TOMS RIVER – Unsurprisingly, the state cuts to aid for the Toms River Regional School District were high on the list of problems that school board candidates wanted to tackle.
There are six candidates for a single, three-year seat on the board. None of them are incumbents. Each candidate was asked to list their most recent employment and experience in serving the community. They were also asked to set forward what their plan is for the school district. Their answers are being presented in alphabetical order.
Financial figures could not be independently verified by press time. The election will be Nov. 5.
Jeff Dingsor
Jeff Dingsor owns and operates Acme Video Productions.
“As a small business owner, I know how to control spending and balance a budget, which is exactly what we need on the school board at a time like this,” he said. “Year after year we face millions in state aid cuts. Yet, In the last 5 years, the school board has increased spending by $11 million. Coupled with state aid cuts, taxes have risen by $21 million in that same five-year period. We’re really going to have to hold the line on spending, and if elected I’ll make that one of my top priorities.”
He’s an active member of the Greater Toms River Chamber of Commerce.
“I have no experience in public office, but I look at that as an asset. People are tired of career politicians and the cronyism associated with local politics,” he said.
“The biggest two issues I see impacting our district in coming years is the rising costs associated with transportation to private schools outside of the township, and the five-year pattern of increasing spending coupled with decreasing state aid,” he said. “The recent decision to bus students to private schools in Lakewood has opened a Pandora’s box that must be shut. As required by state law, we used to just offer a small stipend to students attending private schools outside of the township and we should have just continued to do so.
“There are over 130 private schools in Lakewood and transportation costs exceed $30 million a year there. The private school busing model hasn’t worked out in Lakewood, and it won’t work here in Toms River either. If elected, I’ll fight to overturn that decision and to prevent an expansion in private school busing.”
This ties in with the other big issue: state aid reductions.
“Recent State Aid cuts resulted in the elimination of 77 positions, but this School Board still found the money to give the superintendent his bonus and to increase the salaries of his assistant superintendents,” he said. “We need people on the School Board that will put students and their education ahead of salary increases for administrators.
“Taxes continue to spiral out of control. In the last five years, school taxes increased by over $21 million,” he said. “While part of that can be attributed to state aid cuts, this School Board has increased spending by over $11 million in that same five year period.
[adrotate banner="278"]“I’ve been knocking on doors around town, and every time I meet a teacher in the district, they seem unhappy about the direction of our schools. I would like the school board to open up more direct communications with teachers, to assess and address the quality of education that is being offered in our schools. Teachers know how to teach and they understand how children learn. We need to know what teachers are thinking and seeing. To do that, we need to make them part of the conversation,” he said.
Kathleen Eagan
Kathleen Eagan worked for the Toms River Schools beginning in 1973, and retired three years ago. She was the past president of the Toms River Education Association and also the Ocean County Council of Education Association.
This is the first time she is running for office, but said that her work with the associations and meeting with legislators to discuss education give her the experience necessary to be a strong advocate for teachers and students.
“The biggest issues facing Toms River Schools is the wasteful spending,” she said. “Since we lost a large amount in state funding, our Board needs to take a hard look on how money is being spent. Three years ago, our district knew the Sandy hurricane money was not going to be available in the future, however, Toms River did not curve spending enough. All expenditures must be scrutinized as to the necessity; of course, any controlled spending cannot affect the education of our students.
She would also like to address the courses being offered and ways to bring standardized test scores higher.
“Teachers are doing their jobs, however, curriculum is guided by assistant superintendents,” she said. “Also, I would be willing, with consent, to investigate districts with the same demographics who have achieved higher standardized test scores.”
The board needs to address transparency, she said.
“The public should be made aware of each member’s vote and if a ‘no’ vote is made, an explanation of the reason for this vote should follow,” she said, adding that one solution could be a page on the website showing exactly where the money is being spent monthly.
Wendell Ferandos
Wendell Ferandos works for S&H inventory services. “This is an auditing firm that primarily works with ShopRite and QuickChek. However, we do take contracts from warehouses and any other business that needs their inventory audited,” he said.
He has never held elected office, but has been involved in local groups.
“I volunteered for a group called WolfPac,” he said. “Their goal is to get money out of politics. As you know, the corrupting influence of money is eroding our democracy and has basically destroyed it at the federal level. I have also worked on assemblyman John Wisniewski’s campaign for governor in 2017. While I was campaigning for the assemblyman, I was also campaigning for myself. In 2017 I ran for town Councilman for the third Ward, along with Laurie Huryk. In 2018 I worked for a group called Progressive Turn Out Project in the 11th congressional district. We played a role in the election of Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill.
“I think the biggest issue is the lack of resources for our teachers,” he said. “In other countries teachers are revered and given all the resources that they need. In our country we give a $1.9 trillion tax break to the people that need it the least. Right now, our teachers buy stationary and other supplies out of their own pockets and as the tax code is now, they cannot write those expenses off.”
“One of the most public and recent issues have been one of hate and intolerance,” he said, referencing a board member who is not running for re-election after a fervor erupted when some of his Facebook posts were considered anti-Islamic. “Why are people like this in a position to influence our young people? This is completely outrageous…We need to let the school district know that this is not who we are. And we can do that by electing reasonable, thoughtful, compassionate, forward thinking people.
“I’d like to ensure that the teachers have all of the equipment and resources they require to do their jobs. I’d also like to see them get paid a little more,” he said. “For God’s sake, these people are shaping the minds of our young people and they are doing it pay check to pay check, scraping by. The purchasing power of the average American is not what it was 40 years ago. Why are educators treated as a pariah or some kind of necessary nuisance that we just have to put up with? These people need to be held in great esteem; these people need to be revered. This job is very difficult yet very rewarding and we need to pay our teachers a commensurate salary to reflect that fact.
