Guest Column: A New Board of Education Year Begins

As happens every spring, the April 27 school elections were swiftly followed by Board reorganization on May 4. 

Having bid a fond farewell to out-going Board member Michael Collins in April, we welcomed new member Victor DeSario, and welcomed back newly re-elected members Phyllis Pascucci and Barbara Garrity. 

We also elected our Board leadership for the year – I am our new president, and Robin Wetmore is now our vice president. A check of our old minute books reveals, somewhat surprisingly in this day and age, that this is the first time women have occupied both leadership roles simultaneously. 

As Robin and I break new ground as a leadership team, we look forward to continuing the Holmdel Board of Education’s long-established goal -- working together with the rest of the Board to meet our children’s educational needs.

I would like to begin by thanking the Holmdel community for passing the school budget. We will strive to repay your trust with good stewardship of the public purse and quality programs that help our children convert their potential into achievement. This could not be done without your vote, and we greatly appreciate your support of our schools. 

My thanks also go to Dr. Ray Tai, who has been our Board president for the past two years. During his presidency Ray kept our work flow moving smoothly, fostered full and inclusive discussion of matters under consideration, and ably discharged the sometimes challenging duty of being our public spokesperson. We are fortunate that he will remain on the Board for at least another year as our “elder statesman.” My goal is to profit from his good example.

The new BOE year also brings committee reorganization. We make committee assignments based on Board members’ skills, experience and preferences, while also providing a balance between stability and giving members a chance to develop their knowledge of new areas. None of us serves forever, so succession planning, if you will, is an important consideration. The 2011-12 committee chairpersons are: 

Budget & Finance – Mike Sockol

Buildings & Grounds – Dennis Pavlik

Curriculum & Instruction – Ray Tai

Community Relations – Chiung-yin Cheng Liu

Negotiations – Ana Vander Woude

Special Services – Phyllis Pascucci 

Details on committee membership are available on the District website, under the BOE tab.

In July, we will have our Board Retreat so that, with input from the administration, we can develop our Board, District and Superintendent’s goals for 2011-12. 

We can already foresee a number of challenges we will face in the upcoming year. They include, among others, launching and fully utilizing the new 10 minute longer school day, transitioning to a completely outsourced bus transportation system, completing our comprehensive policy review, and negotiating a new contract with the HTAA, our administrators’ union. 

Seeking new non-tax revenue and cost saving opportunities will also remain high on our list.  No doubt other important issues will arise from our discussions.  Once the goals are formally adopted at a subsequent business meeting, they will be used as a basis for building and program goals throughout the district. 

Finally, June brings commencement.  It will be my great honor and pleasure to shake the hands of our graduating seniors as they head out into the world to seek their fortunes, whether in higher education or the working world. 

We get many inquiries about the colleges our graduates have chosen. Here’s a partial return -- we have one student headed to Brown, two to Columbia, two to Duke, one to Notre Dame, seven to NYU, two to Princeton, and one Yale (as well as to many other excellent schools).  In short, it looks like another promising year.  As soon as we have a complete compilation, it will be posted to the District website.

Many people have contributed to preparing our students for graduation – teachers, administrators and staff – and I am grateful for their hard work, dedication and caring hearts.  I am also grateful to all the parents who sent their children to school ready to learn each day, and also slowly did themselves out of a job so their students would be ready to handle the freedom and responsibilities that independent living will bring. 

Congratulations, Class of 2011, and good luck!  We are proud of you and of your accomplishments!

We on the Board of Education look forward to the year ahead.  We welcome your interest and input, appreciate your support and hope to see you at a Board of Education meeting soon!

On behalf of my Board colleagues,

Barbara Garrity

President, Holmdel BOE

There are two easy ways to stay informed of district/schools happenings. Please visit the district website at www.holmdelschools.org for event updates, school announcements, district progress reports, board meeting information, and much more. You can also subscribe to our E-Alert at http://www.holmdel.k12.nj.us/home/joinlist.shtm to receive email alerts on your choice of topics, such as school security alerts, committee notes, parent support group minutes, the district calendar, career opportunities, and school lunch menus.