Lea Lanton METUCHEN — Four candidates are vying for three seats on the Board of Education.
The field includes just one incumbent, Fran Brennan. She is joined on the ballot by newcomers Lea Lanton, Aileen McGuire and Tara Matise.
Fran Brennan has spent nine years on the school board and is currently its vice president. She has served on the finance, curriculum, athletic, personnel, busing, kindergarten and budget advisory committees. Brennan is currently treasurer at Community Nursery School. Brennan, who is a certified public accountant, and her husband, Bill, have three children: Rob, a senior at MHS; Tommy, a sophomore there; and Kate, a seventh-grader at Edgar Middle School. Brennan is a 13-year PTO volunteer and has taken on leadership roles for various school events and as PTO co-president.
Brennan said board members need to be able to adjust to varying levels of state aid.
Aileen McGuire “Our yearly state aid amount is inconsistent. Every year, there is a different slant on how the budget is handled at the state level. It’s critical to have board members who can respond appropriately, make tough decisions and keep the school district going,” she said. “Over the past few years, I have worked to minimize the impact of devastating state aid cuts on our students and staff, and I will continue to do so in the future.”
She said the district needs strong leadership, and her experience will give her the tools to work successfully as a board member.
“I have the financial expertise, proven leadership and commitment to our community to give the students of Metuchen the best opportunity to succeed,” she said.
Brennan said her goals over the next three years would include continuing to “balance the educational needs of our students with a fair and responsible budget for our community; to equip students for success by providing a guided, competitive, well-rounded education; advocate for additional course offerings, including half-year courses, at the Metuchen High School, and support funding of athletic, co-curricular, and fine and performing arts activities.”
Tara Matise Lea Lanton is a parent and active member of the PTO. She holds a dual degree in economics and business administration from the University of Delaware and has professional experience as a marketing and advertising account executive. She said she moved to Metuchen to avail her children of the borough school system — her son is at Campbell Elementary School and her daughter will attend Moss Elementary School this fall.
“I am an approachable and dedicated parent with the time and energy to devote to our schools. I will always listen to different points of view and do my best to make thoughtful, well-informed decisions,” she said.
Lanton, who regularly attends school board meetings, said one of the district’s biggest challenges is overcrowding.
“Currently, there are over 700 students at Campbell Elementary School, and we need to be prepared to accommodate those students as they move up through our district. There are also several maintenance projects for existing facilities that need to be dealt with in a manner that is responsive to the taxpayers’ concerns.”
She said she was pleased with the decision to bring in a consultant to examine the guidance department, and said she is hopeful that changes will allow more time for individual student interaction and earlier career exploration.
Lanton said she would like to see more electives offered at the high school, including business classes and additional AP courses. She said she is excited that a taskforce has been established to explore the expansion of the world languages program, as she believes the board should discuss the opportunity to study the other world languages prior to eighth grade.
“The most important goal I have is to ensure that we deliver to every student the best education and to see that the needs of all of our students are met,” she said.
Aileen McGuire, a 17-year borough resident, said she is running for the board “because I want to ensure the academic success of each student in the Metuchen community and further academic excellence.
“My personal and professional educational experience will enable me to provide insight, knowledge and experience regarding pedagogy, curriculum, standardized assessments, best practices, service-learning opportunities and professional development to the Metuchen Board of Education and to the Metuchen community.”
That experience includes a 15-year tenure as a high school and middle school Latin teacher in Cranford.
McGuire said she is a parent who has “continually been an advocate for the academic programs, as well as the many cocurricular and extracurricular activities offered here in Metuchen.”
McGuire lives with her husband, Frank, and their three children — Frankie, a sophomore at Metuchen High School; and Maggie and Jimmy, a seventh-grader and fifth-grader, respectively, at Edgar. She said her children have benefited from all the programs Metuchen has provided, including service learning.
“These activities have played a major role in developing our children into responsible students and citizens of the Metuchen community,” she said.
McGuire said one of the greatest challenges that the district faces today is “the preparation of students for college and the work force,” adding that she would like to look at various curriculum issues to address this, including “scheduling by ability in the elementary and middle schools.” She added, “Students learn more proficiently and cooperatively if they are grouped within a close range of ability.”
She said she also wants to see efforts made to better prepare students for college.
“Research from universities has disclosed that too many freshmen have arrived at college deficient in their expository writing and research skills.”
McGuire is pleased that Metuchen has so many active stakeholders in education.
“I am empowered knowing that there is such an enthusiastic group of parents, administration, teachers and community members in Metuchen who are driven to improve the overall academic experience for our children. I wholeheartedly look forward to working collaboratively … to strive for an excellent quality of education for each and every student.”
Tara Matise, a 12-year resident, is a tenured associate professor of genetics at Rutgers University.
“I know firsthand the value of an outstanding education. I chose my career as a professor and research scientist because it allows me to be a lifelong learner and to continually ask questions. My career requires me to be open-minded, a critical thinker, and someone who bases decisions on sound research and analysis of evidence. These are all traits and skills that would be valuable to share with the board,” Matise said.
She lives in Metuchen with her husband, Michael, and their daughters Olivia, an eighth-grader at Edgar Middle School, and Cleo, a third-grader at Campbell. Matise said she has served in a variety of classroom volunteer roles.
She said the district has a number of challenges, including increasing enrollment, guidance support and budget oversight. She said additional classrooms are needed at the elementary school level, “and we will need to devise creative solutions to resolve this.”
A focus on guidance support is key, Matise said.
“With the increasing competitiveness for college admission and in the job market, ready access to well-trained guidance counselors is critical. Our newly hired guidance consultant may recommend needed changes in the hiring of additional guidance counselors, and carefully selecting top applicants is a priority,” she said.
Matise said she wants to foster a culture where students are well prepared for post-secondary education and are “well aware of the advantages that a four-year college degree can afford them.” She also wants to ensure that those students who pursue other options after high school, such as entering the military or work force, or attending vocational school, are prepared as well.
Her goals also include increasing academic achievement, in part by adding more Advanced Placement courses and increasing the number of students who can participate in science labs. She also wants to keep the district current from a technology perspective.
She said the district has to run the most efficient budget possible, leveraging grants and setting priorities accordingly. She said she understands that state aid is unpredictable, and should further cuts be necessary, “we should again consult with a community-based budget advisory committee,” as the district has done in the past.
Also on April 17, Metuchen residents will vote on a $32.5 million tax levy for 2012-13. The levy is below the state-imposed 2 percent tax levy cap and represents a 1.8 percent increase. If approved, this would translate to a tax hike of $104 on a home assessed at the borough average of $186,600, as the school tax rate would increase from $3.31 to $3.36 per $100 of assessed valuation. That homeowner is currently paying $6,174 per year in school taxes.
Polls will be open from 2 to 9 p.m.