Letter: Why It’s Important To Have 'Skin in the Game'

Dear Editor,

As the mother of three school-aged children and a taxpayer, my children are fortunate to reap all the positive benefits of Lincoln School. However, we are also directly impacted by the consequences of our decisions.

Over my last three years serving on the Garwood Board of Education, currently the vice president and Clark BOE liaison, it has become clear to me that we can be doing better, both in our curriculum and receiving paid-for services in our agreement with ALJ High School. Two examples that recently came to light based on my personal experience are as follows:

1. Lincoln School’s curriculum must be aligned more closely with Clark’s to ensure our children are well-prepared for ALJ or the Magnet Schools. As a result of this inconsistency, our students may not be able to participate in all classes offered by ALJ, such as the most advanced math classes. These are services we, as taxpayers and parents, pay for, but cannot fully utilize. ALJ offers more than 25 AP classes, and Garwood students should be as equally as prepared as Clark students. I have been advocating for increased attention to this issue as high-achieving students need to have certain pre-requisites completed in middle school to stay competitive
2. Just this September, our high school kids at ALJ were not being provided proper bus service, which we pay for. This has been an ongoing issue for several years. I proactively engaged with both the Clark and Garwood administration, resulting in a change that ensured reliable bus pick-ups, actually saving money for the Garwood taxpayers. I will continue to be a voice for our high school students, to make sure that our dollars are efficiently deployed.

As taxpayers, Garwood students deserve the same opportunities to learn, grow and thrive as those in our surrounding communities.

As a board member, I am committed to continuing to work with administration in advocating for educational excellence for all learners.

And, as a mother of three, with "skin in the game", I have first-hand knowledge of the challenges our students currently face. Please consider the importance of this as you head to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 5 — vote Tina Simitz, Column 6.

Tina Simitz
Garwood

Note: The opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect opinions or views of the Garwood Board of Education or its members.