Bernie Daus Seeks BOE Seat

Bernie Daus, a lifelong resident of Middletown, is currently seeking a seat on the Board of Education. The following article takes a Q & A format, with Mr. Daus providing his answers via email. For more information about his candidacy, please visit https://www.berniedausforboe.com/

What motivated you to run for the BOE?

Subscribe

Over the last couple of years, I started paying much closer attention to how the Board and administration were making major decisions, particularly around facilities, budgets, and long-term planning. What concerned me wasn't whether I agreed with a particular decision. It was the process used to get there. Assumptions were often presented as facts, and if the information going into an analysis is unreliable, the conclusions will be wrong. I'm a father of three children currently in the district. I decided I could contribute by asking tougher questions and pushing for a more disciplined, fact-based decision-making process.

What personal qualities and qualifications will you bring to the job?

My professional background lines up unusually well with some of the biggest challenges facing the district right now. I've spent more than 20 years managing facilities, budgets, contractors, long-term capital planning, building systems, and day-to-day operations… across a very large property portfolio in a campus setting. I understand lifecycle planning, preventive maintenance, capital reinvestment, benchmarking, and how to use consultants and vendors properly. Conversely, I'm also very conscious of what I'm NOT. I'm not an educator, and I'm not going to pretend I know more about teaching than our teachers and administrators. My job as a Board member is to bring my areas of expertise to the table, listen to people who know other areas better than I do, and ask good questions before making decisions.

If elected to the BOE, what would you do differently?

I would spend more time making sure we understand the problem and collect data before deciding on the solution. I want facts separated from assumptions, important data scrutinized, and alternatives presented honestly. Then I want a real public discussion. What does administration think? What do teachers see? What are parents telling us? What does the financial data tell us? A Board shouldn't micromanage the administration, but it absolutely should test the assumptions behind major recommendations before voting on them.

What do you see as the most pressing problems in the district?

We must ensure our limited resources improve student outcomes while also providing safe, dependable school buildings. At the same time, taxpayers need confidence that we're planning several years ahead rather than reacting to the next budget problem or the next facility issue - underneath all of that is TRUST. People are much more willing to accept difficult decisions when they believe the information is accurate and the process was honest.

How would you address those problems?

I would adjust spending by benchmarking our district against similar districts, using New Jersey's Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending to see where we overspend or underspend. I would also use fewer consultants, limited to when we genuinely need highly specialized expertise. Regarding facilities, I would start with something basic: list the building systems, their age, condition, performance, when they will need to be replaced, and the estimated replacement cost. From there, we should have a transparent reinvestment schedule.

The inflationary environment, coupled with rising healthcare costs and decreasing investment in public education, is making it difficult for schools to balance their budgets. What, specifically, will you do to reduce operating costs without sacrificing educational quality?

The BOE can't change these realities or ignore them; they will have to adjust. Some districts have stumbled badly; others have navigated these challenges with dexterity. Despite the challenges, I remain optimistic. I would set better spending priorities, right-size the budget, and adjust it annually for inflation. The classroom, student achievement, safety, and reliable school operations come first. After that, everything should be open to scrutiny: consulting contracts, professional development programs, administrative expenses, discretionary purchases, and vanity projects (i.e., scoreboards) aren't essential. Booster clubs can cover some of the discretionary items – community involvement and fundraising for extracurriculars should be encouraged. Lastly, good maintenance saves money. Deferring a relatively inexpensive repair until it becomes an emergency replacement isn't fiscal conservatism.

If you and like-minded people represent a majority on the BOE, what changes can taxpayers and students expect?

I don't think a healthy Board should be made up of nine people who think alike. However, if the approach I'm advocating has an impact, we should expect more honesty, a focus on student achievement, a more transparent process, better long-term planning, more rigorous questioning of data, and greater accountability for results. For students, the goal is straightforward: better achievement and dependable schools. For taxpayers, it's trusting that someone is asking: What are we getting for this money? Is this necessary? Is there a better way to accomplish the same thing? I want people to see a Board that's a little less focused on drama and a lot more focused on execution.

What is your approach to committee work and deliberations? How would you gather stakeholder input and help the BOE reach consensus?

I don't care about being right; I want to get it right. I'm not supposed to walk into the room with all the answers. I'm being elected to ask the right questions. I'm naturally curious, and I'm very comfortable asking fundamental questions that everybody else in the room may assume have already been answered: What data are you citing? What assumption are we making? What happens if that assumption is wrong? I want to hear from administrators, teachers, parents, students, taxpayers, and people with specialized knowledge. Then I want to find areas of agreement where we can. But consensus isn't the objective by itself. Making the right decision is. Sometimes reasonable people look at the same facts and reach different conclusions. That's okay. The important thing is that the debate is respectful, informed, and honest.

Is there anything else you would like people to know about you or your candidacy?

I'm coming into this with no ideological agenda. I grew up here. I went through these schools. My family has been here for generations, and now my wife and I are raising three sons who attend these schools; my nieces and nephews go to these schools… both North and South. I want to get this right for all stakeholders. I'm uncomfortable winning a seat by default - uncontested. That's the reason I've been getting out into different communities, talking with people, visiting neighborhoods, posting on social media, and listening. What I want to help build is simple: a district people can depend on, a relentless focus on student achievement, and a Board that earns people's trust by being truthful about the facts and accountable for the results.