Jean's referendum notes

I was the lone no vote on the referendum when the BOE voted back on January 7, 2019:

http://www.millstoneboro.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/hb_boe_special_election_resolution.pdf

I wanted the referendum posed as two questions and you read my prepared remarks on this blog:

http://jeanforboe.blogspot.com/2019/01/prepared-remarks-january-7-2019.html

I encourage everyone to review information provided by the district here:

https://www.htps.us/cms/One.aspx?portalId=791117&pageId=16757836

Prepared Remarks - January 7, 2019

This is the text of my prepared remarks at the Monday, January 7, 2019 re-organization / regular meeting of the Hillsborough Township Board of Education.

I have prepared a few comments on the referendum resolution we're voting on tonight.

In my opinion, this plan risks the jobs of Hillsborough teachers and staff.

It is not engineered correctly and relies on assumptions that are not a guarantee and not in the best interests of ALL of Hillsborough's children.

The referendum is 2 parts - $3M for FDK and $5M for loss in state aid, fund balance and increases in the costs of running a district.

To address the first part:

1) I'm not against FDK. I just think there are higher priorities, such as meeting payroll for our current staff. And I am not willing to gamble the jobs of our current staff by asking this referendum as one question.

2) FDK is not mandated by the state. That means after year 1, future boards can defund it.

3) FDK does not require a referendum to implement. The board could decide it is a priority and allocate money in its current budget. I've followed the board on and off since the $5M state aid cut in 2010 and I don't remember FDK ever being discussed during the budget development process. That's really where this discussion belongs.

4) The reason for "Why Now FDK?" is that implementing FDK "positively impacts state aid." That statement is true but misleading. State aid will be reduced by $5.6M over 6 years but we have to pay $3M for FDK from year 1. To break even takes between 9-13 years or more. It does not pay for itself.

5) The plan for implementing FDK in September 2019 relies on leasing trailers / modular classrooms. Permanent space requires passing a referendum for a new high school. That’s a HUGE assumption.

6) How much will FDK actually cost? In a year of budget uncertainty, why are we adding another variable?

I can't know what might possibly go wrong, but one thing I do know - if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. 

Such as increased state aid to offset FDK costs, esp. when State Senate President Sweeney has said the state has no additional money to give school districts and the state's plan for correcting the overfunded vs. underfunded districts is to take money from so-called "overfunded" districts like Hillsborough and give the money to underfunded districts like - whoever got extra money in Spring 2018.

The second part:

1) The actual dollar amount needs to be based on the 2019-2020 budget development process where the board discusses its priorities for the district. We should not be asking for $5M from estimated increases and lumping it into one big referendum and risk jobs if the community doesn't support this ask.

The board needs to recognize there are members of the community who just cannot afford more. We need to give them a chance to say yes - I will support our children’s education - but please meet me halfway.

2) My proposal is to split the referendum into two questions, with FDK implemented only if Part 1 passes.

Also, I think we should be asking only for the money the state told us it is taking away and a portion of the fund balance / increase in costs for a total of $3M + $3M = $6M not $8M.

In the budget development process, we need to have a conversation about our community’s priorities. My priorities are to continue to improve educational quality and show our teachers and staff that we appreciate them. Also, just like in our personal homes, we need to allocate money for infrastructure maintenance. Those are my top three priorities.

We need to start the budget process at ZERO dollars and work our way up. It shouldn’t be “last year was X dollars, so this year should be X plus 2%”. It should be, is this area still a priority for the board and if so, how do we allocate money relative to our other priorities?

Thank you for listening.

Thank you again

Here is my thank you letter to the community that was published in the Hillsborough Beacon on Friday, November 11, 2016.

Thank you for your support!

Thank you all for your vote and support! I am honored to represent Hillsborough and Millstone residents on the school board.

Candidate responses to HEA questionnaire

Please take a look at the school board candidates' (in this case, candidate's) responses to the HEA questionnaire.

