Three vets, newcomer in race for three seats
Monroe Board of Ed. candidates share views on school issues
BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer
Three seasoned Monroe Township Board of Education members are vying to keep their seats, while a newcomer looks to grab one.

Voters will decide who gets the three, three-year terms in the April 15 election.

Ken Chiarella, a lifelong township resident, joins Board President Kathy Kolupanowich, along with board members Joseph Homoki and Kathy Leonard, in the race.

Chiarella, who lost his bid for a board seat last year by 75 votes, did not let the loss keep him from taking part in the district's workings.

"I actually worked closely with the Board of Education following my defeat," Chiarella said.

With three children in the school district, Chiarella has been involved in various aspects of the education system. He is an executive member of both the Barclay Brook/Brookside PTA and the Applegarth PTO. Chiarella is also a steering committee member of Kids 1st, an advocacy group.

Chiarella is hoping for the chance to further benefit students if elected, he said.

"[In] doing what's right for my kids, I'll be doing what's right for all of the children," Chiarella said.

As a committee member for the High School Action Committee, Chiarella took part in the arduous process of moving toward getting a new high school built in Thompson Park. He said he decided to get involved because of the length of time it was taking to make progress on the high school, and that he wanted to become part of the process instead of part of the problem.

"I think we're home free," Chiarella said of the efforts. "I think we just need to push to keep on target."

One major goal Chiarella said he wants to work toward if elected is that of community outreach. In order to get school budgets passed by taxpayers, they need to become more involved in the district, he said.

By reaching out to the township's large population of senior citizens, as well as to PTAs and PTOs, the board will have a better chance of seeing future budgets approved, according to Chiarella.

Another form of outreach Chiarella spoke of would involve parents of district students. During grammar school years, parents are often extensively involved in their children's education. In middle school and high school, that involvement tends to decrease, Chiarella said.

"It's probably when kids need their parents the most," Chiarella said.

Also important for high school students are basic bookkeeping and accounting courses, which Chiarella would like to see offered, he said. Such skills are especially important for students who do not plan to attend college, so they can be armed with the expertise to start a small business, Chiarella said.

Chiarella said he would also like to expand the high school's senior option, which allows students to free up a period through block scheduling so that they can pursue community college credits or an apprentice position. According to Chiarella, about 100 students took advantage of the senior option last year, but he would like to find ways to get additional students involved.

"It's phenomenal," Chiarella said. "Not many districts do that, and we do."

Kolupanowich, a nine-year board veteran, said she wants to continue her positive record of accomplishments.

"I believe I've shown leadership abilities, [and] I am an advocate for children," Kolupanowich said. "I believe what we're doing here is very positive, and I want to continue doing that for our students. For me, it's a privilege to be elected to the Board of Education, and to serve our community and our children."

Elected in 1999, Kolupanowich harkened back over the years to the accomplishments she has garnered during her time on the board. In 2000, she took part in difficult negotiations for teachers' salaries.

"I was pretty much instrumental in developing a positive relationship between the teachers' union and the Board of Education," Kolupanowich said.. "That has helped to make negotiations easier."

Stressing the importance of student involvement in sports and other co-curricular activities, Kolupanowich said she initiated the expansion of such programs over the past four years.

Kolupanowich also spoke of her work with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which helped to bring the township's high school up to date and up to par with some of the top schools in the nation, she said. Bringing the inception of block scheduling as well as positive changes in the curriculum, the process of improvements aided by the foundation began five or six years ago, Kolupanowich said.

"We went all over the East Coast, looking at some of the top 30 schools in the country," Kolupanowich said. "Now I believe Monroe is competitive with any top school in the county, and even out of the county."

Kolupanowich said she wants to further the district's good standing, and continue with outstanding curricular offerings.

As an issue that has been at the forefront of many townspeople's minds for several years, the new high school project has brought both a sense of pride and responsibility to Kolupanowich.

"I would say that is my major accomplishment," Kolupanowich said. "Being board president, I feel I held the board together during all the adversity we had."

Now that the board has surmounted obstacles including litigation and a number of issues with the land diversion for the school's site, Kolupanowich said she wants to make sure the construction process runs smoothly.

