Vacant BOE Seat Still Unfilled as Board Delays Vote

After about 45 minutes of deliberation Monday, the board of education opted to hold off on a decision concerning whether to appoint Andrew Isaacs to a one-year position on the Bedminster Township Board of Education.

The board is trying to fill a position vacated by former board member Jason Anagonstis. The term would last until December 2013.

Isaacs was the only person to submit an application to be considered for the position.

But board of education president Louis Casella said the board has to do more deliberation.

“The board needs to confer a little more, so we are going to delay our decision,” he said once the meeting reopened to the public. “We are not going to make an announcement tonight.”

Members of the board of education questioned Isaacs during Monday’s board of education meeting about his reasons for wanting to serve on the board at this time.

Isaacs said he was asked to join the board several years ago, but was, at the time, a coach of his son’s travel basketball team, and games and practices were scheduled on evenings when he would have needed to be available for the board of education.

“I had to make a choice at the time,” he said.

But now, with his son out of the Bedminster school and his daughter in the eighth grade, Isaacs said he wants to get back involved, despite knowing that he doesn’t necessarily have a stake in the district anymore.

“I think it’s part of my responsibility so that when I’m older, I can tell my grandchildren this is what I’ve accomplished,” he said. “I don’t have a leg to stand on to complain if I don’t volunteer.”

But many of the questions from board members centered on a concern over whether Isaacs would be able to understand that the needs of the district as a whole trump the needs of a few students.

Casella said he remembers a letter to the editor Isaacs had written to the Bernardsville News several years ago with criticism of the discussions concerning shared services for special education with the Somerset Hills Board of Education.

“At the time, everyone was talking about shared services,” Casella said. “The only way to get through the financial crisis is for towns to combine.”

Casella said he does not recall hearing from Isaacs with any questions, and said he would hope that as a board member, Isaacs would not rush to judgment on issues such as this.

Isaacs said he wasn’t a board member at that time, and that the letter was his way of expressing his concerns.

“I think there was some sort of leaning toward the potential for taking away some of the services, and I thought it was important to have them has as opposed to somewhere else,” he said. “I was very supportive of the services that were happening here.”

But, Isaacs said, he does in fact support shared services.

“There are significant savings, and I don’t have an objection to them when they are financially appropriate,” he said.

Board member Brain Haggerty asked whether Isaacs would be able to make the tough decisions.

“Sometimes you are picking the thing that has the least bad effect on the children,” he said. “Can you take (criticism) with a thick skin?”

Isaacs said he understands what it means to hear criticism, particularly after his experience running for township committee several times.

Another questions focused on whether Isaacs, who attended grade school in Elizabeth, had any specific experiences in school himself that led to his interest in joining the board of education.

“In an experience where you go to school fearing for your life everyday, there were teachers who made an effort to make you feel special,” he said. “When kids are spending half of their waking hours in an environment, you want to make sure it’s the right one.”

And coming from Elizabeth, Isaacs said he understands the importance of diversity in a school district.

"I didn't have the luxury of a school like this," he said. "But we need to bring people together to get things done effectively."

As for his work, Isaacs said he does some financial planning, and is currently a consultant with a company that provides commercial and other services to companies around the world.

"I could leverage my skills and continue to contribute successfully," he said.

Even though he has thrown his hat into the ring for township committee in the past, Isaacs said he would leave all partisan politics at the door if he were chosen to serve on the board of education.

"The most important thing is this is about the kids," he said. "I believe everyone would leave their partisan hats outside the room."

And if he were chosen for the board, Isaacs said, he believes it is important to ensure that the steps for the students moving on to Bernards High School are as smooth as possible.

"This school does a great job of providing a nurturing environment," he said. "It's comforting for me as a parent, getting to know the teachers over the years, they are wonderful and dedicated."

"I think that one of the challenges is just ensuring that the older kids have more interaction with the high school to get prepared," he added. "They're two different environments, one is nurturing and one is about being on your own."

In answering a question about his philosophy of what makes a good board member, Isaacs said it is about integrity.

"It is about dedication to education and putting the best interests of the kids beyond all else," he said. "It helps if you have experience in the system in terms of having kids go through the schools."

"And it is about understanding and being fiscally conservative, and having the courage and ability to understand complex issues and communicate them in a non-complex way," he added.

Casella said the board needs to deliberate more on whether to give the position to Isaacs, and could have a decision in the next few days.