Sample Ballot & Summary Letter to Editor

Here's my letter to the editor that appears online (it won't be in the printed paper because of the Beacon's policy of not accepting campaign letters the week before election day).  Here's the sample ballot:

Hillsborough Beacon Q&A

This is the full set of Hillsborough Beacon questions and my responses.

-Biographical information: How old are you? When did you move to Hillsborough? Any children in the school district? Have you served in any official capacity before and for how long?

I am 45 years old and moved to Hillsborough in June 2002.  I have 3 children in the district who are currently enrolled in the elementary, intermediate and middle schools.  I have not previously held an elected position.  My volunteer work includes 1 year as HSA treasurer (home & school association) and chairperson of various fundraising committees, including the ARIS teachers (Auten Road Intermediate School) vs. Harlem Wizards basketball game in January 2015.

-Why are you running for a spot on the school board?

I care about our kids and our community.  I want to improve communication, have more transparency in decision-making and engage the public in the conversation of what’s important to our community.  I ask for your vote to be your school board representative.

-What would you say is one of the district's strengths?

Our district’s greatest strength is its people by which I mean families working together with teachers to provide our children with a strong education and support system.  It includes the business community who support sports teams and fundraisers, and the families whose children are grown who want all Hillsborough children to achieve their potential.

-What would you say is the most pressing issue facing the school district?

The most pressing issue facing the school district is its vision and priorities for the future.  Our district is highly ranked within the state and nationally ranked on Newsweek’s Top 500 Public High Schools list, so the district is doing an excellent academic job.  It is our responsibility to continue this effort and use the budget efficiently.

-If elected, how do you plan to tackle that issue?

The current strategic plan (2012-2017) is coming to a close and if elected, I would work with my fellow board members in guiding the goals and priorities of the next five-year strategic plan. 

-Is there something that's currently in place, either in terms of programs, curriculum or policies that you think could be better?

There are many ways the district is doing a good job with communicating with parents and the community.  For example, Dr. Schiff hosts an informal “Coffee with the Superintendent” four times a year, Board of Education meetings are broadcast on YouTube and on Comcast Channel 27 and the Genesis Portal provides current grading reports.

However, there are additional ways communication can be improved and help parents become more connected to their children’s education.  For example, something as simple as posting each school’s morning announcements on the website would help parents (and students if they miss the announcement) stay informed about upcoming school events and activities.  Currently, only the middle school posts theirs online with an option for email notification.  Additionally, implementing live-streaming and online questions would allow parents with young children to participate from home and stay involved with Board of Education meetings.

-What do you hope the district will be able to accomplish in the next five years?

Two issues on my mind that are not currently being addressed are later school start times, especially at the high school and a balanced school year schedule.  Hillsborough is a technology leader in implementing the one-to-one Chromebook program, and these two ideas would bring us to the forefront of the latest education research.  Research shows that aligning school schedules to teenager sleep cycles would improve mental, physical and academic health.  A balanced calendar reduces the long summer break and would divide the 180 days of school into more frequent breaks.  This would reduce the summer learning gap, limit long periods of in-session days and also benefit families to vacation at off-peak times.

-Any thoughts about additional facilities, such as a new high school or vocational center, to the district in the coming years? What about full-day kindergarten?

Concurrent with a discussion on additional facilities, we need to address infrastructure maintenance – from the relatively simple fix items, such as filling in holes on school grounds so people don’t trip and break their foot, to bigger ticket items such as fixing leaking roofs that lead to mold.

My kids are not at the high school level, so I need to learn more from the Hillsborough community about the high school’s space limitations to form an educated opinion on a new high school.

I support offering vocational options within the high school so that all students can experience career and technical options as an alternative to college prep.

Let me share the reasons FDK is not my highest priority.  I have grappled with this issue as I have three children who have gone through half-day kindergarten.  My preliminary analysis of FDK (full day kindergarten) is the greatest benefits are to low-income students and that long-term academic benefit is unsupported by the research.  There are reasons to invest in FDK, such as improving non-academic skills that may raise overall achievement and I would look to community input to shape my opinion.