By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Seven of the eight candidates for five seats on the Lawrence Township Board of Education may have different approaches and different priorities, but on one issue they are united the need to manage spending and still provide a quality education for the students.
Incumbent school board members Murali Aiyar, Michael Brindle, Jo Ann Groeger, Thomas Patrick and Kevin Van Hise are seeking re-election. Newcomers Martin Hopkins, Michael Horan and Dolores Reid have thrown their hats into the ring.
In written responses to questions from The Lawrence Ledger, the candidates outlined their positions based on those questions to list, in order of priority, the three most important challenges facing the school district and how they plan, in both the short term and the long term, to address them.
All of the candidates, except Mr. Aiyar, responded to the questions.
Mr. Hopkins, who is one of the newcomers, said the “most important thing facing the school district is the same old thing it has always been taxes. In the short term, we need to elect someone who is willing to ask the questions that need to get asked (and) look for solutions and not gimmicks.”
”Keeping taxes down is the major challenge facing the school district,” Mr. Patrick agreed. One of the short-term answers is to conduct a cost benefit analysis of offering more summer school courses to students from other districts who would pay to take the courses, he said.
Mr. Patrick also wants to restore stability in the Office of Student Services, which handles special needs students. The top three administrators in the department are acting in an interim basis, and he would like to fill the positions permanently.
Mr. Horan pointed to the “dramatic ratable loss (as) a challenge,” which will continue to be a challenge for the foreseeable future. He suggested the need for beneficial partnerships to reduce costs, as well as investment in technology that would bring greater efficiency and opportunities to the district.
”I want to help develop more in-district learning opportunities that not only reduce travel costs, but that are premier educational opportunities for district employees,” Mr. Horan said.
For Ms. Groeger, the short-term solution to financial issues is to continue to seek out grants. She said she would like to see a continuation of shared services between the school district and the township, adding that for the long term, it would be good to merge services wherever possible with the township or local colleges to purchase products jointly.
Ms. Groeger also said there is a need to maintain the facilities at all of the schools some of which have not had additions made to them, but were remodeled instead that keeps them “up to code.” She pointed out that the athletic fields between Lawrence Middle School and Lawrence High School, which were meant for one school, are shared by both schools. There is no room to expand facilities.
Turning to other issues that the candidates consider to be important, Ms. Reid said one of the challenges facing the district is to encourage the involvement of the community “as needed” in the problem-solving, budgetary and planning process. She called for “maximizing all budgetary and other resources to assist in maintaining an excellent school district.”
”In the on-going long term, I see myself carrying out board functions as a part of management, oversight and support for the school system, especially at this time of fiscal uncertainty,” Ms. Reid said.
For Mr. Brindle, the achievement gap is an important issue facing the school district. The school board is aware of the issue and it has directed the administration to continue to work to close the gap, he said.
”We are working with minority groups through Every Child Valued and other community groups, after-school programs aimed at our diverse population, one-on-one work with affected students and working with parents to improve parenting skills,” Mr. Brindle said.
Mr. Van Hise said he would aim to “ensure that we have the continued ability to provide the foundation and tools necessary to maximize each student’s achievements, in and out of the classroom, while being as fiscally responsible as possible.”
He said he would like to “develop the total student” by complementing the district’s academic curriculum with enhanced extra-curricular programming in sports, arts, music and other intellectually challenging activities.
