Parsippany Focus submitted identical questions to each Parsippany Board of Education candidate. We print all answers verbatim.
1. Board Meeting Attendance
How many Parsippany Board of Education meetings have you attended in person during the past 12 months? What have you learned from attending?
Over the past 12 months, I have attended every Parsippany Board of Education meeting and every committee meeting I was responsible for attending. I have not missed one. In fact, over my nearly 14 years on the Board, I have missed only five Board meetings, all because of illness. I believe showing up is one of the most basic responsibilities of an elected Board member.
For me, being a Board member starts with showing up, being prepared, and doing the work.
2. Understanding the Role
What is the difference between governing the school district and running it? What are three things that should be handled by the superintendent or administration rather than individual Board members?
As a Board member, my responsibility is to help set policy and goals, oversee and approve the budget, approve curriculum, evaluate the superintendent, and make decisions that are in the best interest of our students and the entire district.
An individual Board member does not have the authority to run the district or direct employees. Personnel matters, individual student or parent issues, and the daily operation of our schools are the responsibility of the superintendent and administration through the proper process.
I have always believed a good Board member does their homework, asks the tough questions, provides oversight, and holds superintendent accountable.
Just as important is understanding where my responsibility as a Board member ends and where the administration’s responsibility begins.
3. Three Changes
What are three changes or improvements you would like to see in the district, and why?
The first change I would like to see is stronger long-term financial planning. I believe we need to look beyond one budget year and have a three-to-five-year financial plan so the Board can see potential problems coming and address them before they become a crisis.
Second, I want better planning for enrollment. I look beyond the districtwide number because it doesn’t always tell the whole story. Enrollment may be stable overall while an individual school or grade is growing, especially as new housing comes online.
Third, I want to continue focusing on student achievement. I want to see the data, understand where our students are succeeding and where they are struggling, and ask whether the resources we are spending are producing results.
For me, it comes down to planning ahead, using good information, asking the right questions, and keeping students at the center of the decisions I make as a Board member.
4. Budget & Taxes
The district is facing significant financial challenges. What areas of the budget deserve closer review, and what would you protect from cuts?
The district is facing some tough financial decisions. As a Board member, my job is not to run the district day to day. My responsibility is to ask questions, set priorities as part of the Board, carefully review the budget, and make sure taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely. Some of our biggest cost-health insurance, special education, transportation, and salaries—are difficult to reduce.
My priority is to protect the classroom. Before I support cuts to teachers, successful programs, or services our students need, I want to know that other options have been looked at first. I also understand that we can’t afford everything we may want. Sometimes difficult choices must be made.
For me, it comes down to separating what we need from what we would like to have, protecting what directly benefits our students, and making every taxpayer dollar count.
5. Long-Term Planning
What should the Board do now to prepare for future budgets and avoid addressing financial problems one year at a time?
I believe we need to stop looking at the budget one year at a time. I want to see a realistic three-to-five-year financial plan that allows the Board to identify problems early instead of reacting to them when they become a crisis. One of the challenges I see is that many of our costs can increase faster than the 2% tax levy cap. I don’t believe simply raising taxes is the answer to every increase.
The administration is responsible for developing and managing the budget. My responsibility as a Board member is oversight—to set priorities as part of the Board, ask the tough questions, understand the numbers, and make sure there is a realistic long-term plan before I vote to approve a budget.
I believe good planning gives me more choices and helps avoid last-minute decisions that could hurt students or taxpayers.
6. Enrollment & Development
How should the district prepare for changing enrollment and new housing when planning class sizes, staffing, transportation, and school capacity?
I believe we need to look beyond the districtwide enrollment number. I look at what is happening in individual schools and grade levels because enrollment is constantly changing. The overall number may appear stable while a particular school or grade is growing. I expect the administration to track enrollment, monitor new housing, and recommend changes when needed to staff, transportation, and building needs.
My role as a Board member is oversight. I review the information, ask questions, look at the financial impact, and make sure there is a plan before I vote to approve additional resources.
I understand that no one can predict exactly how many students new housing will bring. But I believe in planning ahead rather than waiting until classrooms are overcrowded or additional staff is needed before addressing the problem.
7. PILOTs & Township Cooperation
What role should the Board of Education have in discussions with the Township about new development and PILOT agreements that may affect the schools?
Over the past four years, I have watched Parsippany approve several residential developments using PILOT agreements. My concern has been what those developments could mean for our schools—additional students, class sizes, staffing, transportation, and ultimately the cost to taxpayers.
