1) Do you think that the committee which chose the new principal for the HS took into consideration the comments and suggestions the community extended the administration during the superintendent's Forums? Were you happy with the process?
First, I'd like to congratulate Mr. Peragallo on his appointment. Considering the challenges he faces in the High School, community support will be vital. He will have my support, whether I am on the board or not.
I do not feel the process the board used was the best one. They chose to not only minimize community participation in the process, but also to minimize their own participation. The board only became deeply involved after the final three candidates had been selected, vetted, and interviewed.
This was a lost opportunity. After thirty years, the community is screaming out for change in the high school. That energy could have been harnessed by the board, allowing an extremely wide and deep countrywide search. Community members and board members could have been involved at early stages of the search, giving the administration additional manpower and input. When the eventual appointment was made, the community would have been invested in the process, confident that their concerns and goals had been addressed, and the new principal would have started with a large reservoir of community support.
That being said, Mr. Peragallo's success is critical to the school district and the community, and I wish him the best in his new position.
2) Are there any positions in the district administration where those responsibilities could be doubled up in order to save money?
With the current and future budgetary problems, all aspects of the district will need to be reviewed. Clearly the goal should be to minimize the impact of any cuts on classroom instruction. Expenses attributable to district administration have to be one of the areas which will be closely examined.
These will be difficult decisions, and I feel that I am in a unique position to help both the board and community. As a first time board member, I would be able to look at these issues with fresh eyes, beholden to neither my own prior service or any prior assumptions. As a business owner, I make decisions such as these on an almost daily basis, assessing the impact of these decisions on my business, and then acting accordingly. As a person with many years experience working with unions and unionized employees, I understand the challenges of working with our union partners to cut costs, while still maintaining a healthy working environment for our employees and our students.
3) Where do you think the next batch of capital improvements needs to be done in order to accommodate the purported increased enrollments over the next few years in our district?
I think we should be in a "wait and see" mode regarding new large scale capital improvements. The extremely large kindergarten class which will be moving from Moss to Campbell in the fall has been accommodated, and the incoming kindergarten class appears to be at a more "normal" level.
Over the last fifteen years, the community has supported multiple construction and renovation projects. These projects have left us in a very good position regarding the physical condition of our schools. These are very difficult times for both the district and the community. We will have to do the best we can with the physical plant we have.
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