School board candidate questionnaires
Editor’s note: This week, we introduce readers to the candidates for the Hillsborough Board of Education. We asked the candidates to provide biographical information to highlight the skills and experience they offer to the board.
Next week, we’ll find out what the candidates’ goals are, if elected.
Incumbents are indicated by an asterisk.
Michael Detsis: I have the political courage to see and confront the broken process for funding public schools.
The current Board of Education policy of raising property taxes to make up for state cutbacks in funding is not sustainable. Our citizens have endured a 30 percent increase in school taxes within three years. I am committed to stopping this.
I am a 20-year resident of Hillsborough, a parent with three children in this school district. I have been active working to improve education as evidenced by my history of community involvement.
As managing editor of www.HillsboroughNewJersey.com, I have made it possible for many of you to speak out about your concerns and you told me what you want done. I been active in directing bold questions to the administrators and the board.
I believe I can influence the improvement of education policies, quality and budget accountability.
George Fenwick: I was born and raised in this town, am married and have two children a daughter in Hillsborough High School and son at RVCC.
I hold a degree in forrestry, and reside in the Kimberwyck II condominiums.
I grew up in a family that was and still is community-oriented and active.
Judith Haas: I believe that public education is the route to endless possibilities. I am a product of the public school system of New York and Queens College of the City University of New York, where I majored in Political Science and Communications. I subsequently obtained a masters in Public Administration from St. John’s University.
This education led me to various high level positions as an administrator, public policy advisor, and community relations expert in New York City government over a span of 18 years. It was a fabulous experience in a challenging environment.
During the city’s worst fiscal crisis, I served the city’s Chief Financial Officer as Director of Research and Community Liaison, analyzing methods to improve the city’s finances and developing community partnerships in this effort.
I later served as the Deputy Commissioner for Administration of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development when federal funds to the city were being cut. I made a major effort to find other funding resources, resulting in the ability to maintain and even expand our successful programs. I have a strong sense of responsibility when dealing with public funds, and have maximized them throughout my career by eliminating wasteful practices, improving productivity and generating new revenues.
I have also served as Hillsborough’s Township Administrator. In addition to running the day-to-day operation, I was proud to be part of an administration which preserved hundreds of acres of farmland and open space, and controlled development in a manner that would add to our tax base without adding to our school population.
We also expanded recreational opportunities to all residents, commenced a major library expansion project, implemented broadcasting on our local government access channel, and constructed new and improved roads, sidewalks, and parks. All of these accomplishments benefit our children and complement the school system.
My husband, Lloyd, has taught in the Bridgewater-Raritan Schools for over 32 years. Being married to a teacher has given me an insider’s view of what it takes for a teacher to educate our children to their full potential. Our son, Lenny, is a student at the Hillsborough Middle School. My stepsons, Marc and David, both graduated from Hillsborough schools. The education they received here enabled them to be very successful in college and beyond.
As a mother, I understand the desires of every parent who wants the best possible education for their child. My education, work experience, life experience, and instincts will serve me well on the Board of Education. If elected, I will always work for the highest quality of education for all of our children balanced by healthy financial practices.
Frank Herbert: When we moved here as a young family, we thought Hillsborough would be a great place to raise our children. We were right! We loved the town then and we love the town now. Over the years I have always had a keen interest in township issues and have actively participated at many Township Committee and School Board meetings. I have also contributed as a volunteer in various capacities. For instance, when our children were young, I was active as a Scout leader. Just this year, I had the honor to serve as the chairman of the Hillsborough Capital Planning Committee.
By education I am an electrical engineer, a graduate of Brooklyn Polytechnic University. I spent most of my career as an engineer and as a manager with AT&T and Lucent Technologies. I am currently an Information Technology Consultant.
I believe that the school board can benefit from my organizational skills acquired as a project manager and from my budgeting and financial skills developed as a manager of large business organizations with multi-million dollar budgets.
John Lisowski Jr.*: I am 42 years old, married, and the father of two Hillsborough schoolboys, ages six and 10. We have been residents and taxpayers in Hillsborough for the past 11 years.
For the past two years, I have been a proud member of your Board of Education.
