Krauss Says She Wants to Bring Culture of Communication, K-8 Representation to Board of Education

A former small business owner running on a platform of changing attitudes and opening the lines of communications with Ridgewood residents, Christina Krauss said she's ready to usurp one of the two incumbents on the Board of Education on April 27 for a three-year term.

"Volunteering after so many years in town, you talk to people and hear the issues of the moment. They change from year to year," Krauss said. But one thing hasn't in the last few years, and it's a big void she says.

"There isn't any representation on the board of education in the K-8 realm. That segment of our population is overwhelmed with schedules, with one or two parents working, homework rituals, all of those things make it difficult for parents. I think they feel a little ignored and a little underrepresented."

"It's the right time in my life. I can really dedicate the time and energy required to be an effective member of the board of education."

While she said she's happy the board and administrators can use technology effectively as a communication device, she said it's no substitute for personal interaction, particularly in regards to expressing themselves at Monday night board meetings.

"A lot of people tell me it's a humiliating experience. You're just left feeling like you weren't listened to. That's part of the reason I'm running. People say to me, 'I wish someone where there that would acknowledge what I had said,'" Krauss said to Patch.

Perception is reality, Krauss said. She reported that The New Jersey School Board was surprised there was less give-and-take when she described what she found to be a lack of interaction between the public and school board. "I think if they [the school board] took a lesson from the council more people would participate. I would encourage participation. You should never be scared to get up there. I would try to change that."

Her two opponents admit there needs to be better communication between them and residents but have also noted the meetings function more as a business meeting with a public component than a public forum for debate.

Still, Krauss said her communication stance won't hinder her ability to work with board members should she be elected.

"I'm not looking to be contentious in any way–it's a consensus-driven organization," she said. "You need to be able to pull people over to your side . . . and get people to sometimes think outside the parameters they're used to thinking about."

"I just think a fresh pair of eyes may be refreshing for them," which may help the board "polish up its image," she said. Krauss added she doesn't believe a dissenting vote from a board member would necessarily be a bad thing every now and then.

Math

While Krauss, who has a son in college and a daughter in elementary school at Somerville, said she didn't directly have any experience with the controversial "Connected Math" program. But, she said, many have expressed to her they felt "the dye was already cast when they entered the room" when changes were made a few years ago and the district continues to unveil it at its schools

"If I had been a parent who had a child struggling with this program, I'd probably have been more a fly-in-the-ointment," but said at the time it wasn't a hot-button issue for her at the time.

She said she's not opposed to homework, which she said her daughter receives "a lot of." She does however, have reservations on the "verbal" prompts of the math questions and said she's heard from some teachers "they're not too crazy about it either."

Krauss said everyday math and connected math could work well with one another if fused better. Krauss noted she wouldn't call the math program "a mistake" but suggested lower grade teachers should be meeting more with the district to see if revisions could be helpful. "If you find something that's a persistent issue, it just begs a little bit more investigation," Krauss said. She expressed concern that parents may be increasingly turning to outside tutors.

"While tutoring certainly has its merits, it should not be a requirement in a district like ours with such a talented and dedicated staff," she said.

Fields/lights

"Everybody is dissatisfied with something" on the issue of , Krauss said. "It comes back to the perception issue, perception of inclusion and sensitivity to people's concerns and listening. If it takes an additional meeting to make residents feel they've been heard, I don't think that would serve the board poorly."

"I'm all for sports," she said. "But it's about the process of how we get from one thing to the next. The fields are in, the lights are up. There's nothing a prospective board member can do to change that but issues like this are going to crop up. I'd really like there to be a feeling out there that neighbor's concerns are considered."

"It's not a waste of anybody's time to put the time in building lasting community relationships," she said, adding she felt 10 p.m. was "far too late" for youth.

"I have friends in every aspect of that area," she said of the Beverly, Heermance, N. Irving section near the fields. "They live there because they know they're around a school, they like the energy and enthusiasm of seeing the kids play there," she said, adding that they're not 'anti-sports' because they oppose the lights at the proposed hours.

When residents see lights "blasting" into their homes at those hours, she said, "I think that's too invasive." Krauss suggested schedules be reduced down a bit as a way to achieve some balance.

"I'd have alleviated the perception it was a done deal before it started," Krauss said when asked if she had done anything differently as a school board member when lights and fields projects were being reviewed and ultimately approved against a forceful segment of the community.

Quality of education

She said educationally, she feels the board of education has done a very strong job of educating Ridgewood school children. She said the curriculum, by and large is great. "People don't come here for no reason. They come here for schools and the curriculum."

"The only aspect I see the board of education falling off the radar screen is the perception of open communication. You can have all the technology you want, but without human interaction, that's when the perception of the board takes a hit."

"I want to change that."

Valley

Krauss said she's most certainly not a NIMBY candidate, perhaps a perception .

The mother of two has picked up an endorsement from resident group Concerned Residents of Ridgewood, one seems like a real vote-swinger in recent elections. Krauss is not backing down from her public comments made during the Valley hearings.

"I think they [the district] could have been more proactive" in divulging information on Valley proceedings during the summer of 2010, she told Patch. It was extremely difficult to learn for many students during the last Valley construction project, teachers reportedly told her.

"There was banging and slamming and windows closed during hot weather," she said, adding she "knows the board of education will do its due diligence" in regards to environmental studies should construction begin.

But she said notice of meetings should be made available to all schools on HSA websites and expressed hope the board will be "proactive" going forward. Krauss had been critical of the district's stance, saying she objected to parents being chastised for idling cars while the district punted on child safety issues related to Valley.

Budget, final pitch

Krauss that she was comfortable with tallying a yes vote to the district's proposed budget, but said given that New Jersey's fiscal position, it's vital that taxpayer concerns be vetted and more efficiencies be explored.

"I am not currently involved in the budget process, where the best long-term cost savings may lie is yet to be determined," she said, "but I truly believe that a new perspective will reveal options that have yet to be considered."

The fiscal realities the district is currently staring at, "leave little doubt that times have changed and so to must our approach to public education."

Ultimately, Krauss said it's about communication, communication and communication. That's why the voting public should vote for her, she says.

"I think that the way that the board operates right now needs to change. I would like to see more transparency, I would like to see a more open line of communication. I would like to see people feel welcome to come to board of education meetings and engaging with the board on a more personal level."