Candidates note growth, new school as top issues
One Allentown and two Upper Freehold seats up for election
BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP &
JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writers

Robert Cheff

The Upper Freehold Regional School District will have contested races for its one open Allentown and two open Upper Freehold Board of Education seats.

On April 18, voters will cast ballots in the annual budget and board election. According to the state Department of Elections, March 29 is the last day to register to vote in the election.

The K-12 school district faces many changes in the upcoming years, including a new superintendent and a new middle school. Most of the candidates running perceive these and overall growth as the top issues in the district.

For the three-year term Allentown seat, incumbent Robert Cheff, of Sandburg Drive, will run for re-election against newcomer William Borkowski, of Main Street.

Cheff will finish up his first three-year term on the board this year. He said that "finding an excellent superintendent" is among the district's most pressing issues.

The board started interviewing candidates for the open superintendent position in December. Former Schools Superintendent Robert Con-nelly, who worked in the district for five years, left in August to pursue teaching at Seton Hall University in South Orange.

Wendy Ganzberg

Interim Superintendent Robert Smith, a recently retired superintendent from the Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School District, has worked in the district since Sept. 1. Smith has said he would continue to work in the district until the board finds a replacement or until June, whichever comes first.

"It's crucial that the school board is prepared and engaged to search and hire the best

candidate for superintendent," Borkowski said.

Cheff said the board must also ensure that the middle school vision is achieved.

Voters approved a $38.9 million building referendum for a new middle school in December 2004. Last year, the board purchased 46 acres of land on Ellisdale Road from Crosswicks Farm as the site for its new 32-classroom middle school.

The new school is currently scheduled to open in 2007.

William Borkowski

Cheff considers both the physical building and the maturation of the school's academic philosophy important.

Among other issues Cheff said the board will have to deal with in the coming years are "the pressures from the relentless growth of the district" and "finding a way to balance the fiscal responsibility to the community with the expectations of a high-quality education."

Borkowski said he decided to run because "serving is a duty." He has two children who will enter first grade and kindergarten in the fall.

"I want to represent Allentown families and friends, while recognizing my duty to represent the entire school district," Borkowski said.

Borkowski, a graduate of Drexel University in Philadelphia, has an educational background in engineering.

"I have worked as a lead team engineer and supervisor at the Naval Air [Warfare] Center Lakehurst for the past 22 years," he said.

For the two three-year-term Upper Freehold seats, Wendy Gansberg, of Bunker Hill, will challenge incumbents Lisa Herzer, of Yorkville Terrace, and Howard Krieger, of Stacey Drive.

Howard Krieger

Gansberg said she has always believed that education is a community's most important responsibility.

"I have enjoyed living in Upper Freehold Township and want to give back to the community," Gansberg said of her decision to run for election.

When questioned regarding what she believes are the district's most important issues, Gansberg said the board must ensure that the new middle school opens on time and within budget.

Gansberg also addressed the school curriculum.

"The school curriculum," she said, "deserves constant fine-tuning to better equip interested students for college admission, while ensuring that all students are being challenged appropriately."

Gansberg suggested that the district should expand its advanced-placement programs. According to Gansberg, the district also has a problem with illegal drugs.

Lisa Herzer

"There is reasonable concern about possible drug usage by students," Gansberg said.

As a means to squash illegal substance abuse in district schools, Gansberg suggested instituting random drug tests as a possible response.

"Random testing could start with those participating in sports [and/or] extracurricular activities and for students driving to school," Gansberg said. "Of course, this would require careful thought and input from both parents and faculty.

"However," Gansberg said, "such testing could act as a deterrent as well as [a basis for] defining the extent of the problem."

"There are many important issues facing this district right now," Herzer said.

Like many districts, Herzer said Upper Freehold has had to deal with frozen state aid for the past five years.

"Trying to balance increased costs associated with rising student enrollment within the constraints of legislated budget caps," Herzer said, "while at the same time trying to raise academic standards and achievement and not unduly burdening local residents, is a very difficult and challenging task."

Herzer said the board must address district growth.

"Until the new middle school opens, we need to be able to accommodate the ever increasing student population," Herzer said.

Herzer also agreed that hiring a new superintendent is now a high priority for board members.

In addition, she said she would like the board to focus on improving curriculum.

"Raising the bar for academic standards and improving test scores will continue to be an area the board needs to focus on," Herzer said.

Krieger has lived in the Cream Ridge section of Upper Freehold for 16 years. He has two married children who live in Upper Freehold, and five grandchildren, four of whom attend district schools.

Krieger, the board's current vice president, will finish up his first term with the board this year.

"I originally ran - even though I do not have children in school - to help make the school system which was a good one even better for the children of our community as well as for the taxpayers," Krieger said.

Krieger said he seeks re-election so he can finish up with the goals he considers most important for the district to achieve.

Those goals include raising the bar on student achievement via test scores and college acceptances. Krieger also aims to make sure that the new middle school is completed and operating to the high standards that the board, the teachers, the administration and the community all expect.

Krieger also seeks to bring all of the different groups in the community, such as seniors, young families, farmers and newcomers, together for a common goal.

"And that is to give our kids the best education possible while holding down costs as much as possible," Krieger said.

Krieger has a bachelor of arts degree in economics and a master of business administration (MBA) in finance, and his family owns and operates three Friendly's restaurants. He is also a chairman of the board of directors of the Pinnacle Federal Credit Union.