I have been an attorney for 18 years and am a partner at Morgan, Melhuish, Monaghan, Arvidson, Abrutyn and Lisowski, a 50-attorney law firm. While I have experience in many areas of the law, I have specialized in civil trial work.
I believe that my experience has not only helped me to more readily grasp the complex legalities associated with the Board of Education, but also has helped qualify me for communication with the public. As a partner in a large firm, I have had a great deal of experience with formulating and evaluating yearly budgets, have learned how important they are for efficient use of available resources, and know many of the ways that funds can be devoted to produce the most effective results.
Through my work at my parish, Mary Mother of God, I have further obtained great experience in communicating with, and coalescing and compromising the various wishes, of a large body of Hillsborough residents. In addition, as a member of the group currently engaged in our large-scale church expansion and Community Center building project, along with my legal work in construction cases, I have a fairly good understanding as to how large structures such as schools are built, maintained and funded.
Finally, after two years as a sitting board member, I have learned of the time, dedication, organizational skills, need for the ability to balance differing priorities, and the entire gamut of complex issues which come before this board.
I believe this experience to have been invaluable and have fully prepared me for the immense challenges our Board of Education faces.
Ed Plaskon*: I live on Apple Hill Road and have lived in the township with my family for 19 years. I have three children, a daughter in her junior year, a son in his freshman year and a son in kindergarten.
I graduated from Villanova University, earning a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a concentration in computer science. I hold a master’s degree in management from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
I am employed by AT&T as a district manager at the company’s Bridgewater site, responsible for the program management of AT&T’s speech recognition and interactive voice products for call centers.
I am completing my third term on the Board of Education, and am a past-president and vice-president of the Board of Education and am currently chairman of the Facilities Committee.
I have also served on the Finance, Negotiations, Communications and Long Range Planning Committees of the Board. I am a member of the District Technology Steering Committee, a member of the Hillsborough Education Foundation, currently coach youth baseball. I have also coached youth football and managed recreation and AAU basketball.
I am asking the voters of Hillsborough to support my candidacy because I have been an effective member of the board. My skills include honesty, strong work ethic, strong strategic and tactical planning skills, approaching the decision making process in an unbiased manner, ability to compromise, being a good listener, and thinking outside of "the box" to develop new solutions.
Steve Sloan*: My name is Steve Sloan and I am asking for your support to re-elect me to a second 3-year term on the Hillsborough Board of Education. I have been an attorney in practice in New Brunswick and Plainsboro for the past 17 years.
My wife, Pam, and I have lived in Hillsborough for almost 20 years. We have two daughters, ages 12 and 14, who are enrolled in the seventh and eighth-grades at the middle school. One child has been in our gifted and talented program (REACH) and one has been a classified youngster in resource placement in our special education program.
My mother is a retired teacher. I have always had great respect for teachers. It is my belief that each generation owes the next the right to a good education.
I have volunteered a significant amount of my free time for over 10 years for the Hillsborough schools. In 1994, I contacted Dr. Gulick and the board to advise them about the high school mock trial competition in which other Somerset and Middlesex County high schools had teams. The Hillsborough mock trial team was formed and I was the attorney adviser for teacher-coach Bob Fenster for six years. During that time, our teams won two county championships.
In 1995, I volunteered to be one of the founding members of the Hillsborough Education Foundation Inc., (HEF), a non-profit corporation formed to provide scholarships, mini-grants and other means of financial assistance to our school population. I served as the corresponding secretary and two full 3-year terms on the board of trustees of the HEF.
I also served as vice-president of the Sunnymead Home and School Association for two years. During that time, Sunnymead was named a Blue Ribbon School and a Star School.
Prior to being appointed to fill an unexpired term on the board in May 2000, I also served on the redistricting committee and facilities referendum planning committee. During my board service, I have been on the family life curriculum committee, athletic strategy committee and strategic planning committees in 2001 and in 2004.
My education, experience and background as an attorney has enabled me to understand the legal and educational ramifications of our decision making on the board of education. I believe that I have the skills and will continue to work hard to allow me to make a positive contribution to our board of education.