Three run for four open board seats in Millstone BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer MILLSTONE - Two current board members and a newcomer have filed to run for three of the four available Board of Education seats. Board President Mary Ann Friedman and member Peter Kudrick declined running for another term in the April 15 election. Boardmembers KevinMcGovern and Holly Deitz will run for re-election along with newcomer BradleyWinfree. Deitz and Winfree seek three-year terms andMcGovern seeks to fulfill the remaining two years of a term he was appointed to last year. The write-in candidate with the most votes in the upcoming election would be placed on the board. If there are no write-in candidates, the board would advertise for and then conduct interviews to select the new member. Winfree, 45, is married with two children. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point,N.Y. and aMaster of Business Administration degree from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va. He has a career in logistics operations management. He said, "In keeping with my philosophy that community service is an important facet of responsible citizens, I have decided to run and use my knowledge and experience to serve the community where I have lived with my family for ten years." Winfree said the state is in financial trouble, Monmouth County is a target for higher taxes and residents will get fewer services. "This is a distressing environment while we must fund the best possible educational opportunities for the families of our community," he said. He said he realizes that the community extends beyond the physical boundaries of Millstone Township. "It is paramount that we understand and support our high school-age students through Allentown High School, the five county career academies and the other opportunities available to our students beyond eighth grade," he said. Winfree sees communication as key to resolving issues. "Communication with constituents is always a challenge," he said. "I hope to communicate with those I represent as best as possible." Winfree declined to give the board and school district a "grade" for the job they are currently doing, but said since registering to vote in Millstone in 1998 he has consistently voted with consideration for providing the best educational opportunities for children on his ballots. "If my potential future constituents agree with or oppose specific issues that I can affect, then I will represent them on these issues," he said. "I don't carry a personal report card on the board and its historical stance on board issues." He continued, "We as a group will have to take the current budget, facilities, operations and logistics as a base andmove forward in hopes of creating an efficient team that can bring positive over-site to theMillstone Township education system." McGovern, 43, ismarried with two children. He has a Bachelor ofArts degree from Seton Hall University in Orange and a Juris Doctor degree from Rutgers University School of Law in Newark. He has a career as a labor lawyer. McGovern was appointed to the board last year to replace GinaMorrone, who was had been appointed after the election but resigned shortly thereafter. McGovern said job number one for the board is to get a budget passed. "Everything else flows from that," he said. McGovern said the school district also has to upgrade its special education program to bring out-of-district students back into the district. "Doing so will realize significant savings and allow the board to reallocate resources to enhance the educational experience for all students," he said. McGovern said he would give the board and district a B-plus. "Student performance has continued to improve, despite the fact that Millstone spends less per student than most other districts in Monmouth County," he said. "This is the result of a variety of factors, including prudent spending, excellent teaching, and the district's commitment to keeping the number of non-teaching administrators low." McGovern said giving the board an A would suggest that there's no room for improvement, and that's not so. "It never is," he added. Deitz, 44, ismarriedwith three children. She has a Bachelor ofArts degree fromRutgers University's Douglass College in New Brunswick and a lawdegree fromtheAmerican University in Washington, D.C. Deitz started her career interning on CapitolHill for aUnited States senator and then joined a public relations firmworking as an account executive focusing on corporate and government clients. "Once I received my law degree, I worked at a small lobbying firm, concentrating on issues related to funding for higher education," she said. "After the birth of my eldest son, I began volunteering for local and national organizations focusing on educational issues." Deitz, who currently serves as vice president of the board, is running for her second term. She believes the most important issues facing the board are the passage of the budget and the interaction of formula driven spending caps with public concern about higher taxes. "Schools in New Jersey have been flat funded for many years and it is getting more difficult to adequately fund our education system," she said. She continued, "The board and administration have done a phenomenal job of providing our children with excellent teachers and programs, as is reflected by state test scores, while spending the least amount of money in the county. However, it is getting harder to maintain high quality education with budget constraints and the high cost of living in our state." Deitz said the board has already cut programs from the upcoming budget to reach the cap set by the state. "We are exploring all areas we can to raise revenues as ameans to help fund our budget," she said. Deitz said the board also faces two other important issues, which have to do with the send-receive relationship the school district has with theUpper Freehold Regional School District.Millstone does not have its own high school and sends its high school-aged students to Allentown High School in that district. "I believe that there needs to be legislative changes made to allow Millstone greater representation on the Upper Freehold Regional Board of Education and that the state-mandated formula used by the high school to set our yearly tuition rate must be examined," she said. Deitz said over 50 percent of the student body at Allentown High School comes from Millstone and one voting representative on the regional board cannot adequately represent Millstone students' or community needs. She also took issue with state's new funding formula for schools. She said the Millstone board does not directly control costs related to high school students, but got penalized for such costs in the state funding formula. "We need to educate the state and the state school board lobbyists on the inequities that these type of situations create, moreover given that in theory, they seek to create more send-receive type relationships as they seek to consolidate districts," she said. Deitz said she would give the board and schooldistrict aBgrade. "I believe that every member of the board and administration would like to provide more opportunities whether it be in the area of technology or expanding or updating current curriculum," Deitz said. "However, again due to budget constraints our hands are tied, and we are unable to implement some of the programs that have been identified that will allow our children to continue to keep pace with the everchanging global world."