FLBOE Candidate: Jamie Martino

James “Jamie” Martino is the husband of Nieves Martino and the father of one girl and two boys: Ariana, 14, a freshman at Bergen County Academies; Blake, 12, who will be in FAMs in September; and Christian,  6, a kindergartener at Woodside Avenue School . The Martino Family has lived on Oak Haven Lane since moving to Franklin Lakes in 1999. The campaign’s Facebook page can be found by searching “Martino4BdofEd” 

Experience: I have spent much of the last twenty years as a senior executive of firms which focus on the development and deployment of compelling new technologies and information services. I have founded, developed, arranged financing for and managed these firms during challenging situations. I have extensive functional experience in the areas of business management, product management, business development, financial planning and information technology. 

I am active in our community and have a history of investing in the development of our children. My current and recent activities include: Coach of the Franklin LakesOakland K-8 Wrestling Program (4 years), Recreation Baseball Coach, i9 Sports Flag Football Coach, Public Address announcer for War Eagles Football, Cub Scout Den Leader and Sunday School Teacher.

Why do you want to serve on the school board? 

Jamie: My motivation is quite simple: our most valuable assets are our children, our family has made a commitment to support our community schools and children, education is the cornerstone of the American dream and lastly the current environment has provided a unique window in which real progress is possible.

Residents are demanding transparency, productivity and accountability. Many of our resident taxpayers are small and medium size business owners. The recent recession has been particularly hard on this segment of the population. Meanwhile, property taxes, government fees and living expenses have continued to increase.  I believe we can do better. I believe we can deliver a premier educational experience while coming to grips with our tax challenges and enabling our retirees and entrepreneurs to remain where they are needed, in Franklin Lakes.

What challenges do you see in the next three years on the board? 

Jamie:  In the coming year, the school board will face mounting challenges. Balancing the goals of a quality educational system with the need to be fiscally responsible will require that we bring to bear the most experienced, dedicated and creative trustee team. The repeated call will be to “do more with less”, “think outside the box” and enhance productivity of resources. I believe strongly that the ability to meet these competing needs will be significantly enhanced by adding my experience and skills to the team.

We have all seen how transformative technology can be to our society. The internet, ubiquitous broadband and other technological achievements have allowed our nation to experience one of the greatest improvements in productivity in its history. While no magic solution, I’m confident that technological solutions combined with financial planning techniques can be key components of our problem solving tool kit to increase productivity and reduce costs.

Further, technological change is happening so quickly that it is impacting students in both expected and unexpected ways. As a school system, we will be challenged to determine what technology changes should be harnessed for their positive attributes and which encompass risk to our students. For example, changes in technology services have enabled students to elevate the severity and impact of bullying, teasing and other behaviors which attempt to diminish the victim’s perception of their intrinsic worth. We are now mandated both by law and our community values to be proactive in protecting children and ensuring that they have a safe and productive environment in which to learn. I am certain that my management experience, personal network of professional and technical resources and understanding of the application of technology will be a valuable asset to the board in multiple ways.

What do you see as the district's greatest assets and liabilities?

Jamie: I love this community. After several corporate moves, our 12 years in Franklin Lakes have been wonderful and have allowed us to nurture our family in a fantastic setting. Our residents are caring, inquisitive, generous and supportive. This is the community I would love to see my grown children return to in their future.

However, I am deeply concerned with the escalating cost of homeownership in our community and the state.  We consistently rank as the highest taxed state in the US. Technological changes are revolutionizing the way in which people work and earn a living. Proximity to urban centers is becoming less important. Many high earning professionals are discovering that they have greater flexibility in their work locations. This trend is a serious threat to our state and community. Our tax environment motivates both our entrepreneurs and retirees to seek lower tax alternatives. As they exit, the remaining residents have been forced to pick up a greater share of fixed contractual cost centers. This is partially evidenced in our declining school enrollment and backlog of available homes for sale.

What problems would you like to see corrected in the district and how would you go about doing them? 

