Sayreville candidates discuss school issues
Five candidates seek three seats on Board of Ed.
BY MICHAEL ACKER
Staff Writer

Ronald Batko

SAYREVILLE - Voters will choose three of five candidates running for the Board of Education when they go to the polls Tuesday.

Incumbents Thomas W. Biesiada and Curtis L. Clark III are seeking re-election, while past candidate Donna Anonsen and newcomers Maria Stratton and Ronald Batko are also running for the three board seats.

Stratton and Batko are campaigning together.

"A lot of our opinions are similar," Batko said. "I know her. We have our differences of course, but we have a lot of the same values."

Stratton, 43, has been a member of the PTO for 12 years and is president of the Sayreville Soccer Association. She is a clinical coordinator and a nurse educator at Atlantic Health Systems of Summit. She said the school district should maximize student achievement by improving course offerings.

"I would like to see some of the class offerings in line with the new SATs," Stratton said, adding that there is a need for the expansion of algebra education in eighth grade.

Donna Anonsen

Courtesy busing should have been returned to the budget, Stratton said, noting that the board still had to pay roughly $75,000 to provide hazardous busing and the borough had to pay for crossing guards after the board removed the $300,000 budget item.

Parents objected in large numbers last year regarding the board's decision to put courtesy busing for students in grades six through 12 on the ballot as a separate question, which was not approved by voters. The board has again made the item a separate ballot question next week.

"I basically didn't think that it should have been a [separate] question in the first place," Stratton said, "because to me, it is a safety issue, and I also don't believe that they saved the money that they say they saved."

Batko, 49, has been a Sayreville police lieutenant for seven years and a police officer for 25. He is married to current board member Phyllis Batko.

In an e-mail to the Suburban, Batko summarized his platform.

"I would like to ensure fiscal responsibility," Batko said. "For example, I do not support no-bid contracts. I would like to see more money going directly into the classroom. For example, upgrade some of the old textbooks. I believe there is an unfavorable perception of the board by the public. I think I can help change that perception by bringing honesty and integrity to the board."

Curtis L. Clark III

Batko cited a contract in the amount of $2.5 million for architectural services related to the high school construction project as an example of when the board should have sought bids.

Anonsen said it is important that the board not let the high school construction project drag on, because dust, noise and parking-related issues have emerged as a result of the labor involved with the work.

"At this point, I'd like [the board] to proceed in the most expeditious manner to get [the project] on time and on budget," Anonsen said.

Anonsen ran against Biesiada for a one-year unexpired term last year. Biesiada, who had an unsuccessful run in 2005, won the seat.

One of the key tasks for the board is to win public support of the budget, Anonsen said, adding that the high school construction project is just one of many significant issues facing the district.

Thomas W. Biesiada

"I think that strong, informed members of the public need to be participating in the board decisions that are going to be coming up in the next year or so," Anonsen said. "I think that passing budgets will be very important over the next few years."

On courtesy busing, Anonsen said that voters deserve a second chance to restore courtesy busing for students in grades six through 12.

"I would have voted to put it on [the ballot] as a separate question," Anonsen said. "The perception seems to be that the voters were not informed last year. I do not prescribe to that perception. However, I think this is the time that they have to speak up. If voters want a second chance, I think that is fair. I don't think that there are third chances."

The current board is smarter and more deliberative than past boards, Anonsen said.

Maria Stratton

"I do not agree with every decision they make, but in general, they're a more deliberative group of people who do the best that they can," Anonsen said.

Biesiada, 58, said that he attended board meetings regularly for two years before entering the race in 2005.

"People say 'Your children are done with school,' but I am fourth generation in this community," Biesiada said. "I still consider this my home and want the people who live in this town, like any generation, to have it better than I had it."

Biesiada said he has been disappointed in his encounters with several county and state-level politicians during his year on the board.

"It is a system where you have to do the research to know how the dollars you receive are spent," Biesiada said.

Biesiada said that at a conference for Union, Essex and Middlesex county officials and school boards, many of the elected officials he approached were unaware of the issues facing local school boards.

"I was very disheartened by the politicians, and them not knowing the statistics they should know off the bat," Biesiada said.

Education should be funded in a different way than at present, he said, and everyone should participate in deciding on that change.

"The way that we fund education right now is antiquated," Biesiada said. "We are still funding it based on Colonial times, based on property wealth and property taxes."

The roof and school repointing of the Wilson School is an important capital project for the district, Biesiada said, noting that the school board needs to apply funding toward necessary projects that ensure that current structures are repaired and brought up to standard.

"If I am re-elected, I will work hard to maintain the quality of education," Biesiada said, "providing the necessary materials for education and to make sure people can afford to stay in Sayreville."

Clark is a member of the Sayreville Fire Department Engine Company 1, and he is one of the only state-certified members of the board. He is also a veteran Cub Scout master and current Boy Scout leader, and teaches high-school-age students in Sunday School. He holds certifications in School Buildings and Grounds, Energy Conservation, and Facilities Technology and Information Systems from the Rutgers Center for Government Services.

"I also was instrumental in implementing the Before and After School Care (BASC) program in our schools at no cost to the taxpayers," Clark wrote in an e-mail to the Suburban.

Clark said he has long been an advocate of public education, adding that the high school construction project is a key endeavor for the board that will lower class sizes.

"I want to use my expertise and knowledge of the high school construction, because I have been here since the beginning [of the process]," Clark said.

Lowering class sizes is a significant goal he has for the borough's middle and high schools. Both schools exceed the state averages for class sizes.

"We do need the additional space," he said.

Clark said he wants to keep the public focused on the positive aspects of the district. He added that the new $300,000 reading program is a key education-oriented item in the budget.

"I would like to see those things put to the forefront," Clark said. "We can always improve, but I think that we have a great school district."

Clark addressed the concerns about the board's relations with the public over issues such as courtesy busing.

"We need to be a little bit more compassionate next term," Clark said. "I noticed the public was upset with the way that the board is acting, but overall, board members are working together."

Roughly 16 percent of registered voters participated in last year's school election, Biesiada said.

"I wish that more people would come out and let us know, as a governing body, their sentiment and how they feel about the budget," Biesiada said.

"People make government," Biesiada added, "government doesn't make the people."

Clark said the board is trying to reach out to residents who are busy and struggle to attend meetings or participate in elections by using the district's Web site to keep them informed.

"I am cautiously optimistic that more people [will vote]," Clark said, "because it is important."

Batko said he hopes voter turnout is better than in the past.

"It's a shame," Batko said. "I would rather see a lot of people come out and vote, even if I lose, because at least then you know that it is the will of the people."