3 Highlights From Barnegat Board Of Education Candidate Forum

BARNEGAT, NJ — Nine Barnegat Board of Education candidates got together at a Meet the Candidates forum to share their views on the district's most important issues.

Sex education, bullying, budgets, teacher retention and more were discussed by nearly all of the candidates running (just George Fedorczyk, Jr. was missing. He had a statement read into the record).

The forum was held on Sept. 28 and hosted by local freelance reporter Stephanie Faughnan, who read questions submitted by members of the community.

The evening was marked by shouting and heckling from audience members who interrupted as candidates spoke.

You can watch the two-hour forum in its entirety on YouTube, but here are three highlights from the meeting.

Additionally, Patch will be publishing individual candidate profiles ahead of the Nov. 8 election. If you are a candidate and did not receive questions, please email veronica.flesher@patch.com.

Sexual Education

It's no doubt that the topic of sex education is one that's on many parents' minds during this election season. Other controversial issues like LGBTQ education, critical race theory (CRT) and school safety were also brought up at the forum.

"This is a very touchy subject," said candidate Scott Beck of sex education, running on the "Excellence for Barnegat" ticket with current Board President Sean O'Brien and current Board member Michael Hickey.

Beck said that it should be taught at home and "there has to be a compromise."

Candidate Dave Sherman, running on the "Education Above Politics" ticket with former Board President Scott Sarno and Carole Geene, agreed that it should be taught at home.

Sarno said that he would be willing to lose points on New Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum (NJQSAC), a state audit of public schools, to remove the controversial standards and have them be taught at home.

Eleven percent of parents had opted-out of sex education at the time of the forum, according to O'Brien, though the Board has not officially voted to accept the curriculum.

O'Brien has been accused of political motivations by holding off the vote until after elections, which he denied.

A question posed to Geene referenced a flyer paid for by her campaign that said she plans to design a sex education curriculum that allows the subject to be taught at home.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," was Geene's response.

Budget

Another question posed was about balancing the need to provide a quality education with the need to respond to the local taxpayer burden.

Some candidates said that this was caused by the addition of unnecessary administrative positions.

"You want to take a look and see what is needed, where it's needed and make sure the spending is going to where it needs to be," said candidate Lauren Washburn, seeking a one-year unexpired term under the "Building Tomorrow's Leaders" slogan.

"If it doesn't directly impact our students, then why do we need it?" Sarno said, citing different positions such as administrative assistants, instructional coaches and more.

O'Brien refuted his points, claiming "misinformation" and "political nonsense."

"It's a false statement to say that the money is not being directed to students," he said.

Education Levels

How can the Board improve the district's academics? Candidates shared different opinions.

Washburn said that improving teacher retention and making sure kids feel secure are some of the best ways.

Colleen Angus, seeking a one-year unexpired term with Morris Enyeart on the "Believe in Barnegat" ticket, said that decreasing tests and quizzes and instead integrating them into the curriculum was the way to go.

"Start from the ground up," Beck said. The standards are getting better, he said, and offering free preschool helps to boost academics.

Hickey, currently chairperson of the Education Committee, said that academics would increase if accountability for student behaviors increased along with parents getting fully involved with students.

He added that improving the climate would benefit schools as well. "Happy teachers equal happy students," Hickey said.

Sarno reiterated the point about improving teacher morale, saying that "it all starts at the front line."