often marched to beat of a different drummer, often expressing myself contrary to the majority. Unfortunately, eight-tenths of a vote (the value of the Freehold Borough representative’s vote on the nine-member FRHSD board) gets lost. Experience has taught me how to be effective without alienating the quality of education for my community’s kids.

Heshy Moses: I believe I am a qualified candidate because I taught and coached for 35 years in Freehold High School and know all too well the problems facing the district.

What do you consider to be the most pressing issues the school district faces at this time and what would you do as a board member to help resolve these issues?

Bunny Hammer: I believe the most pressing issues facing the district are maintaining excellence of education for all kids in the district and doing it in a frugal way for the taxpayers; all of this while there is a pall over the district.

Heshy Moses: I think the most pressing issues facing the district at this time would be the negative publicity and credibility the district acquired (due to an administrators’ diploma scandal), and how the budget is spent in the district. I would try to resolve these problems by asking for a change in leadership at the highest positions (that’s plural) in the district. As for how the budget is dispersed, I would call for a greater board oversight.

If you are elected to the board you may be serving when the superintendent’s contract is up for renewal. What is your position on his future in the district?

Bunny Hammer: The superintendent has a contract until 2011. He must be notified in 2010 whether or not his contract will be renewed. Should he try to renegotiate his contract before it is due, I shall vote against it as I did the three times he did that in the past. I am the only sitting board member who has voted against his contract. I strongly believe a contract is a contract. He must be committed to it until the appropriate time for renegotiation.

Heshy Moses: I believe I answered this question — he has no future.

Do you have any relatives who work for this school district?

Bunny Hammer: I have no relatives working for the school district.

Heshy Moses: I have no relatives working for the school district.