From today's Record:
School board election guide: Hackensack
Friday, April 13, 2007
AT STAKE
Three three-year terms and a $72.7 million budget.
CANDIDATES FOR THREE-YEAR TERMS
Francis "Frank" Albolino* of Heath Place, a credit manager, has been on the board since 1992.
Mildred Dodson of Vanderbeck Street, a patient escort at Hackensack University Medical Center.
Jonathan Gilmore of Willow Avenue, an attorney in Hackensack.
Milton Nicholson of Second Street, a truck driver for a printing company in Carlstadt.
Tenya Pierce* of Coolidge Place, a real estate agent for Weichert, was appointed to the board last year.
Modesto Romero* of Railroad Avenue, a Lodi Street storeowner, works as a transportation supervisor for Bergen County.
THE ISSUES
Budget and finances: Gilmore, who is running with Dodson and Nicholson under the banner "The Partners for Quality Education," said he's reviewed the budget and thinks board members need to lobby the state for more funding. He said that if elected he would also push for independent audits of the school district budget on a continuing basis. Nicholson said he hadn't seen the budget, but said he would scrutinize line items. Dodson said property tax reform is way overdue, but couldn't say how the district could control spending or increase revenue.
Albolino said that it's hard for school boards to bring in revenue to offset taxes, other than applying for grants. Pierce said she wants to keep property taxes low, but said the district also needs to offer competitive salaries so it can attract good teachers. She said one way of controlling costs is by expanding special education classes and keeping those students in the district. Romero also said grants are the way to increase revenue.
Communication with parents: The board doesn't do enough to communicate with parents or encourage them to come to the regular meetings, the challengers said. Gilmore said he would send reminders of upcoming meetings home to parents in student backpacks. He said he would also make an effort to post agendas on the school's Web site or send them home with students. "It's important to try and do whatever possible to improve communication," he said.
Albolino said meetings have been held in the same location for years, and are always advertised. "We welcome people to the public meeting,'' he said. "But no matter what we do, the public doesn't come."
Dodson added that district officials need to make an extra effort to reach out to young, single mothers who may be too busy to participate in district-sponsored meetings and events.
Pierce also said there should be more of an effort to reach out to parents.
No Child Left Behind and standardized test scores: Several of the district's schools have failed to meet "adequate yearly progress'' under the federal No Child Left Behind law for the last few years. Albolino and Pierce said the district expanded its afterschool tutoring programs to help students boost their test scores. Albolino said the district continues to reevaluate its curriculum to help students achieve and perform better in tests and in school overall. Romero declined to comment on the issue, but said he wants to look into expanding programs for bilingual students, especially those who may be new to the country.
Gilmore said the standards of the federal law are unfair, but said one way of improving overall performance is by getting parents involved in the process. Dodson said smaller classes may help. Nicholson said the city should look into implementing a system that holds teachers more accountable for student performance.
School resource officer at Middle School: An armed school resource officer was placed at the Middle School in March after the city received a federal grant for the program. All of the candidates said that having a school resource officer is positive on the whole, but the challengers criticized the way the school district handled the matter. "Although promised by school officials, there was no dialogue between school officials and parents regarding the school resource officer selection or the school resource officer program in general," said Gilmore. Dodson said she would want a detailed description of the officer's responsibilities and duties.
School officials said they are planning a meeting with parents to discuss the officer and his responsibilities in response to the parents' concerns. Albolino has said that having a police officer in the school is a way to keep kids safe, and also to open up dialogue between youngsters and the police department.
Pierce said the officer was hired for the safety of the students. "We want the students to be comfortable so they can focus on learning and not be worried about their safety,'' she said.
-- Monsy Alvarado