“I don’t claim to be an expert but I would be open to hearing and debating the merits of anything new that might help our district,” he said.
Sean Monahan
Sean Monahan is a Certified Financial Planner and owns a financial planning office in Toms River, in business for 17 years.
“Prior to that, I graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with a secondary education teaching degree. I taught high school history at Prologue Alternative High School in Chicago, before becoming a manager at a group home for at risk youth,” he said.
“I have never been elected to public office and am not affiliated with any political party,” he said. “I served as president of the board of directors for KIPP Ascend Charter School in Chicago. KIPP Ascend serves under privileged youth on Chicago’s West Side.”
Locally, he has been a coach for his three children’s teams over the last 10 years in soccer, baseball, basketball and flag football. He is an active member of St. Catherine’s Catholic Church in Seaside Park. He has taught CCD, was a member on the capital campaign committee and served as president of the Parish Council.
“Toms River is faced with very serious state budget cuts. We need to continue to apply pressure to the state to restore funding. At the same time, we need to make sure that we are reviewing all areas of spending,” he said. “Our enrollment is declining, but our transportation costs continue to exponentially increase. Our enrollment since 2014-15 declined over 3%, while our transportation costs have increased by 30% (over $3 million) over the same time frame. This MUST be reviewed and challenged in order to make our district sustainable.
“The teachers’ contract is expiring in the spring of 2020. We need to make sure that we are doing everything possible to retain and attract the best teachers. I do not have any conflicts that would keep me from serving as part of these negotiations,” he said.
“My 4th grader at Hooper Elementary has 29 children in his class this year. His teacher is experienced and doing a great job. I am very concerned that classroom sizes will continue to increase with the expected budget cuts. We cannot be putting this much pressure on our educators,” he said.
“I want to fight to keep the high-quality education and extra-curricular activities that has made Toms River an outstanding district,” he said. “I have loved my experience with the Toms River School District. I have three children (a freshman, 7th and 4th grader).
“The budget cuts are a threat to not only our class sizes, but the programming offered to our students. I will work hard to make sure that the tough times the community faces will have as little impact as possible on the students and teachers,” he said.
Lisa Natale-Contessa
Lisa Natale-Contessa has been the vice president, senior marketing official at OceanFirst Bank for 16 years. Before that, she worked for Utah Plastics Group and Tyco International. She is a certified substitute and paraprofessional in Toms River schools.
She has not held elected office, but has served on the boards of 21 Plus and Community Medical Center. She has also been a CCD Teacher at St. Justin the Martyr, and volunteered as a Boy Scout Merit Badge Counselor, builder for Habitat for Humanity, the East Dover PTO, Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties and Salvation Army’s Toy for Tots Program.
“I’m going to fight State budget cuts and fight to keep our tax dollars in our district,” she said. Her goals will be to fight to keep taxes stable and scrutinize the budget to ensure fiscal discipline.
On the revenue side of the budget, she wants to increase alternative revenue sources to the budget, such as through events at the RWJ Barnabas Arena. Another important goal is to ensure “we get every dollar of federal block grants available to our district.”
Other ways to address the budget includes cutting professional service contract fees, reducing spending through cooperative purchasing agreements, and scrutinizing the budget and prioritizing expenses.
In the Buildings and Grounds department, expenses should be prioritized, energy costs should be reduced, and efficiency should be increased.
On the academic front, she will “invest in technology and state-of-the-art educational materials; attract and retain great teachers; and push for more focused learning in smaller classrooms.”
School security is also something that needs to be constantly improved. Two plans for this include implementing programs to effectively address bullying and violence; and to develop programs to combat the root causes of drug addiction.
[adrotate banner="278"]“As a mom and a taxpayer I have a vested interest in our schools and our town,” she said. “I believe my education and experience in finance, along with a fresh new perspective, will be a healthy addition to a board inundated with complex financial challenges.
“My vision is to make sure that every child is inspired and challenged to reach their highest potential. I expect students to be prepared, supported, challenged and engaged as individuals. Our schools should offer an innovative curriculum that balances both excellence in the traditional subjects and encourages creative, independent and critical thinkers,” she said.
Brian Quinn
Brian Quinn is a practicing municipal engineer.
“Engineering is all about math, and I know that the math doesn’t add up at the Toms River School Board,” he said. “Spending is out of control and taxes continue to rise. If elected to the school board, I’ll make fiscal matters a top priority for the school board.
“For many years I have been a member of the Board of Trustees of the Ocean Beach and Bay Club, a community of 988 homes on the barrier island with an annual operating budget of nearly a million dollars. I assisted the community in the tall task of recovering from the extensive damage incurred during Superstorm Sandy,” he said.
He is also a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers as well as an active member of the Ortley Moose Lodge.
“The Trenton Democrats continue to cut aid to Toms River and neighboring shore communities like Brick,” he said. “If elected to the School Board, I’ll fight to make sure we’re getting proper funding from the state, but I’ll also make sure the School Board shows more restraint on fiscal matters. The board has continued to increase spending every year, despite cuts in aid from Trenton, and the result has been rising property taxes. The passage of a $150 million dollar construction referendum is just another example of that. Throughout my career I have had a role in countless infrastructure improvement projects and understand wise spending and working within budget. If elected to school board, I’ll make sure we reign in spending.
“As an engineer, I value the work done by qualified tradesman. If elected I would like to work with the board and the superintendent to develop more ‘career centered,’ educational programs that provide direction and opportunity for students in the future,” he said. “Trained, trade professionals are in short supply and you can earn a great living working in the trades.”
