A Letter To The Editor

Submitted by Christopher Dasti

We are happy to announce our candidacy for Lacey Township Board of Education. As longtime township parents and taxpayers in Lacey we are very concerned with the future of our schools. We are proud to each be Township residents for over 40 years. We have raised our families in Lacey and have been successful township business owners for over 80 years combined.

As parents, grandparents, and taxpayers we have grown very concerned in the manner in which our schools have been managed. The wasteful spending and declining academic status of the district must come to an end. As successful business owners, we know first hand the importance of fiscal responsibility and spending within your means.

We want to return Lacey Schools to respected academic status in Ocean County, improve the academic ranking of the district, and empower our students with every opportunity to have a successful future. In the same tone, we believe the district should better publicize past student success stories as role models and mentors for our students.

With regard to the ever-growing drug epidemic, our goal is to strengthen the drug awareness program. We want to grow awareness of the reasons children abstain from drug use and work together with parents to educate and protect our children.

The issues facing the district staff are also important. We want to improve staff morale by instituting consistent hiring practices. Additionally, the need to strengthen background checks and improve the vetting process for potential employees has never been more important.

The need to control district spending has never been greater. The days of irresponsible spending and tax increases by the Board of Education must come to an end. We want to utilize the competitive bidding process for services such as engineering, architecture, and construction on all capital improvement projects. In the same vein, we will require that the district apply for all possible grants for necessary capital improvements such as HVAC, technology, and infrastructure.

To further control spending, our goal is to increase shared services projects with the Township and the Lacey Township Municipal Utilities Authority. Additionally, we believe that the school facilities and athletic fields should be made more available for community use, such as youth and adult recreation programs and senior events. All taxpayers pay for these facilities and they should be made available for everyone.

Finally, the public input in the education of our students is vital. We will respect and welcome public participation in the management of our schools. We will work to increase the transparency of the district finances so the taxpayers know how their hard-earned money is being spent.

This is our business plan to return the pride back to Lacey Schools. As experienced successful business owners we will responsibly manage the school district’s $70 million budget.

We humbly ask for your support to help restore the pride!

--Jim Knoeller & Charles Kennis