WEST MILFORD — On Nov. 4, voters in West Milford go to the polls and will have the unique opportunity to elect five members of the nine-member West Milford Board of Education. Three, three-year seats are up for grabs, with just one incumbent seeking reelection, and two, two-year unexpired terms.
The two unexpired terms were created earlier this year when David and Donna Richards vacated their seats. The board appointed James E. Devor II, who is running to retain that seat, and Valerie McGuinness, who died suddenly last month. Also on the ballot for those seats are Ross Burns and Steven C. Drew.
Those running for the three-year terms are James J. Foody, Edwin Gonzalez, Louis Muto, Rodney Robbins and incumbent Marilyn Schultz.
The West Milford Messenger asked each of the candidates what they feel is the most important issue facing the school district and how they plan to handle it if they are elected. Here are their responses, along with some background information on each.
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Ross Burns
Age: 44
Occupation: Police officer of 23 years
Education: College
Years in West Milford: 13
Family information: Married with two school age children
I believe we must take a long hard look at the effect of drugs in our school district. Drug use has been running rampant and it has a crippling effect on our schools. We must look at a strong effort towards education and prevention. I support collaboration with the West Milford Police Department. Creating a proactive approach to this problem, I believe a school resource officer in the middle and high schools will allow students and administration to feel comfortable disussing issues and with an officer in the schools, they can stop drug use before it starts. I also believe proper education is key to drug prevention. Reinstating the D.A.R.E. program in fifth grade and instituting an outreach program is the only way to properly combat this plague.
I want to make a difference. With the revolving door of superintendents and lack of consistency from year to year, our schools have no clear plan. I want to help establish a school system that looks forward and gives the proper support so all students can succeed.
I have three goals: Create a safe environment, free of drugs for our children to learn and grow into the best that we all know they can be; create an open forum for residents and staff to voice their concerns and a mechanism to address those concerns; cut taxes by reducing waste while at the same time fostering an environment conducive to learning.
James E. Devor II
Age: 43
Occupation: Flight engineer
Education: Graduate West Milford High School, U.S. Marine Corps, FlightSafety technical training
Years in West Milford: Life long resident
Family information: Married 11 years with two sons in the district
I wanted to introduce myself and talk about what I think is a very important issue facing the district. I may have seen some of you at the Apshawa school functions, or at the after school games that the kids play, or you might recognize me from our high school days. But for those of you who don't know me, my name is James Devor. I've lived in West Milford my whole life. I'm a graduate of West Milford High School and a former United States Marine.
I have a few months under my belt as a board trustee and it's not an easy job to say the least. I am proud of our town and proud of our schools, but we are going to have to work hard together as a community to make things better. As both a former Marine and as a flight engineer, I have been put into challenging positions. Budgeting, personalities, taxes, people's livelihoods and, most important, our children are the issues at hand. I do not have any agenda. I want to see West Milford's education system succeed. I want the residents to brag how good it is to live in West Milford. I don't want to see the turnover we have experienced. Together we can make the change.
We need to work on the communication skills between the board and the district. I will bring an element of common sense and trust to, hopefully, uplift the morale of the district and drive us toward success. We need to ensure that our tax monies are appropriately used and that our children receive the best education that West Milford can provide.
If we can all come together as a team, the results will speak for themselves. Please vote on Nov. 4 for James E. Devor II. Thank you.
Steven C. Drew
Age: 58 (Old enough to know better than to run for school board)
Occupation: President AutoSig Systems, Inc., an IT company for fraud prevention and document imaging.
Education: BA economics University of Chicago; MS Business/Finance Carnegie Mellon University
Years in West Milford: less than two, but permanently committed to West Milford.
Family information: Married 28 years to Heather, three grown children, sons Miles and Logan, and daughter Devon.
For those of us almost ready to retire, I think there is one more thing we need to do for our community. In the next five years or less, China will pass the US as the world’s largest economy. Education will be the key to US success in the next century. We need to give the next generation the best education possible so that they have the same opportunities that we had, or better.
My ancestors came to the US to provide a better opportunity for their families. And for over a century each generation has done a bit better than the one before. We are on the cusp of losing that part of the American dream. To maintain our spot as the economic engine of the world and the source of innovation for everyone, we simply have to give every one of our kids the best education possible. The US has to do better and we can start right here in West Milford by transforming our good schools into excellent schools. We already have the outstanding teachers and administrators to do it. West Milford excels in many areas, including music education, and we need to turn our outstanding teachers loose to spread the success throughout the district.
There are many proven techniques to improve education as listed on our website, www.ContractWM.com. We can improve education AND lower taxes by using methods proven to work elsewhere in New Jersey, the US, and the world. It is time to set our sights back on educating kids instead of playing petty political games. We should listen to each other instead of arguing to provide solutions that actually work for our children. Please vote for Burns, Drew, Foody, and Muto.
James J. Foody
Age: 53
Occupation: Self-employed contractor
Education: Franklin Pierce College
Years in West Milford: 26
Family information: Son graduated in 2014, daughter is a Macopin Middle School student
There are many issues that the board faces right now such as talented staff leaving, mediocre test scores, an ever-increasing budget without voter approval and a board that is dysfunctional and that blamed John Aiello and myself for its problems. Well, we are not there anymore and the problems still persist. However, the most pressing issue that the board currently faces is picking a new interim and new superintendent.
