newstranscript.gmnews.com/news/2009/0415/front_page/008.htmlFive residents make bids for school board
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer
FREEHOLD — Residents will elect three candidates to three-year terms on the Freehold Borough Board of Education in the April 21 school election. The candidates are Ron Reich, Victoria Muller, Reginald Sims, Michael Lichardi and Maureen Mac- Cutcheon.
Reich and Muller are current members of the board.
Lichardi, 41, has lived in the borough since 1998. He is a doctor of podiatric medicine and surgery and is a physician associate in orthopedic trauma and anesthesiology. He has three children, ages 4, 7 and 13. Two of his children attend Freehold Borough schools.
MacCutcheon, 43, has lived in the borough for 15 years. She has two sons, ages 8 and 10, who attend the Freehold Learning Center elementary school. She is self-employed in the sales/marketing field.
Muller, 50, has lived in the borough for 15 years. Muller has one child in the eighth grade at the Freehold Intermediate School. She said her votes are always for the benefit of every student who attends district schools.
Reich, 60, has lived in the borough since 1974. He and his wife, Lynn, have two grown children.
Sims, 41, is a native of Freehold and is currently employed at Shop-Rite in Freehold Township as night manager. He previously worked as the director of football operations for Rutgers University, New Brunswick. Sims has four daughters, ages 5, 9, 12 and 20. His three youngest daughters all attend borough schools.
The candidates were asked and responded to the following questions:
What do you believe makes you a qualified candidate for a seat on the board
Michael Lichardi: As a homeowner for over a decade in the borough and a parent of present and future borough students, I am invested in school and community affairs. My wife, Linda, and I have become increasingly more involved in both the school and the community and contribute wherever needs exist. My professional medical background and experience increase my ability to problem-solve and deal with diverse populations. As a freshman board member I can act as a "new thinker" who has not been mired in a culture of stale traditions that do not keep pace with the challenges the borough faces, and I will demonstrate the courage to help lead our community to think outside the box.
Maureen MacCutcheon: I have been a resident of Freehold Borough for 15 years and was born and raised in Monmouth County. I am the parent of two boys attending school in the district and have been involved with their education from day one. For the past 25 years, I have had a career in business management and consultation. In this capacity, I have honed skills in budget analysis, financial planning, and staffing efficiency/reconstruction. I am passionate about the education that all children in the district receive and have a genuine appreciation of the balance needed to provide the best we can to the students without increasing a financial burden on the taxpayers. I am the only candidate running for a seat who has children at the Freehold Learning Center. I believe it is extremely important there is representation specific to this school on the board. I am a conscientious individual and will serve diligently on the board to consider alternatives, analyze effects and voice the concerns and feedback of the community.
Victoria Muller: My passion has always been to do what is best for the taxpayers of Freehold Borough, but above all maintaining a thorough and efficient education for all students in our district. This is not only strictly guideline, but something they deserve. They must come first. Keeping our visual and performing arts programs intact is very important to our kids. Our children are not only smart, but they have creative talents that must be encouraged and continually kept available to them. With our current bare bones budget and dedicated staff we have achieved this. I am a taxpayer and I know that times are tough. I have personally felt the hit of this economic downfall and still feel these kids deserve the best. It is a balancing act at all times. We all are suffering financially, but we never want the kids to suffer.
Ron Reich: Other than the fact that I already have nine years of experience as a board member, I have taken courses given by the New Jersey School Boards Association in order to keep current with school law and other issues facing a Board of Education. I have been involved with working to obtain more funds for the district that we were promised last year which were denied this year. I have been working on updating school policy upon recommendations from the New Jersey School Boards Association.
Reginald Sims: (I am qualified) because I was born in Freehold, I am a product and have been educated in the Freehold Borough public school system and finally, I have been a public servant in Freehold for over 18 years. I have served on the Freehold Borough Recreation Commission, the town's original Human Relations Commission, I have been a volunteer firefighter for 18 years, and a youth sports coach. Sims grew up in Freehold and said his heart in the town.
What do you consider to be the most pressing issues the school district faces at this time and what would you do as a board member to help resolve these issues?
Michael Lichardi: I have many concerns, but I believe few are more imperative at
the moment. These include interrelated issues with a large financial impact such as the burgeoning student population, behavioral issues in the intermediate school and an administrative top-heavy school structure. I am a social and fiscal conservative. My approach to our school issues will reflect this, however, my version of a conservative approach does not equate to a slash and cut fiscal policy without regard to the children and the community affected. I don't believe the middle school concept has performed as intended. I have been intrigued by a New York City plan to recreate old-style kindergarten through eighth grade grammar schools and came to observe that many other districts across the nation have reinstated this educational model.
Maureen MacCutcheon: Being underfunded continues to be an issue for the district. We are still currently below the state determined number of providing a thorough and efficient education. I believe with our financial constraints that we do a very good job in educating the children, with much credit going to our tenured staff of dedicated teachers, and I can foresee, with proper funding, our teachers being able to do even more when empowered with the tools and technology to further the knowledge and learning of each and every child, regardless of their individual level. As a board member, I would research and resource all that is available to gain greater funding and also to ensure, with the funding we have, that it is being used as efficiently and effectively at the classroom level for our children to receive the greatest benefit. They must come first, always. Lastly, regarding the issue of state-wide (school district) consolidation efforts, I am eager to participate with our board and surrounding districts in determining what is best for our children and community, using my business experience in restructuring organizations and implementing efficient systems/policies.
Victoria Muller: School funding is always our most pressing issue. During my past two terms serving as a board member some of our most successful actions have benefited our district which have resulted in an additional $500,000 for the district's budget. This could not have been done without the support, passion and determination of our community members. We will not rest on this, there is so much more to do. Our staff is so incredibly dedicated in all grant applications. We need to be vigilant in our search for new and creative avenues to acquire funding. Teamwork with our administrators, community and especially the state Legislature to get fair and adequate funding for our children is always at the forefront of our actions.
Ron Reich: The most pressing issue facing our district is the lack of funds to bring us to the thorough and education "box" of school funding. We are about $4 million short of that targeted goal. I have been meeting with our state representatives and attending meetings with the state Commissioner of Education. As a result of our inability to meet the unmet funding requirements, we cannot provide all of the things that are necessary for our students, including increasing the size of our buildings to account for the space squeeze in classroom space and technology upgrades. I am also on the regionalization/consolidation committee of the Monmouth County School Boards to make certain that Freehold Borough schools are not treated unfairly in any regionalization.
Reginald Sims: (Pressing issues are) overcrowding and space; continue to improve on the achievement of test scores; school finances — right now below state level; amount of money we spend per pupil — right now one of the lowest in the county. I can make a difference by tapping in on some of the relationships I established in Trenton when I worked at Rutgers University. Second, I will look into alternative resources for funding to bring relief to the borough taxpayers. Finally, my ability to explain the circumstances so that the average taxpayer knows their dollars are being spent wisely. The parents and taxpayers in Freehold will know that the children and taxpayers of Freehold come first.
Do you have any relatives who work for this school district?
Lichardi has no relatives working in the school district.
MacCutcheon has no relatives working in the school district.
Muller has no relatives working in the school district.
Reich has no relatives working in the school district.
Sims has relatives working in the school district.
