Barry Tobias speaks at the dedication of a new computer-based assessment lab at the Lafayette Mills School, Manalapan. AMY ROSEN BYAMY ROSEN Staff Writer W hen Barry Tobias was a child in elementary school, his computer was a pencil and a composition notebook. Tobias, a certified public accountant by profession who sits on the board of directors of a major philanthropic foundation in New York, still believes that is the best way to do math, but the world has changed a lot and he believes the children who attend school where he lives deserve to keep up with technology.
That is why Tobias, a resident of Manalapan, arranged for a grant of $146,000 from the Peter Jay Sharp Foundation to be donated to the Foundation for Manalapan- Englishtown Regional Schools (MERS).
“The world has changed and the kids have to have every technological advancement to keep up,” Tobias said.
“I love these schools,” his wife, Star, added. “My girls got a great education here (in the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District). It’s so nice to come back so many years later.”
The grant was used to help fund the creation of five new computer-based assessment labs in the district’s elementary schools (Clark Mills, Lafayette Mills, Milford Brook, Taylor Mills and Wemrock Brook) and to purchase technology and equipment for the John I. Dawes Early Learning Center (kindergarten), Pine Brook School (sixth grade) and the Manalapan- Englishtown Middle School (MEMS).
Aribbon-cutting ceremony for the computer based assessment labs honoring the Tobias family and the Peter Jay Sharp Foundation was held on Oct. 28 in Lafayette Mills School, the school where the Tobias’ daughters, Michelle and Jennifer, attended fourth through sixth grades. The school now educates children in grades one through five.
In recognition of the grant, the computer labs at Lafayette Mills and Taylor Mills are named in honor of Michelle and Jennifer Tobias. The other labs cite the Foundation for MERS, Barry and Star Tobias and the Peter Jay Sharp Foundation.
The grant enabled the school district to purchase 130 Apple iMac computers, SMART Boards, a SMART Table, document cameras, music chairs and stands, and wireless microphones.
The computer labs will be used for ongoing computer-based assessment, which will allow for instructional adjustment and support to students throughout the school year. A new program will prepare the students for future state-mandated assessments that will be administered online and allow teachers immediate information about the students’ performance and needs so they can make instructional decisions based on data.
As reported in the News Transcript in September, in 2014 the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) test will replace the New JerseyAssessment of Skills and Knowledge (ASK) test, which is currently used by New Jersey to assess student performance at the elementary level.
Since PARCC will be administered online, the computer labs will ensure that students who attend Manalapan-Englishtown schools will be prepared to take the online assessment when it is implemented by the state.
During the ceremony, Lafayette Mills Principal Gregory T. Duffy welcomed the district’s principals, Manalapan-Englishtown Board of Education members, and MERS administration, in addition to parents and teachers.
School board Vice President Lori Semel, who serves as liaison to the Foundation for MERS, also addressed those in attendance and expressed thanks to those responsible for the project.
Pat Berger, president of the Foundation for MERS, said, “Our foundation is eternally grateful to the Peter Jay Sharp Foundation and its chief administrative and financial officer and Manalapan resident Barry Tobias, who spearheaded this effort, for this tremendous grant and their commitment to enhancing the education of the students in our district. Obtaining this grant was a true collaboration among our foundation, the Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, the school district and administrators, and the Board of Education.”
Superintendent of Schools John J. Marciante Jr. expressed his appreciation to the Tobias family for planting the financial seed that allowed the board to support the project in a joint effort with the Foundation for MERS, the Technology Department and Assistant Superintendent Joanne Monroe.
Referring to circumstances that make school budgeting difficult in these times, Marciante said, “At a time when I was looking for a lot of money, Mr. Tobias was looking for someone to give it to.”
“These computer-based assessment labs would have not been possible at this time without the support from the Peter Jay Sharp Foundation and efforts by the Foundation for MERS … It is not just about preparing for an online assessment; we wanted to improve student achievement and this will have a significant impact on every student across the district … You have left an impression on this district that everyone will remember forever. Thank you,” Marciante said.
Barry Tobias explained that the Peter Jay Sharp Foundation is coming to the end of its funds, which has been dispersing assets in excess of $400 million marked for charitable donations by philanthropist Peter Jay Sharp since his death in 1992. The foundation’s directors wanted to do something big at this point to help children because Sharp believed in giving children the tools to achieve the highest level of education possible. He believed there was more to education than just reading, writing and arithmetic; you must complement education with culture. Tobias has worked with Berger in the past to set up the Peter Jay Sharp Cultural Opportunity Fund, which helped children in the Manalapan-Englishtown school district continue their music and arts education .
During the ceremony, Tobias credited the News Transcript as a major source of inspiration for his charitable efforts in the area, stating that an article about the efforts of the then-fledgling Foundation for MERS was how he met Berger and began helping her help the Manalapan-Englishtown schools.
Tobias said, “We worked so well together last time, that I got together with Pat Berger again and said let’s do something big. We asked the principals to get together a wish list.”
The computer labs were found to be the asset most desired.
Tobias continued, “For Star and I it’s about Manalapan. We are grateful to you. You are role models. We thank you. Hopefully with this equipment you will be able to identify problems and take our children into the future and we thank you.”