I understand that I do not approve development or PILOT agreements as a Board member. Those decisions are made by the Township. But I don’t believe that means I should sit on the sidelines. Political relationships and friendships should never come before doing what is right for Parsippany. If I believe a decision could negatively affect our schools, our Township, or our taxpayers, I will speak up—even when that means disagreeing with people I know, respect, or may otherwise agree with.
I expect the administration to provide enrollment information and projections. My responsibility as a Board member is to review that information, ask questions, attend meetings when necessary, and make sure the impact on our students, schools, and taxpayers is heard. The biggest lesson I have taken from the past four years is simple: the Township and the school district need to communicate and plan together before these decisions are made—not after.
For me, it’s about putting politics aside and doing what I believe is in the best interest of our students, our Township, and the taxpayers who support both.
8. Student Achievement
How should the Board measure student success? What areas of student achievement or opportunity need more attention?
I believe student success is about more than one test score. I want to know whether our students are learning and improving, where they may be struggling, and whether we are preparing them for what comes next. The administration is responsible for setting the district goals, putting programs in place, and measuring the results. The Board sets its own goals that should support the district goals.
My role as a Board member is oversight. I review the results, look at the data, ask questions, and hold the administration accountable for the progress being made. I pay particular attention to students who may be falling behind, special education, and whether all of our students have opportunities to succeed.
For me, it comes down to three simple questions: Are our students learning? Are they improving? Are we preparing them for what comes next?
9. Difficult Decisions
When the Board must make difficult decisions involving taxes, staffing, class sizes, programs, or facilities, what information should guide those decisions?
When I must make a difficult decision, I believe it should be based on facts, not politics or personal opinions. I want clear information from the administration: What will it cost? How will it affect students? What are alternatives? And what will the long-term impact be?
I also look at how one decision can affect something else. Cutting staff can increase class sizes. Cutting a program can reduce opportunities for students. Putting off building repairs can cost taxpayers more later. My responsibility as a Board member is to ask the tough questions, look at the facts, and balance the needs of our students with what taxpayers can afford.
There isn’t always a perfect answer. My job is to make the best decision I can with the information available and keep students at the center of that decision.
10. Transparency & Accountability
What information should the district provide so taxpayers can better understand how their money is being spent and what results it is producing?
I believe taxpayers should be able to understand where their money is going without having to be a school finance expert. I want the district to clearly show what we are spending on our major costs, how those costs are changing from year to year, and why they are changing. But spending is only half of the story. I also want to know what we are getting for that money. Are students improving? Are programs working? Are we getting the results we expected?
As a Board member, my job is to ask those questions and make sure the information is available and understandable to the public. Taxpayers should be able to answer two simple questions: Where is my money going, and what are we getting for it?
11. Experience & Community Service
What professional experience and community service during the past five years have prepared you to serve on the Board of Education?
Over the past 36 years, I’ve had the opportunity to serve Parsippany in several different ways, and each has given me a different perspective. I’ve continued working on the Board of Education, where I’ve dealt with budgets, policy, student achievement, facilities, personnel, and some very difficult decisions.
Professionally, I’ve spent more than 35 years in technology and business, including managing major IT operations and running my own small business. That experience taught me how to manage budgets, solve problems, ask questions, and understand that every dollar matters.
But I also believe you have to be part of the community you serve. I’ve attended Council and Planning Board meetings, spoken up on issues affecting our schools, volunteered in our community, and spent a lot of time simply listening to residents. I don’t just show up for Board meetings or during an election. I showed up for Parsippany. That’s the experience I bring to the Board.
12. Three Years From Now
At the end of your three-year term, what specific results would you want residents to use to judge your effectiveness as a Board member?
My goal has really been the same throughout my years on the Board: leave this district a little better than I found for the next generation of Parsippany students who will walk through our school doors. I’m a product of the Newark, New Jersey public school system of the late 1960s and 1970s. That experience has stayed with me. I understand how important public education can be in a child’s life and how the decisions we make today can affect students for years to come.
At the end of my next three-year term, I want residents to look at whether our students are succeeding, whether the district is on stronger financial footing, whether we planned ahead for enrollment and our facilities, and whether I continued to stand up for students and taxpayers.
I don’t expect every decision I make to please everyone. That’s not the job. Judge me on whether I showed up, did my homework, asked the tough questions, and helped leave our schools better for the next generation than I found them.