Since 2010 we have had Bernice Colefield, John Petrelli and James McLaughlin as our superintendents. We will be picking an interim as well as a permanent superintendent in the coming months making it five superintendents in five years. This is completely unacceptable. Without steady leadership at the helm of the West Milford School District, how can we expect our schools to go from mediocre to excellent? We need to have our superintendent never want to leave our district. We need to hire not only a superintendent, but a motivator, someone who will inspire our kids and staff to there fullest potential. We won't get that with a revolving door in our superintendent's office.
How can we see our property values rise with mediocre schools? We won't unless we appoint new members that collectively want to change the direction our schools are headed. I am running with Steve Drew, Ross Burns and Lou Muto and we want to change the direction we are headed. Along with these men and Rodney Robbins, we want to lower our taxes, increase property values, see parent inquiries answered, stop losing talented staff and, most importantly, give the taxpayers back control of the budget.
I ask you to support us for a better West Milford.
Edwin Gonzalez
Age: 27
Occupation: Emergency Medical Technician
Education: Vocational technical school/ some college
Years in West Milford: 3
Family information: Single
The most important issue facing the school board, in my observation, is working on a solution to improve the academic scores of our students. This could be achieved by: utilizing highly dedicated and qualified educators and leadership structure to provide support to both teachers and students; focusing on core curriculum subjects; creating a proactive learning environment, while targeting areas that need improvement; encouraging our students to challenge their learning experiences; and employing critical thinking and teamwork.
Louis Muto
Age: 34
Occupation: Second generation owner of DeMarco’s Pizzeria
Education: Graduate of County College of Morris and West Milford High School
Years in West Milford: Born and raised
Family information: In a longterm relationship with his girlfriend; parents Pina and Silvio reside in West Milford; has two brothers and one sister
I am a lifelong West Milford resident and a graduate of West Milford High School class of 1998, a successful businessman, owner/manager of DeMarco’s Pizzeria and Restaurant, and a candidate for the West Milford Board of Education.
My leadership and experiences will benefit the board of education and our students. I will support an environment conducive to learning and growth. I will encourage our educators to be innovative and creative.
I have received a strong education and I will, as a board of education member, strengthen and improve upon that tradition. I will work with administrators, teachers and students to reach our ultimate goals. My efforts will provide continuous opportunities for growth for our students.
As a businessman, I recognize the task to balance the financial needs of a strong school system with an emphasis on student needs. I support the adoption of relevant and current materials for all subject areas and extracurricular competitions in both academics and athletics.
One of my main goals is to rebuild a school district where administrators and staff want to stay, ending the practices of recent times.
Additionally, I will represent the questions and needs of the citizens of West Milford in budget and policy areas.
You can help me to accomplish these goals. Vote for Louis Muto for West Milford Board of Education on Nov. 4. Please also consider a vote for Jim Foody, Ross Burns, and Steve Drew.
For more information go to www.ContractWM.com and www.DeMarcosPizza.com.
Rodney W. Robbins
Age: 55
Occupation: IT customer delivery manager at Computer Sciences Corp
Education: Graduated from Butler High School and DeVry Technical Institute
Years in West Milford: 9
Family information: Happily married to my wife, Karen, for 33 years; a son Joey, 32, and a daughter Melissa, 27
Property taxation/school funding (are the most important issues facing the district.)
If elected as a board member, I would get myself brought up to speed in all of the areas of the role. My interests would be to help stabilize the school budget and understand the expenditures of each school, supporting items that need to be added and recommending those items to be removed or modified.
Every student should have the proper tools to be successful; controlling spending is necessary across all grades and levels. No student should be left behind! I support students to be mainstreamed and not separated from the high achievers. Since my daughter had been diagnosed autistic at age 3 and graduated from West Milford High School in 2008 special education class, I would be very involved in understanding and helping to drive the correct funding for our special education programs.
I would review all sport athletic programs and support those that don’t get proper funding. Another important topic is the Hillcrest building, a piece of the school district that needs to work with the West Milford Town Council very closely. This building means so much to the West Milford community, including the P.R.I.D.E. program for special needs adults, our senior citizens who receive and attend multiple programs, our young children who attend summer programs, and our young adults and families that attend evening programs and events.
It will be an honor to server on the board of education in West Milford.
Marilyn Schultz
Occupation: Community volunteer
Education: Graduate of Fashion Institute of Technology; prior owner of two family businesses
Years in West Milford: 24
Family information: Married to Gary for 30 years; three children, all graduates of West Milford High School
I am seeking re-election on the West Milford Board of Education. I have always been a dedicated supporter of the West Milford School District. After owning two family businesses, I chose to devote my time to raising my children and volunteering in the community. Over the past decade, I have been actively involved in various parent organizations, booster clubs, youth sports programs, and scouting. I have served as a member and past president of the West Milford Parent Association (WMPA) - a group that meets monthly with the superintendent to further educational initiatives and work collaboratively to resolve pertinent issues confronting the school district. As a former trustee and past vice president of the West Milford Education Foundation (WMEF), I support the foundation’s mission to promote academic excellence by providing grants, enrichment programs and educational resources that fall outside of the school budget.
During my tenure on the board, I have served as the chair of the Education Committee, as well as a member of negotiations, technology and budget and finance committees. The works of these committees have a critical influence on the direction of our schools.
The most critical responsibility of a board member is to ensure that the district has a strong and experienced superintendent at the helm. Hiring and retaining a high achieving superintendent would provide much needed stability and the leadership to move the district forward. The salary cap for superintendents continues to challenge efforts to attract and retain highly qualified candidates. With at least three newly elected and most likely inexperienced school board members arriving in January, the search process would be best served with the guidance of an outside consultant. That is why I voted to engage R-Pat Solutions to assist in the process.