School Board Candidate Profile: H. James Bauer

For the first time, Ocean City voters will go to the polls in a November general election to choose Board of Education representatives.

Four candidates will run for three seats on the Board of Education in the election on Tuesday, Nov. 6. The winners will serve three-year terms on the board. 

Incumbents H. James Bauer, Peter V. Madden and Thomas R. Oves Jr. will seek re-election, and Jacqueline A. McAlister will seek her first term.

Tiffany Prettyman is the only candidate running to complete the unexpired term of Antwan McClellan, who stepped down from the school board when he took office as a city councilman on July 1. 

The four candidates in the contested race completed the same questionnaire.

• Jacqueline McAlister
• Thomas Oves
• H. James Bauer
• Peter Madden

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Name: H. James Bauer

Age: 71

Education: Bachelor of science degree from Glassboro State College (Rowan University).

No. of years lived in Ocean City: 45

Family in school system: Three sons attended Ocean City public schools. 

Occupation: Retired teacher (Delran Township School District)

Public service: Served six terms on the Ocean City Board of Education; Little League umpire.

Three issues you think are most important:

• Finances: To run a good and affordable school system — to afford the students in this area a really top-notch curriculum.
• Curriculum:  The offerings for for students today is amazing, as evidenced by fact that the district sees so many applications for its new School Choice program.
• Excellence: We have to strive and work to maintain that degree of excellence — not to let anything get in the way of maintaining that curriculum. What they're running in the classroom is vital. To cut academic programs is out of the question.

Accomplishments as an incumbent?

I'm very proud of the new high school. It's a real sense of accomplishment. It's very exciting to see the new staff members that we're getting come into the profession. I share the Curriculum Committee, and I love that committee. It's very exciting and very gratifying to see new ideas coming in. We're climbing to make the district better, and ranking show that we're No. 66 in the state. It's great to be part of that team. 

What would you like voters to know about you and your vision for the board?

I want to maintain the path of excellence and to improve even more. I'd like to be No. 1. Look at test scores and where our students go to college. There are not a lot of school systems that can brag about where their kids go to school. We had a student in every single one of the Ivy League schools. I have a lot of pride in our staff.