Board taps Macagnone to continue as president
Improving public perception among goals for next 12 months
BY MICHAEL ACKER
Staff Writer

"The people who have lived here all their lives have a stake in this town." - Michael Macagnone

SAYREVILLE - The Board of Education swore in one new face and two returning members Monday, and discussed ways to prevent another budget defeat next year.

Voters last week rejected the 2007-08 school budget, which called for a $122 tax hike on the average home, by a vote of 1,941 to 1,737. They also voted down a separate question to provide courtesy busing for the second year in a row.

Also in the April 17 election, residents re-elected Thomas Biesiada and Curtis L. Clark III and voted in newcomer Maria Stratton.

After the newly elected members were sworn in Tuesday, the board chose Michael Macagnone to again serve as president and Patrick Lembo to be vice president for the second straight year.

Macagnone thanked the board for nominating him and welcomed Stratton and the incumbents.

"I look forward to working with this team," Macagnone said.

Macagnone said he would like board members to participate in an internal assessment in order to identify its weaknesses and find ways to improve its public perception.

"Seventeen of the last 20 budgets didn't pass," he noted.

Macagnone pitched several proposals, one of which was for the board to increase its activity by its various committees this year. He also proposed that the board form new committees to address issues in the district, including a committee on special education and another on athletics.

The committees have been getting stagnant, Macagnone said, with the exception of the negotiations committee, which he said has been active.

Lembo also proposed that the board create a committee devoted to public relations, charged with the task of improving how residents perceive the school district.

Resident Robert Foley addressed the board during the public portion, saying it should consider hiring a public relations firm.

Resident Barbara Kilcomons, however, did not agree with the idea of using tax dollars to hire such a firm. She added that those funds should go toward curriculum-related items for the students. The board can improve its public perception by concentrating their efforts toward communicating with the public, Kilcomons said.

"When you don't, that is when rumors fly," she said.

Clark told the Suburban that the PR committee would be the board's responsibility in order to better disseminate information. He added that while larger school districts sometimes hire a public relations officer, the board did not budget for that.

"[The PR committee] is one more additional responsibility that the board members wanted to take on," Clark said.

Macagnone proposed that board members attend PTO meetings at each of the schools on a regular basis in order to increase communication with parents in the district.

Clark applauded Macagnone and Lembo for "thinking outside of the box" with their suggestions. He added that Lori Benko, a parent whose child was affected by the loss of courtesy busing last year, has volunteered to run the district's subscription busing program for the second consecutive year.

"I wanted to get us going with this right away, so that the parents have advanced notice," Clark told the Suburban.

School Business Administrator Emidio D'Andrea said that Director of Transportation Debra Shedlock is currently working on letters to be sent out to parents regarding subscription busing.

The district has made several advancements in school discipline at the high school, Macagnone said, by hiring three full-time security guards and prosecuting youths for smoking in the bathroom, resulting in monetary fines. He added that there is more to be done in that area.

The board has to make the best decisions it can, Macagnone said.

"The people who have lived here all their lives have a stake in this town," he said.