Your Turn
Take heed: It isn't 'about the children'
Christine Nandor

Guest Column

My primary reason for this letter is to alert taxpayers and to express my extreme displeasure with the actions of the Sayreville Board of Education. This is due to the fact that I firmly believe authentic dialogue among parents, residents, administrators and board members is clearly lacking.

As a concerned citizen, I cite my encounter with the board as an example that is impossible for me to ignore. This contributed to a sense of anger and frustration for me as I attempted to obtain information pertaining to board policies and issues that I felt were questionable. When administrators and board members (not all of them) are questioned, they attempt to render explanations that are more likely to mislead and confuse rather than enlighten.

Everyone has the right to voice objections when issues do not reflect the will of the people. Here are a few obvious reasons and a vivid reminder for the community as to what I have observed participating in board meetings.

• The board led the public to believe that it was "saving money" when Dennis Fyffe left. However, all it did was change the title of administrators. It did away with an assistant superintendent by promoting him to superintendent. However, it created a new position of director of planning and research at a salary (2006-07) of $95,000. What added value does this position provide when we already have a guidance department and many supervisors?

• The board also hired a director of facilities at a salary (2006-07) of $83,000. We already had a supervisor of buildings and grounds. When three board members recommended cutting the director of facilities and the director of planning and research, they were outvoted 6-3. Subsequently, when the budget failed, the board demoted the supervisor to pretend that there would only be one boss. However, it quickly created a night supervisor position at a salary of $58,000, with 20 vacation days after one year. Are we in the employment business or the education business?

• The board also created a new supervisor to assist the director of special services. First, it started out as a stipend for part-time work and then grew to a full-time position.

• There are extra stipends for such things as curriculum, discipline, attendance, Web sites, etc. The stipend dollars may seem nominal to some; however, when they are given to current teachers, the amount of classroom-instruction time for these teachers decreases. Someone had to cover the classroom.

• The budget failed by a large majority. Where is all the money coming from to support the new administrative jobs? It's coming from the classroom. Supplies have been scarce or nonexistent for the students this year. Paper, a necessity in education, was nowhere to be found in the district for the first months of school. Field trips were cut, busing was cut, the high school talented and gifted (TAG) program cut, the Odyssey of the Mind program shortchanged, just to name a few. The students are getting shortchanged, and the taxpayers are being cheated. Priorities seem to be misplaced.

• Children of nonresident employees may enroll their children in the Sayreville school district with free tuition. District tuition rates for 2006-07 are as follows: prekindergarten-kindergarten - $8,250; grades 1-5 - $9,164; grades 6-8 - $9,079; grades 9-12 - $8,393. Special-education tuition costs run considerably higher.

• Administrative personnel are paid for unused vacation days that totaled $24,046 for the year. This perk is only available to the administration.

I listen to people running for office who always say, "It's about the children." I go to the board meetings and hear the same thing. But the actions of the board and the administrators don't coincide with this statement.

Remember, actions speak louder than words. It is imperative that more parents and taxpayers get involved. We need to express the importance of our tax dollars being spent in the classroom. We need to show the board that we are concerned about our children's education and future, whether it is at a meeting or at the polls.

Christine Nandor is a

resident of Sayreville