The real race and the real story

Lets face it. We all take sides whether in the school yard, the Board room or the School Board Race.

Already, we see the lines of division. The Mathiak/Cole group on one side, the Lopez/ Silveira group on the other. What is ultimately at stake is the best interests of our children.

What do we do? In the case of the School Board race, I believe it all comes down to Who gets to run the show. And blame is at the root of it all.

As I look over all the candidates, skills, commitment, ability to articulate, ability to form solid opinions and positions I know who I will vote for. But when I lift the covers and look underneath something smells very fishy to me, it looks like one of the factions in the School Board race wants to change Superintendents. The BLAME game. We hear statements like, "We got here because he is in bed with the Teachers Union"; or "He doesn't make good fiscal decisions"; or "He is responsible for cutting this or that, that "I" want for my child!"

An opinion piece in the April 1 Wall Street Journal by the School Board President of the Glen Ridge Board of Education in Glen Ridge, NJ states the case very well. She says "...Anyone with even a passing familiarity with New Jersey's property tax woes knows that the real problem is not superintendents' contracts, but legislators' unwillingness to fix a school funding system that is irretrievably broken..." She went on, "Superintendents are responsible to local boards and taxpayers and on call 24/7. They build budgets, negotiate contracts, meet with parents, serve as the 'public face' of their districts, deal with facilities and construction projects, hire, evaluate and mentor administrators, observe teachers, and much more."

On April 4 we have decision to make. Do we start over, as Ms. Cole says, and tear down what we have? Or, as Ms. Silveira says, do we build from a strong foundation? Do we bring in new talent as urged by Ms. Mathiak who has no public service record, or go with a proven child advocate, namely Juan Jose Lopez, who has a solid track record in the district?

These are the questions we must ask ourselves. We need to remember; when challengers to the current system say that we are spending more than we take in, keep in mind who made that misleading claim since our own legislature has mandated spending caps and rules that FORCE us to spend more annually than we take in. Some $8 million more.

This is not the fault of the Board or the Superintendent. And, although candidates for "change" Cole and Mathiak -- state that they want to review the budget for more effective ways to use existing funds, I doubt that the current School Board hasn't already examined all the options. Ms. Cole wants some type of 5 year plan to deal with the $40 million budget. That still leaves $8 million less per year to run the public schools. Ms. Mathiak, who wants to sell the Doyle building, is essentially saying, ?OK, here are a few bucks for this year and a de-centralized administration for the future. This makes no sense at all. It is hard enough to find the right person in one building let alone the communication nightmares we will would encounter as the school staff tries to work together from disparate locations.

The only plan that will help the budget crisis that our schools are in is for us citizens to elect public officials, local and statewide, who will give us more realistic budgets for our schools!

What to do. I am biased. I want stability, I want representatives that know change comes not from wholesale "slaughter" of our current system during an ongoing fiscal crisis, but from within. I want representatives for MY CHILDREN and ALL THE CHILDREN of Madison. I will vote for stability and sanity. Please join me in voting for the best interests of our children and vote on April 4 for Juan Lopez and Arlene Silveira.

David Wandel,
Past PTO President, Midvale/Lincoln,
Commissioner, Community Services Commission and Community Activist

Posted by David Wandel at April 2, 2006 6:32 AM
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