SOUTH BRUNSWICK – Board of Ed candidates speak out

By Mary Brienza and Charles W. Kim, Staff Writers
   Five out of six Board of Education candidates, vying for the three seats this year, said money is the most important issue facing the district during the next three years.
   ”First thing is obviously adequate funding,” Board of Education President Matthew Speesler said during a meeting with the South Brunswick Post’s editorial staff Saturday.
   Dr. Speesler, fellow incumbent Arthur Robinson, and challengers Ed Birch, Deven Patel and Raymond Kuehner discussed where they see the district going in the next three years and why voters should support each of them in the April 27 school election.
   Due to scheduling conflicts, candidate Patrick Del Piano could not attend the editorial staff meeting.
   ”The biggest challenge that we have in South Brunswick, we have a decreasing commercial tax rate base and a state funding formula that puts all the burden on the property owners,” said Dr. Speesler, 58, a pediatrician.
   According to township officials, the overall value of the municipality has decreased by 4.34 percent causing the school district to present voters with a $134 million budget that carries a 12.2 cent per $100 of assessed value tax increase even though the tax levy is the same as it has been for the past two years.
   This would be an increase of $228 for the average property owner with a home assessed at $190,000, according to officials.
   Dr. Speesler said the budget is going to be a “battle” for the next several years and that the state needs to change the way education is funded.
   ”There is a limit to how much people can afford,” Dr. Speesler said.
   Dr. Speesler is seeking his sixth term on the board and has served as president of that body for the past two years.
   ”I can sum it up in one word money, money, money,” Mr. Kuehner, 54, who works as a supervisor of transportation for the North Brunswick school district, said. “I think the challenge the board is facing is as difficult as it was putting a budget together this year, it’s going to be even more difficult next year.”
   Mr. Kuehner said he decided to run for the board this year after serving on the newly formed Citizen’s Advisory Budget Committee.
   ”(The board) can only cut so much,” Mr. Kuehner said.
   Mr. Kuehner said he could bring some new ideas to the district in order to save money. He suggested modifying behaviors such as turning lights off when leaving rooms.
   ”In 27 months we (the North Brunswick school district) have avoided spending $1.3 million,” Mr. Kuehner said.
   It is this kind of out of the box thinking that Mr. Kuehner hopes to implement in the district if he is elected to the board.
   Mr. Patel, 40, is trying for the third time to win a seat on the board and also said that budget issues should be the main focus of the successful candidates in this election.
   ”The main issue is keeping costs and teacher costs under control,” Mr. Patel said.
   Mr. Patel, who works as a civil engineer for the state Department of Transportation, said that it is going to be important as the district negotiates future contracts with its various unions to try and keep all sides happy and maintain the excellent reputation the district has.
   ”The amount of money in the pot limits what you can work with,” Mr. Birch, 59, who has run for the board several times in the past, said.
   Mr. Birch, a records analyst for the City of New York, said he feels that the limitations on the budget also impact district staffing levels and class sizes.
   Mr. Robinson, 54, who has been on the board for three years, said, “The shrinking revenue base (is a huge issue), as that decreases that’s going to be a struggle.”
   Mr. Robinson, a chemical safety engineer, said that charter schools will also have an impact on the budget, and that impact of charter schools is an issue as well.
   The board had to allocate $1.6 million in this year’s budget for potential charter school tuition, Mr. Robinson said.
   Despite the possibility of new charter schools in the region Mr. Robinson said most people come to the township because of the public schools.
   Mr. Robinson said, “People move to the district because of our school systems.”
   The candidates also discussed how they felt about the proposed reforms on seniority and tenure for teachers by Republican Gov. Chris Christie.
   Mr. Patel said that he felt that the South Brunswick district is fine and that tenure reform will not impact the district that much.
   Mr. Robinson said all the parties must have a “calm heads” approach and at the state level all of the stakeholders should meet and try to work the issue out.
   Dr. Speesler would like to see some kind of reform to the tenure and seniority systems at the state level.
   ”Tenure has been abused by a lot of people in the system,” Dr. Speesler said.
   He said he is not in favor of merit pay, that good teacher evaluations were needed, and that firing teachers based on the fact they were among the last hired is “a terrible way to do business.”
   The district loses a lot of good, energetic and qualified teachers because of tenure, Dr. Speesler said.
   Mr. Birch said he feels the problem is “evaluations of the staff and if they are even done” and that the seniority system itself is not the problem since it has been around for a long time.
   Mr. Kuehner said he was in favor of the governor’s tenure reforms, and that it is a “great start” that just needs to be “tweaked” a little bit in spots.
   He said also said that evaluating teachers regularly is an important part of any reform.
   The candidates also discussed their thoughts on education in general and how important it is.
   Mr. Patel said that education is the “future of our kids” and should be put first, but also warned cuts to the budget could impact educating children.
   Mr. Kuehner said education is the best foundation for children’s future.
   Dr. Speesler said that education is the most important thing for children and can determine whether the child will be successful or unsuccessful later in life.
   ”No matter where you are on the socio-economic level, education can take you to the next level,” Mr. Robinson said about education.
   Education is a means of getting to where a person would like to be, Mr. Robinson said. “Education broadens a person’s mind,” he said.
   As far as education in the township goes, the board sets the tone for the district, Dr. Speesler said.
   He also said he feels his experience on the board is an asset and will help set the tone for education in the future.
   ”(There is) no substitute for experience,” Dr. Speesler said.
   Mr. Birch, however, believes the board needs new blood.
   ”(It is) about time the board has new thinkers,” he said.
   Mr. Birch said the job of the board is to be there and support the school and having the same board members does not bring about any change.
   Mr. Patel is the only candidate with children currently attending district schools while the other candidates’ have had children in the district and all have graduated.
   All of the candidates at the meeting said they were very pleased with the education their children received from the district.
   The election will be held from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on April 27, where voters will vote on the budget and which three candidates will be on the board for the next three years.