Four seek three seats on Sayreville board Three incumbents, one newcomer share views on school issues BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer Phyllis Batko SAYREVILLE- Voters will choose between three incumbent school board members and a newcomer who are competing for three spots in next week's Board of Education election. In addition to the three three-year terms the candidates are seeking, residents will also decide whether to approve the school budget. Voters last April rejected the 2007-08 school budget, which called for a $122 tax hike on the average home. The proposed budget for 2008-09 includes a tax increase of $99 for the owner of property assessed at the borough average of $143,500. Lori Esposito is seeking her first term on the board, while Michael Macagnone, Phyllis Batko and Pasquale "Pat" Lembo, all board members since 2005, are seeking their second terms. Macagnone has been board president since 2006, and Lembo has been vice president for the past two years. Lembo, 52, who has lived in Sayreville since 1985, is also vice president of the Sayreville Leprechauns PopWarner Football and CheerleadingAssociation. Lembo and his wife, Amy, have two daughters in the district - 16-year-old Jordanna and 13-year-old Julianna. Lori Esposito The high school construction project is something that Lembo said he wants to see through to its completion in 2009. He added that while there have been bumps in the road, the board is working through the issues it has encountered during the project. "That is first and foremost," Lembo said. "Getting the high school project completed on time and on budget, or as close to on budget as possible." Lembo said the budget that voters will decide on next week includes necessary maintenance to buildings and technology improvements. "Looking back to my first year on the board, when [the tax increase] was $199, I didn't support the budget in my first year, but this year I think our finance committee has really done an exceptional job," Lembo said. The committee focused on nonrecurring costs, due to the board's suspicion about the possibility of receiving inadequate state aid next year, Lembo said. The board therefore decided to take advantage of the additional state funding while it is available for this budget. Pasquale "Pat" Lemb "As of today, [the state] has no idea how to fund this," Lembo said. Macagnone, 48, is a borough Planning Board member and an educator in the Jackson Township school district. He moved to Sayreville in 1996 with his wife, Gail, and their three children - Tasha, 24, Nicolette, 20, and Christa, 16. A retired military officer, Macagnone served his country on active duty for 22 years. He has a master's degree in aeronautical science. Two of his daughters graduated from the Sayreville district and one daughter is currently a junior at Sayreville War Memorial High School. Macagnone shared his thoughts on the progress that has been made during his time with the board. The board created an in-school suspension program and implemented a dean of discipline position to enforce rules, such as regulations prohibiting students from smoking. He noted that several students were taken to court and fined for smoking in district buildings. "We have dismissed four students from the school district for just not getting it," Macagnone added. "Those students are destructive to the education process. We have hired three full-time security guards, because I felt that getting our hands around security and discipline is the first step. Now I am focusing on the improvement of academic achievement, especially standardized testing…mainly the SATs." Michael Macagnone The other challenge that Macagnone said he would like to continue to focus on is completing the $47 million high school construction project on time and within budget. He said the school board has decreased the average school tax increase every year since he has been a member of the board of education. "Since I have been on the board, we went from $199 to $122 down to $99 [this year]," Macagnone said. Macagnone cited his experience as a reason why voters should consider reelecting him for another three-year term. "I am dedicated and committed to Sayreville," Macagnone added. "I plan on staying here for the long haul … when it comes to educating our kids in a safe and secure environment, I only deal in results, not excuses." Esposito has lived in the borough's Parlin section since 1986. She currently works as a paraprofessional and special education monitor with the Holmdel school district. "I have a great interest in the education field," Esposito said. "I felt that, serving on the board, I could make more of an impact on the decisions that would be made." Esposito, 46, has been married for 24 years to her husband, Frank, with whom she has two children - Steven, 17, and Ally, 12. She complemented the district for its autism program, but said that Sayreville schools could be improved. She said there needs to be a greater feeling that everyone is supporting each other in order to move forward. "[My goal is] to see the completion of the high school, which had some issues during this first phase," Esposito added. "That was what I was concerned about. I would like to see better control of that during the second phase. I would also like to see a return to courtesy busing." Courtesy busing was a controversial issue in the district last year, when voters again defeated a ballot question seeking funding of the busing. Board members said that they would not revisit the matter again, since voters did not express an interest in having the item back in the budget. Parents of students in grades six through 12 have had to provide their children with subscription busing or find another alternative to transport their children if they live less than 2.5 miles from school. "Some of them were at a loss on how to get their kids back and forth from school," Esposito said. Esposito said she is motivated and excited about running for the school board. "I was very motivated by my mom and my dad, who always volunteered for what they believed in," Esposito said. Batko,who has amaster's degree in business administration fromRutgersGraduate School ofManagement, is a retired financial manager atAT&T who has lived in the borough since 1969. She previously served a three-year term on the Borough Council. "Some of the advances that I think we have made since I have been on the school board have been in areas such as the curriculum," Batko said, citing improvements to themath programs and the purchase of a newreading series for students in gradesK- 5. The district also implemented new elective courses at the high school this year, she added. Batko, 48, has an 18-year-old son, Michael, and a 15-year-old daughter, Kristen, with her husband, Ronald. Both children are currently students at Sayreville WarMemorial High School. Batko chaired the finance committee this year and said it focused on improvements to school buildings, purchasing new textbooks and technology, since the state's financial outlook is poor and the board may not get as much state aid next year. She added that the tax increase in the school budget has decreased over the past three years. "It's gone down considerably,"Batko said. The board was able to save money on healthcare costs, despite the fact that they are increasing, by negotiating a two-year contract with the healthcare provider at a zero-percent increase for both years, she said. Batko said that the board waited for the state to provide it with aid figures, but it could have started the budget process sooner. "I guesswhat Iwould like to see, as far as next year, is I would like to see us start the budget process earlier and Iwould like to see us get a little more input than we were actually able to do this year," Batko said. The board candidates will participate in a debate today at theEmma L.Arleth School on Washington Road. The election will be held onApril 15