Moorestown Resident Anticipates Answers At BOE Candidates Forum

MOORESTOWN, NJ — Moorestown resident Daniel McMillan writes that he looks forward to having some of his questions answered during next week's Moorestown Board of Education Candidate Forum. His letter to the editor can be found below.

To the Editor:

I am looking forward to the MooreUnity BOE Candidate Forum on October 18, and I hope to get some clarity on specific public comments made during an April 2021 BOE meeting by one of the candidates in the Burns, Horwitz and Thomas trio.

I’m sure all of the candidates are nice people and mean well, but it’s important that we know where the candidates stand on the issues that our district is facing. During the public comment portion of the meeting, Ms. Burns scolded the BOE for not having enough "gumption to raise taxes" for three years in a row.

She also berated the BOE for reversing its proposal to eliminate busing for K-8 students (under 2 miles) and 9-12 students (under 2.5 miles), and publicly criticized parents who voiced public safety concerns as "disgraceful for complaining.”

She called parent petitions to oppose the proposed budget cuts to busing “disgusting,” and made a point to remind the board members that parents "do not vote, but the board does.”

And - although she apparently believes petitions are "disgusting," she (along with Horwitz) was one of the first to sign a petition asking the BOE to keep students in 2-3 days of hybrid learning for the remainder of the school year when the level of community spread was low and NJDOE/NJDOH guidance was favorable to safely increase in person learning, as neighboring districts were doing.

I know that Ms. Burns doesn’t speak for all candidates on the Thomas, Burns, and Horwitz ticket, but when they agreed to campaign together, they became tethered to these public statements. It’s concerning that an outside political group appears to be paying for joint signs for the three candidates.

Politics has no place in School Board elections. I hope Mooreunity seeks clarity on these issues during the forum. Voters should know where the candidates stand, and who is funding their campaigns.

Daniel McMillan

Moorestown resident