School Board Candidates Come Forward

At least four residents are interested in the five available Wyckoff Board of Education seats.

Former school board member Thomas Rousseau has declared his intention as a write-in candidate for one of the three, three-year seats on the ballot on April 20, and at least one resident, Diane Sobin, has expressed interest in one of two one-year terms available after two board member resignations. Residents Catherine Runge and Jill Mortimer will be on the ballot and are essentially assured of election due to the dearth of candidates.

Some of the candidates said they were motivated to run in part due to the difficulties the board currently faces, as it loses a majority of its membership while crafting a budget without the benefit of state aid.

BALLOT CHOICES

"We are confronted with several problems," said Rousseau, who feels that he "provides the experience and knowledge" necessary for board membership.

A 37-year resident, Rousseau is a retired, lifelong educator whose three children all attended Wyckoff schools. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in science as well as additional credits in administration and guidance and spent his career teaching in both New Milford and Ridgewood. 

Additionally, Rousseau, a Korean war veteran, has coached at various levels, including the Ramapo High School girls fencing team, has served as a cubmaster, volunteers with Partners in Pride and is a parishioner of Grace United Methodist Church.

Rousseau served two, three-year terms on the board in the 1980s and said the "current situation has motivated him" to serve once again.

The seven-member board will lose three experienced members this year, as President Daniel Moynihan, Vice President Raymond Hovey and Danielle Swenson are not seeking re-election. Only Mortimer and Runge had filed to run for those seats, opening up the possibility of a write-in candidate, who would need a minimum of 10 votes. The departures were compounded with the resignations earlier this month of members Carl Anello and Matthew Cole, forcing the board to solicit applications to fill those seats itself. Anyone appointed to the board (after an interview) would serve for one year, with three-year terms opening next year.

Rousseau said he was not interested in the application process. "I don't want to be appointed, I want to be elected," he said.

He feels that his experience "on both sides of the aisle" as a teacher and board member would be an asset to Wyckoff. "I've been there," he said.

Specifically, Rousseau has worked through the budget process in the past, which is an especially difficult task this year with the total loss of aid. "We all have to tighten our belts," he said, while working to maintain the same quality of education. He said difficult choices will have to be made on spending cuts, but that "raising the taxes is not the answer, not the solution.

"You have to make do with what you can afford," he said.

Specifically, he believes the difficulties currently before the board need to be embraced, as the "harder you work now, the easier it will be next year."

Additionally, he said the board must put a premium on being transparent with the public, encouraging their participation while making sure residents are apprised of matters before the school board.

"I want to see more of a focus on citizenship," he said.

Runge is making her first run at elected office. A five-year resident, Runge has three children in the Wyckoff schools and has volunteered her time on PTOs and serves as the Lincoln School's parent group's liaison to the Board of Education.

A real estate agent, Runge is currently managing director at Advanced Sales Training Solutions, a real estate sales consulting and training firm. She hopes to "bring the breadth of my experience" to bear so that she can "look at the needs of the board in a broad perspective."

Runge, the former treasurer for the Wyckoff Newcomers and Neighbors club, said she first started thinking about running in the fall and saw it as an opportunity to "make an impact" at the "next step" after volunteering her time in her children's schools and attending board meetings. She praises the educational system as "excellent" and looks forward to "working collaboratively" with other board members to "represent everyone's interests" in the community.

Runge is well-acquainted with the financial difficulties the board finds itself in but sees the situation as an "opportunity to make the right choices" on program funding.

Mortimer, a nine-year resident, also is an educator and community volunteer with a son who attends Sicomac Elementary School. She has served as the Sicomac PTO's liaison to the Board of Education, and the Mortimers are active in Scouting and the Indian Trail Club. 

"I recognize and appreciate all of the hard work previous BOE members have invested and want to do my part as a parent, community member and educator to continue to ensure the children of Wyckoff are provided with an excellent education," she said via e-mail.

Mortimer has worked as the supervisor of curriculum and instruction in Allendale, Ho-Ho-Kus, Northern Highlands Regional High School and Upper Saddle River for the past 10 years. She holds an undergraduate degree in psychology, has an advanced degree in English language and literature and is currently pursuing her doctorate in educational leadership.

Like Rousseau, Mortimer said she is concerned with board transparency and community involvement.

"I firmly believe the Wyckoff Board of Education must establish trust and communicate with all school and community stakeholders. All decisions should be transparent, and everyone should get the same information.  

"Effective school governance and influential community relations are necessary to maintain a balance between the needs of the schools and the external constituents. Recognizing the fact that many households in Wyckoff do not include children in the schools, the board needs to hear the voices of all community groups. Not only am I able to view issues through the lenses of both a parent and an educator, I also possess a critical eye for resource allocation, enabling me to determine the difference between needs and wants," she said.

She also believes that the board's most pressing concern is balancing its need to maintain the level of education while dealing with the budget challenges.

"The most pressing issues facing the board are the funding changes from the state, the need to hire a Director of Special Services, and the importance of maintaining and enhancing developmentally appropriate, research-based educational programs to ensure all students learn.

"While it is easy to become overwhelmed with the current state of financial affairs in the state of New Jersey and its impact on education, we must not lose sight of the social responsibility for educating children and supporting those who dedicate their professional lives to working with them," Mortimer said.

APPOINTED POSITIONS

Sobin, a 13-year resident, has been active in the community as a volunteer, both as a recreational coach and a co-chair of the Friends of Wyckoff. A former Township Committee candidate, Sobin is making her first bid for school board.

However, she is well-acquainted with the township's schools, as both of her daughters went through the system. One of her children is currently a student at Ramapo High School. She feels that not having a child currently in the local system would allow her to be particularly objective on board business.

Sobin is a financial analyst and senior portfolio manager with Columbia Management, a division of Bank of America. She believes her work experience would be an asset to the board, especially as it struggles with funding decisions.

"I think it's a critical role (board membership) and would like to be a part of making sure the quality of education is maintained under the constraints they have to live with," she said.

Sobin said the board must work to find a balance between state mandates, desired programming and their impact on local taxes. She praises the work of the parent groups and the Wyckoff Education Foundation and said "perhaps we can do an even better job" of working collaboratively to secure funding for initiatives outside of the board's operating budget.

Sobin will interview for the appointment on Thursday. She said she was particularly interested in seeking an appointment because she would get to hear from potential future colleagues during the interview process, although she doesn't rule out a write-in bid should she fail to achieve appointment to a one-year seat.

It's not clear how many residents may have applied for the two one-year appointments, as the board is not making such information public. However, those interested have until 5 p.m. Thursday to submit a letter of interest at board offices, 241 Morse Ave. The board expects to vote on appointments at its April 5 meeting.

Additionally, the school board will hold a public hearing on the proposed 2010-11 budget Thursday evening.