Central Regional Superintendent Slams 'Mudslinging' In School Board Elections

A Letter to the Editor from Central Regional Schools Superintendent Triantfillos Parlapanides:

This election year, Berkeley residents are fortunate to have many choices with six candidates running for the Central Regional Board of Education. However, unfortunately there is already some mud-slinging going on. It is important that residents know the facts and have a good understanding of state law in order to make an educated decision when they go to the polls in November.

In an effort to clear the air and educate our Berkeley voters, I will explain the procedures where board members need to apply the law when any issue is put to a vote and the board member is in conflict or has an appearance of a conflict.

For example, this year’s candidates include two Berkeley Township police officers, George Dohn and Jason Mroczka. Central Regional has a shared service agreement with the Berkeley Township Police Department. Both police officer candidates have worked as school police officers and have been paid for their service to Central Regional. Even though they have a direct conflict of interest, state law allows both candidates to run for the Central Regional Board of Education. But if elected, they both must abstain on voting issues that would be in conflict such as the negotiation of the shared service agreement with the Berkeley Township Police Department.

The same rules apply to Denise Pavone-Wilson who works as a secretary for Seaside Heights Elementary School. Central Regional also has a shared service agreement with the Seaside Heights school district for superintendent, business administrator, and Special Education services. She would have to abstain from any vote pertaining to the Seaside Heights shared services.

Another candidate sits on a township board that would also require him to abstain from any vote pertaining to school construction projects. Board of Education members are devoted volunteers and often are involved in their local communities. Other candidates, running for the Central Regional Board of Education are heavily involved in sports clubs and organizations, so if elected and through their terms on the board there no doubt will come times when they need to apply the law and abstain from many issues put to the board of education for facility use decisions.

I encourage all registered voters to research their candidates carefully and choose the two candidates that they feel would bring the most value to the students and shareholders of Berkeley Township.

As superintendent, I also encourage voters to choose the two candidates that have a great desire to develop student education while being financially responsible to taxpayers. Our Board of Education members must devote countless volunteer hours involved in committees representing all aspects of the school district. I look forward to working with the candidates who are elected because they care about education progress and not because they want to use their position as a stepping stone into politics or to put forth their own agendas.

All six candidates are eligible to become Board of Education members, so I hope that those candidates wasting time slinging mud will instead start talking about their platforms for a better education to make Central Regional the best it can be.

Knowing the facts is crucial to picking our future board members so my hope is that voters choose the candidates that have the greatest desire to improve education, volunteer countless hours to develop fiscally responsible projects, and have a great love to serve others without expecting personal benefits. Let’s keep the politics out of education and make progress in our school district. Good luck to everyone running.