"I want to see the high school built," Kolupanowich said. "It's important to finally see the end result."

Kolupanowich said her desire to be a Board of Education member stems from wanting to ensure students in the district are given the same type of great education her own children received from Monroe Township schools.

Homoki is no stranger to the workings of a school district. Now retired, Homoki worked as principal of an elementary school, and vice principal of a high school within the New Brunswick school system, Homoki has more than 20 years of experience as an administrator and educator.

"I really feel that, based on my experience as a former school administrator, I have a great deal to offer the community," Homoki said. "I really feel I have a contribution to make."

Along with his career experience, Homoki has spent a total of 13 years on the Monroe Board of Education, serving for four years as its president and two years as vice president.

Other involvement in education entities includes his serving as the 14th district legislative representative to the New Jersey School Boards Legislative Committee, as well as a trustee of the New Jersey School Boards Insurance Group.

While he has not had children in the district schools, Homoki counts that in his favor as a viable candidate.

"I can be very fair, very impartial and very neutral," Homoki said. "I'm in it because I can make fair judgments."

Involved with the new high school process since the very beginning, Homoki said seeing it finally reach fruition is rewarding. Staying on the board to see the project through to completion is something that is important to him, he said. The school's construction,Homoki said, will be a major boon for the district.

"Once the high school is complete, that will relieve the tremendous amount of pressure we've had on our schools because of [enrollment] numbers," Homoki said.

Like Kolupanowich, Homoki said he considers the district's schools to be in a good place in terms of their offerings to students.

"We've made tremendous strides in the curriculum," Homoki said.

Another accomplishment Homoki spoke of was his recommendation a few years back to make all board committee meetings open to the public, something that was not done before.

"I think that was a major step, because the board is as transparent as it can be," Homoki said.

A township resident for 20 years, Homoki said he has a proven record that he would like to carry on in his capacity as an experienced board member.

"I believe the board has to function as a policy-making body, and I've always been positive, and I will continue to be positive and make the best decisions for the students and the taxpayers," Homoki said.

Leonard has also brought her career experience to the board. A former teacher in Brooklyn, Leonard has served as a board member for 12 years.

"I feel I still have more to contribute," Leonard said. "I pride myself on listening to all sides of a story before making up my mind, and being an independent thinker and doer."

She has returned to the field of education, as an in-class support algebra teacher at Piscataway High School, also returning to college to obtain both a master's degree and Learning Disabled Teacher Consultant Certificate. Leonard's grade point average is a perfect 4.0, she said, which is a source of pride.

Leonard also counts her involvement in all aspects of the board's workings as an accomplishment, saying she has spent time serving on every one of the board's committees. Prior to being elected, she was an advocate for inclusion of students with special needs in district schools' classrooms. Her daughter became the first child to become part of the inclusion program.

"Before my tenure on the board, I was advocating for children and trying to get what's best for them, and I keep doing that," Leonard said. "I'm an independent candidate, and as such, I can vote with only the best interests of the children in mind. I don't owe anybody any favors, so I don't have to vote to pay back favors."

Like the other candidates, Leonard is looking forward to seeing the high school built. She said she is pleased about future upgrades at Applegarth Middle School, which will bring the facility into compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations.

Although Leonard said district schools are serving up good curriculum, there is more work to be done in striving for excellence, she said.

"While it's good, it isn't good enough," Leonard said. "It needs to be better and best."

One of several additions to the curriculum Leonard said she would like to see would bring Chinese into the schools' language programs. Due to the increasingly global world climate, Chinese is becoming more necessary, Leonard said.

Another change Leonard would like to see would be for the board to become more involved in the budget process, she said. Typically, the board has been presented a finished budget devoid of details stating what has been added or omitted, Leonard said.

Regarding the board's meetings, Leonard said she would like to see them aired on cable for those who cannot be present. She also said the 3-minute time limit placed on public comments at meetings should be extended, and members should not hold conversations among themselves while residents are sharing their views.

"I don't think it gives people enough time to adequately express their opinions," Leonard said, adding, "I believe if the administration or board president knows the answer to a question that is posed by a person, they should give it to them. The public are the people who are paying for the education. They need to be satisfied customers.Asking for an answer to a question is not an unreasonable request."