Candidate Profile: Board Must Maximize Fiscal Efficiency, Incumbent Says

Seeking her second consecutive three-year term on the Washington Township Schools Board of Education, Michelle Munley, says she has found an incredible value in serving the community in a variety of ways.

The mother of three has lived in Long Valley with her family for 15 years and she has served on the board for the past four years.

Prior to starting a family, Munley managed environmental impacts and toxic torts. Since becoming a stay-at-home mom, Munley has volunteered for the Newcomers and Friends club, Long Valley Junior Women’s Club, and as a member of the board for the Flocktown-Kossmann PTA.

More recently, Munley co-founded the Morris County 4H Kids4Kindness Club, which teaches children to make a difference – and puts that into action – in the community.

Munley is one of four candidates – three incumbents and a challenger – seeking one of three seats on the board of education in the November 4 Election.

Patch asked each candidate a series of questions for this profile article leading up to the vote. Below are Munley’s answers unedited.

Patch: Why are you running for the board of education?
Michelle Munley: As a current member of the Board of Education, I truly believe we have made tremendous strides in improving the quality of the education we provide to our students. While this is critical to creating well rounded, successful citizens, it is also important to the community at large who may not have children or whose children may have grown and begun lives beyond our wonderful community. Washington Township has long been considered a desirable place to live based on the beauty of our surroundings and the quality of our schools. That is a vital component to maintaining, and improving, the value of our homes.

In my years on the Board, we have done much to balance the continuing improvements to our educational services with our obligation to be fiscally conservative. I’m proud to say that we have been able to deliver a net decline in the overall budget while improving programmatic offerings in five of the last six years. We’ve enhanced the literacy programs at the middle and elementary school levels, instituted a successful full day kindergarten which has seen our youngest students achieve growth objectives many months earlier than was seen in the half day program, improved the quality of our STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) program, increased World Language instruction for sixth grade and maintained our facilities, all while saving taxpayers’ money.

I am proud of the work we have been able to accomplish during my time on the Board. With my experience, I believe I can continue to provide valuable perspective in the years to come.

Patch: What changes, if any, would you hope to implement over the next three years as a member of the board?
MM: There are several critical challenges facing the district right now. In light of events in schools throughout our country, security needs to be a top priority as we educate our children. It is essential that we continue to work closely with law enforcement to improve upon the safety measures already in place in our facilities. In addition, we need to sharpen our focus on the articulation from eighth grade to the West Morris Regional High School District. While I believe we have made tremendous strides in this area, I believe we should continue efforts to align our curriculums even more than we already have, insuring our students experience a seamless transition between the two school districts. The Common Core presents a unique challenge to school districts throughout the country, which requires Boards to maintain focus on programmatic initiatives to support the needs of our students in helping them to achieve the new standards. I am dedicated to balancing these significant challenges with the need to maintain the fiscally conservative operation of the district.

Patch: In 2016 the board of education will have the ability to change the district’s vote for members and budget back to April after it was switched in 2012. How would you vote, and why?
MM: When the bi-partisan bill was signed into law by Governor Chris Christie in 2012, he sent an open letter to school board members throughout the state urging them to vote to move the school board election from April to the general election in November. Governor Christie cited the need for the involvement of a greater number of people in the process and the desire to save the state millions of dollars by eliminating the costs associated with an additional election day. According to the NJ School Boards Association, a year after the law passed, 501 school districts agreed to hold their school board elections in conjunction with the November general election. Only 41 districts decided to continue holding their elections in April. The move to November has saved the taxpayers throughout the state millions of dollars and we have witnessed greater voter participation than before the switch was made.

Do I wish we could return the vote on the budget to the taxpayers? Absolutely! Unfortunately, the decision to save money and include a greater portion of the electorate is irrevocably tied to the removal of the budget vote, unless the tax levy increase exceeds the two percent cap. As disappointing as that is, it brings the school budget in line with the municipal budget, which has never been an item on the ballot. Given these factors, I would vote to continue the benefits that come from the alignment of the school board elections with the November general election.

Patch: What is the biggest misstep the board has made in the last one to two years? What vote did it make – or not make – that negatively impacted the district?
MM: There is always a delicate balance between the financial resources of the district and the desire to add programs and services for our students. There have been hard decisions, some of which have been unpopular. The beauty of a school board is that it is not a partisan body. Members make educated decisions based on their belief in what is truly best for the district and community as a whole, not because of any political agenda. In the end, I believe that this Board has always acted in the best interest of our students and all the residents of Washington Township.

Patch: Over the next half decade, enrollment is projected to decline at a consistent rate. What should the district do, if anything, to accommodate this situation by not leaving classrooms or school buses empty?
MM: As a district, I am proud of the proactive manner in which we have approached the demographic study, which the Board commissioned to address the decline in enrollment. While the demographer’s report projected a consistent decline in population, it did make note of several factors which could impact the extent to which the decline would be realized. It appears as though we have seen some of those factors at play. This year alone, we are more than 18% ahead of the demographer’s projection for our current kindergarten enrollment.

The shift in anticipated enrollment numbers is precisely why the community advisory committee, convened to address the projected decline, was careful to set forth a number of different short and long-term options for the district. The administration, working in conjunction with the Board, has continued to monitor our enrollment numbers and has eliminated classroom sections whenever appropriate. That effort needs to continue so that we maintain maximum efficiency of staff, facilities and transportation by consolidating all available resources.

Patch: Faced with the 2-percent tax cap in the state of New Jersey, what ways will you, as a board member, be sure to keep taxpayers’ funds used properly, especially in the light of declining enrollment?
MM: The goal of any board member should never be to simply stay within the two percent tax cap instituted by the Governor in 2012. It should be to strive for a decline in the overall school budget. I’m proud to say that, in five of the last six years, we achieved that goal. In order for that to occur, Board members worked together to make difficult decisions, balancing the needs of our students with our fiscal responsibility to the taxpayers of Washington Township.

Last year, several extraordinary expenditures did require an overall budget increase, which fell below the state cap, for security improvements, mandated technology investments in order to administer the new state PARCC assessment and necessary repairs in our facilities. These unavoidable items are critical to the safety and well being of our children, our highest priority. Even in light of the extraordinary expenses last year, the current school budget is $677,163 less than it was just five years ago.

We need to continue to work with the members of the Township Committee, as well as with neighboring school districts, to seek out opportunities for shared services. We must also maximize opportunities by availing ourselves of grants and subsidies so that we can provide programs and services to our students without incurring additional costs for our taxpayers. Fiscal responsibility is paramount as a member of any governing body and I pledge to continue to seek out opportunities to maximize the fiscal efficiency of the Washington Township Schools.