School Board Candidate Gerry Clark Says BOE Needs New Blood

Gerry Clark says he's not a one-issue candidate for a shot at a seat on the Ridgewood Board of Education. Though he isn't backing down on his criticism of the school board's decision to or , Clark says he's a multi-tasker with the vision to help maintain the prestige the schools have garnered over the years.

We had an interview with Clark late last week and discussed everything from substitutes at the high school to tenure to technology to–you guessed it–field usage and lights.

See our interview with Clark as he makes his pitch for a three-year seat on the school board; incumbents Sheila Brogan and Laurie Goodman are running as well as newcomer Christina Krauss.

Clark on the fields policy, impetus for running

"In 2006, 2007 they wanted to come into our back yard with lights," the Hawes area resident said in an interview.

"I told Mrs. Clark at the time I wanted to run [for a school board seat] but I never got around to it. The latest stuff with the high school and Stevens Field made me think a little harder about it."

"I think the board of education means to do well," he said regarding the installation of the lights and fields that were turfed in 2010 after contentious hearings with some neighbors, along for passing the revised policy, which allows for some games to reach as late as 10 p.m.

"They want these kids to exercise, they want them to be on teams and they want the camaraderie."

But Clark charged that isn't what scheduler Ed Seavers, Ridgewood Soccer's Bob Davies and Ridgewood Lacrosse Association's Paul Sheridan want. "They care about their travel teams," he said.

"They want the upgraded facilities to match the other towns, they want the turf. They want to go to 10 o'clock so they can have these tournaments, raise money and buy more nice things. They're trying to feed their systems at the expense of the residents."

The board of education, he said, is being given "inflated participation numbers."

He charged that 5,000 participants out of a total village population of 6,000 kids is not realistic. "They're lying," he said of the purported figures sports groups have offered as a justification for lighting fields until 10 p.m.

Clark said he acknowledges he can't run on one issue even if it is a polarizing one, and thinks his experience in technology could help bring an inside look at how village children can compete in a rapidly-changing world. 

"I would like the district to look into distance learning," the telecommunications specialist at Ernst & Young said.

"We've got these kids learning Rosetta Stone. Why not get someone who can teach Spanish over video and many districts can share that service? They're not going to learn from Rosetta Stone. They [the students] put the headphones on and they tune it out."

Math wars?

In terms of some hot-button education issues, Clark said he's not familiar with . "I don't know much about it," he said and would have to read more on it "for an informed opinion."

Subs at RHS?

But with two daughters in the high school, he thinks the there might need a fresh pair of eyes.

"They lock them all into the Campus Center and one person is supposed to keep track of four classrooms. I can't imagine what that looks like."

Clark said Glen Rock's school district "takes a hard look" at its substitute teachers, which eliminates "just anyone looking for a paycheck," and said Ridgewood should explore changing the sub policy once the budget is buffed out after elections.

Increasing taxes, opinion on school board's effectiveness

"My parents are 78 and 74, respectively, and they complain about having a superintendent, a principal and an assistant principal" in their district, he said.

"They've done some consolidation on it and Ridgewood has done some of the same with its chair people. So maybe it's getting a little better," he said of efficiencies and the cost to residents.

But, there's a caveat – he says you get

"You pay these taxes but you get your money back when your school system is ranked high," he said.

Overall, when asked what kind of job the board of education has done, he said: "I think [the board] is doing a very good job, especially Laurie," but added, "sometimes you need new blood."

Valley response

"I'm glad that my daughter finished B.F. last year," he said. If the proposed Valley  expansion happens, "it can't be good," he reported.

Clark was especially concerned regarding traffic and safety issues. He said he'd have also requested environmental studies if he were on the board, which the .

Tenure/teacher negotiations

While he didn't specifically comment on tenure and the impact it has in the village, Clark said he "didn't see many bad teachers in Ridgewood."

"It'll be interesting to see what happens with Christie. We need to give it the right due diligence and arrive at something where everyone is happy."

But, he said, "Times are not what they were. You can't expect a job for life now. You [a private citizen] can get canned tomorrow – why are they [teachers] immune from that?"

A hard-working multi-tasker able to juggle numerous tasks, Clark says he's ready for the commitment of being on the school board.

He takes on incumbents Sheila Brogan, Laurie Goodman and Christina Krauss for the April 27 election.