HOWELL — Four residents are seeking three three-year terms on the Howell K-8 School District Board of Education in the Nov. 3 election. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. School board members in New Jersey serve without compensation.
The candidates are incumbents Chuck Welsh, Jeanne DePompo and Timothy P. O’Brien and newcomer Mary Rose Malley. The candidates were asked to state why they are seeking seats on the board.
DePompo said it has been an honor to serve on the board for three years and hopes do so for the next three years.
“It has been such an honor to work with all of the people I work with on the board. We really work collaboratively,” De- Pompo said. “I am an educator so I am totally invested in the students’ success and the school system. I was on the board when full-day kindergarten was implemented. That was great to experience. We used to have half-day kindergarten, but with everything changing with the Common Core curriculum, we needed full-day kindergarten because there was no time for the children to play and that is an important part of kindergarten and any kind of education, it’s that socialization,” she said.
DePompo said the board members and administrators are working to address issues that have occurred as a result of the reconfiguration of the district’s schools. The reconfiguration became effective in September.
“We have to iron out all the little bumps and make sure it runs smoothly. Right now, we are really focusing on that,” she said. “In the next three years, of course, you always want to stay within your budget. We don’t want to overspend, which we never do … while providing the best education we can for our students. That is something we constantly watch and address. That is ongoing.”
Malley has two children in the district and said she is passionate about the success of Howell’s schools.
“My main job is a mom. I also work for the Monmouth County Park System as a program employee. I have previously served as a citizen member on two Board of Education committees: the Strategic Planning Committee and the Facilities Committee which worked on redistricting.
“The redistricting plan was rejected by the current board in favor of restructuring (the schools) and it is my goal to ensure that decision is truly the best for our children. Before becoming a full-time mom, I worked for over 12 years in elementary education publishing.
“I have a passion for education and becoming a member of the board will allow me to put my passion to work for not only my children, but all the children of Howell. I am currently serving as a citizen member on the Operations Committee, the Transitions Committee and the Gifted and Talented Committee.
“I have been asked, why get involved? My answer is why wouldn’t I? The decisions the board makes directly affect me as a taxpayer and my children as students,” Malley said.
Malley wants to make smaller class sizes a priority for the district once again and to help balance educating advanced learners and children who need more help.
“The path to success includes better identification procedures and earlier identification as well as developmentally appropriate strategies and differentiated instruction. The focus on standards and standardized testing has created a one-size-fits-all approach and that just does not work,” she said.
O’Brien, who is currently serving as the board’s president, said he would like to continue to serve on the panel. He said the nine people on the board have become an effective team.
“Each individual brings their own unique background, experience and ideas to the discussion of how we can best serve our children and help them achieve their true potential. I feel it is critical to continue to build on the progress we have made and support our superintendent and his staff as we move forward with our strategic plan,” he said.
Over the next three years, O’Brien said, “each of our committees will be looking at different aspects of what we think can be improved. Operations will be focusing on issues around safety, transportation and infrastructure to name a few. Education is looking at the gifted and talented programs we offer, as well as other innovative ways to assess and provide support to every student at every level.
“Finance will be working with the administration to develop a budget that meets and supports those initiatives in a fiscally prudent manner. Policy will take our work and craft it into the formal policy that guides our district in delivering the mission. It is exciting to be part of those discussions. Our superintendent, his leadership team and every staff member needs our ongoing support so they can meet the needs of all of our children,” O’Brien said.
Welsh, who is currently serving as the board’s vice president, said he has been involved in public education for most of his life.
“I am passionate about finding ways to improve the way we deliver instruction in our schools. The opportunity to serve the children of Howell has been extremely gratifying and I am looking forward to being able to help implement and evaluate a number of the initiatives we have put in place over the past three years,” Welsh said.
“Among these are full-day kindergarten, the standards-based report card, our Response to Intervention program, and the reconfiguration of our schools.
“We are in the process of evaluating our gifted and talented program, seeking ways to better identify eligible students and making adjustments to our approach that will better suit the needs of that particular group of children,” he said.
“There are a number of issues we must continue to evaluate. Most importantly, we need to ensure a successful transition to the reconfiguration of schools that began during the current school year. This initiative was met with resistance by some in our community, but it was clear the board had to take action to alleviate the student enrollment disparity that existed prior to the adoption of this plan.
“Another critical challenge concerns the implementation of the Response to Intervention program, as we seek to provide the best possible strategy for identifying and remedying areas where individual students are finding difficulty,” Welsh added.
— Contact Jennifer Ortiz at [email protected]