This year, the field of candidates seeking a position on the Middletown Board of Education is extremely large, four positions are open and need to be filled due to three incumbants not seeking re-election and one resignation earlier this year.
There will be six candidates running for 3 three-year terms and three candidates running for one open seat for a one-year term. The six candidates seeking three- year terms are: Gerry Wexelberg, Bob Banta,John Macrae,Richard Morrill, Bob Superti and Barry Allan Travis.
While the three candidates looking to fill the one-year term will be: Leonora Caminiti, Ernest Donnelly,and Allan Burns. The winner of this seat will need to run again next year in order to gain a full three-year terms on the board.
There will be four Candidate Forums held before the April 27th school board election that give give voters an opportunity to meet and greet candidates starting tomorrow when two forums will be taking place, below is a list:
April 12th:
Sponsored by - Middletown Mornings
Place - Middletown Township Public Library @ 9:30 a.m.
Sponsored by - Lincroft PTA
Place - Lincroft Elementary School’s All Purpose Room @ 7:45 p.m.
April 14th:
Sponsored by -Harmony Elementary School PTO
Place - Harmony Elementary School’s All Purpose Room @7 p.m.
April 19th:
Sponsored by - Republican Club of Middletown and Executive Committee
Place - Lincroft Inn @ 7 p.m.
If you are unfamiliar with the candidate running this year and want a head start getting to know a few of them and their positions on school issue, there are some websites up and running that may help. Bob Banta and Gerry Wexelberg, Barry Allen Travis and John Macrae all have websites that introduce themsleves and let you know where they stand on school issues
I would also like to extend an invitation to all the candidate running for the Middletown Board of Education this year, to send an introduction letter with your thoughts and ideas of how you would make the Middletown school system and the education of our children better.
Send the letters to mikeinmiddletown@gmail.com and I will post them to the blog as they come in.
9 comments:
Looks like the Republican Party in Middletown is at it again. Don't these thugs ever learn. Town is becoming a third world town with these tactics.
Let the candidates for the BOE speak for themselves and GET POLITICS OUT OF EDUCATION !!!!!!!!
Just remember the "Back to Basic" years if you have children in school and don't be deceived by the bullshit of the republican party leaders in this township.
Oh yeah the Republican party is at it again. Did anon 9:19 happen to check out who signed Bob Supperti's petition? Nothing against Bob he seems like a decent guy but his petition was signed by Caliendo and 12 of the Middletown Democratic county committee people. Isn't he also a county Committee person on the Middletown Democrat website?
Give it up already. Both sides play in the sand box.
cursory review of the candidates websites reveal virtually NOTHING about their positions on the issues. I see a truckload of "corporate-speak"- when I hear the term "best practices" I know that is the current "in vogue" phrase used by management consultants-but what exactly does it mean? At least one candidate was honest enough to say he sees the school district as a "service business". In the current politican climate, the most important factor is whether a candidate is even dedicated to public education. If they are merely stealth candidates who favor vouchers and charter schools, then we as public school parents cannot expect them to wholeheartedly advocate for public school children- and this is even the case if they currently have kids in the public schools.
A cursory review of the candidates websites reveal virtually NOTHING about their positions on the issues. I see a truckload of "corporate-speak"- when I hear the term "best practices" I know that is the current "in vogue" phrase used by management consultants-but what exactly does it mean? At least one candidate was honest enough to say he sees the school district as a "service business".
In the current political climate, the most important factor is whether a candidate is even dedicated to public education. If they are merely stealth candidates who favor vouchers and charter schools, then we as public school parents cannot expect them to wholeheartedly advocate for public school children- and this is the case even if they currently have kids in the public schools.
Anon 1:57 & 2:01 p.m.,
The term "best practices" has been around for about 30 years; it is common language with a common understanding in corporate environments, both large and small.
So, speaking of trucks, let's look at UPS. A "best practice" of theirs is to do daily maintenance on each truck. This includes a daily washing of the truck, which actually prolongs the life of the truck -- think salt in the winter, or a lot of salt in the air in Florida. Speaking of washing, think of hand washing before operating on or meeting with a patient in a hospital. Also, this is a legal "best practice" for food service employees.
Finally three more examples of 33"best practices" that the Christie administration encourages if a municipality wants all if its state funding (aid): 1) strategic plan 2)finance committee 3) televised township committee meetings. Bye-the-way, Middletown Township does not adhere to these three best practices, which means that we get taxed for the aid that they don't get for not doing this. I wonder if any of that aid could have avoid a township employee layoff?
Anon 4:28 I appreciate the listing of best practices in the trucking and healthcare fields - not to mention Christie's definition as it applies to municipalities, but I was referrring to "education". Bottom line, while best practices may have a common understanding and acceptance in business- such consensus does not exist in the field of education.
Rather than candidates peppering us with slogans such as "back to basics" and "best practices" they should tell us what "best practices" means to them as it applies to education. The term which has been around for many years has traditionally been applied to BUSINESS practices-
but students are not widgets and while there is no disagreement about inspecting vehicles and washing germs from hands, there is disagreement about the best way to provide excellent education to children.
Best practices is merely a term applied to "what works"- who determines what works in education - politicians? Teachers? Parents? Does diverting funds to charters and vouchers "work" to improve public schools?
Bottom line, spare us the corporate BS terms and tell us where you stand on the issues that matter. These guys are running to be on the local school board, not the board of UPS or Monmouth Medical. If they don't define their terms, I, for one, will assume they are hiding behind generalities and will vote accordingly.
Wanna bet the republicans in this town are actively involved in a few candidates for the BOE this year just as they were with the "BAM" group. This is an effort to control the money that educates the youth in this community. PLAIN and SIMPLE.
The education of our kids (and mine graduated long ago. thank God) is one of the most important jobs of any modern,democratic society. MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT THAT PREMISE.
The sick,nasty,cheat to win antics that have prevailed for too many years in Middletown Township are detrimental to the education of the children that live in this town.
There in not one republican on that dais today that can be trusted with the decisions that are best for our kids. They have already proved that fact by their actions. It's always about politics and money....never about integrity and principals!!!
Time for the voters in Middletown, all of them regardless of party affiliation, to vote with their heads and choose representation that remembers who they were elected to serve. That has not happened for TOO LONG!!
ANONYMOUS 9:19
Politics IS playing a role in our children's education - AND it is without a doubt that it is not the "Republican" run anything that has changed the children's day from academics to a planned social agenda. Money spent on bully lessons, sex ed for grade school, speech class and our children come out not knowing a comma from a period or a country from a continent. Half of them don't know what state they live in, let alone the capital of ANY one of them. They never knew we did not have 57 states and cannot tell you how many there really are. If you would like to know the truth about your "children" and why we are supporting parenting and health agendas instead of academia - look at this -a dem/lib agenda:-----http://4brevard.com/choice/international-test-scores.htm - Yep - GET POLITICS OUT OF EDUCATION -
Just received a second robo-call from Board of Ed candidate Superti - immediate loss of vote for Superti, or anyone for that matter, who does robo-calls.
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