Public Education Is Under Attack In Our Town: Letter

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Bernards Township Board of Education President Robin McKeon penned this letter to the editor as a private citizen:

The following statements are made in my capacity as a private citizen, and not in my capacity as a Board of Education member. These statements are also not reflective of the Board or its individual members, and solely represent my own personal opinions.

The NJ Code of Ethics for School Board Members states that board members will “provide accurate information” and will “support and protect school personnel in proper performance of their duties.”

Public education is under attack in our country, and unfortunately in our own town. There has been a recent onslaught of deliberate misinformation, scare tactics, and false narratives. Accusations have been made about our school staff members, implying incompetence, fiscal mismanagement, and deception. Members of our community have been told that our district’s ranking and test scores have dropped. Parents and grandparents have been told that students are being indoctrinated in their classrooms. Intimidation tactics have been directed at individuals to prevent them from speaking the truth and defending our teachers. However, I feel compelled to respond on the topics that as a Board member I am not prohibited from discussing.

Bernards Township School District has not fallen in test scores and rankings. It is misleading to argue that Ridge has dropped in rankings since 2018; US News and World Report’s ranking system was totally overhauled in 2018; its website notes that no rankings from 2018 and earlier can be compared to 2019 and beyond. Data presented at public BOE meetings last spring shows that Ridge SAT, ACT and AP test scores held steady through the pandemic. MAP testing data for grades 3-8 are consistent with scores in prior years thus demonstrating our students did not experience the type of learning loss experienced by most students around the country. Local data shows that grade K-8 students are largely back to pre-pandemic achievement. The community should be celebrating the fact that our amazing staff members helped our students learn so successfully during the pandemic.

In order to set the record straight about the district’s financial management, it is best to turn to official data sources and outside independent entities that oversee school districts. The district’s NJQSAC financial scores and the independent auditor’s report have been excellent for the 10 years that Mr. McLaughlin and Mr. Markarian have been our CFO and CEO respectively. The district’s AAA bond from Standard & Poors is something that very few districts in the state have. Bernards Township is one of a small number of districts that has the financial capacity to self-insure for health benefits, which saves the taxpayers millions of dollars.

The district has successfully managed its capital reserves and is in a position where it can maintain its facilities and take on projects without incurring more debt. One of the District Goals for this upcoming school year is to update and present the long range capital projects plan. The BOE is holding a BT Connect town hall at 7:00 p.m. on October 3rd in the Ridge High School cafeteria where the entire community can learn about the district’s finances and reserves and give input on how these funds should be used in the future. Inaccurate information and false narratives are dividing our community, weakening our school district, and damaging our property values. I implore people to work together to support our students and strengthen our community. Please carefully research the candidates running in the Board of Education election.

Robin McKeon