Jamie: For several years now, I have been advocating for the development of a clear mission and long term plan for the school district. I have expressed concerns regarding the fact that both the Committee for "Strategic Plan" and Committee for "Technology" have been vacant for at least two years. I found it difficult to conclude that our $25+ million budget could be efficiently managed without the development of both a strategic and technology plan.

Further, I believe that transparent planning is critical in coordinating with educational support organizations such as the PTA’s and FLEF. The direct school budget, combined with PTA and FLEF donations largely support the educational experience. I contend that it would be highly affective to have all three organizations buying into an overall vision, strategic plan and technological support plan. While each organization would retain its full independence, the leaders of each would be able to judge the value of each proposed project in light of the overall goals of the district. For example, technology benefits from a clear vision and a logically timed investment in each of the core components: broadband, hardware, software, platforms, services and teacher training. Equipment without proper software is ineffective and wastes resources. Broadband without services or adequate strategic connectivity is equally ineffective. Recently, the district has initiated some proactive planning projects and I believe we need to continue these efforts as a high priority.

What personal/professional strengths do you bring to the table that you feel will help to make the district better? 

Jamie: I have significant board experience and have been a guest speaker at board training seminars hosted by Boardroom Bound, which is the leading development institution, focused on training and preparing women and minority candidates for service on corporate and non-profit boards. Within the Board structure, I have served in a diverse number of roles including: Chairman, CEO, Board Member, Advisor, Board Trainer and Presenter. I currently serve on the Franklin Lakes Municipal Technology Committee.  In each board role, I have been a productive and professional contributor, consensus builder and trustee.

In addition to my corporate and technology experience, I am equally comfortable in the classroom setting. I come from a family of educators. My father is the retired principal of Intermediate School 53 in Queens, NY. My mother is a retired elementary school teacher and both of my sisters are in education, one serving currently as an Assistant Principal in Queens, NY.  I have personally had the pleasure of being a regular guest lecturer at Fairleigh Dickinson University for the past five years, where I speak to the MBA and Undergraduate students in the Entrepreneurial Studies Program. 

How do you feel about the governor's proposal to end teacher tenure and institute pay raises based on merit? 

I wholeheartedly welcome support from Trenton on this issue. The current tenure provisions are broken and are unfair to students, parents, taxpayers, administrators and even teachers. The current three year tenure track does not allow teachers to develop sufficiently in their craft, such that an administrator can make a valid evaluation of their performance.  The current system assumes that tenure shall be granted, unless serious flaws are documented, and forces administrators to make premature decisions that can be detrimental to either the teacher or the students for decades.

While I believe there is a limited role for tenure, I would prefer to see a longer evaluation period of 6-8 years. A revised system would require clear communication between the parties in regards to the teacher’s progress towards tenure. It should avoid surprises and foster growth in the teacher’s skills. Teacher’s who attain tenure should have “mastered” core skills and there should be little doubt as to their commitment and competence. Teacher’s who attain this level should be rewarded and compensated appropriately, as elite professionals of our society. Pay disparity based on performance is a proven motivator. The NJEA’s position on this issue has seriously hurt the ability of school boards to treat the best teacher’s as true elite professionals and pay them what they deserve.  I believe more top quality candidates would choose a career in teaching if they believed that they could excel financially. I would prefer a system that motivates ambitious teachers to look upwards rather than one that focuses on providing a premature safety net for the masses.   

Despite these system flaws, our district has attracted an impressive group of high performing teachers who have delivered award winning results. Unfortunately, our teachers are paying NJEA over $800 each per year to protect a flawed system which is actually limiting their earnings potential. 

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We previously heard from board candidates Larry Loprete, Susan McGowan, Craig Urcioli, and  Carolyn Reitz "In Their Own Words." Those four candidates are vying for three, three year seats on the Franklin Lakes Board of Education. Jamie Martino is running uncontested for one, unexpired term.

More information on the school board elections, including the budget figures for both the local and regional districts is available here. To learn more about the candidates, watch the videos on the district website or on the borough's two cable channels, Verizon FiOS channel 46 and Cablevision channel 77.