Board of Education Candidate Jennifer Silva

Name – Jennifer Silva

Age: 38

Address: 787 Carleton Road

Length of Time in Town: 11 ½ years

Family Life:

Married to Frank Silva - Children- Jonathan, 10 – 5^th grader at Tamaques Elementary- Madeline, 7 - 2nd Grader at Tamaques Elementary and Samantha, 3 - attends Presbyterian Nursery School

Education:

Bachelor of Science in Marketing & Advertising from Fairleigh Dickinson University (‘90) (Editor's Note: Mrs. Silva has indicated in an email to the editor that this is a typo and she graduated in 1994.)

Professional Life:

Current - Stay at Home Mom

Previous – Account Manager for corporate clients at a large advertising firm

Community/Political Activities:

Current – Volunteer for the Family Readiness Group for Army National Guard at the Westfield Armory

PTC Representative for Tamaques School

Director Tamaques School Variety Show

Tamaques Social Committee

Previous – Member and Treasurer of the Junior Women’s Club of Westfield

What do you think the three biggest issues facing the Westfield public schools in this election?

A.       The Budget

B.      Growing Enrollment

C.      Communication/Transparency

Please explain your positions on these issues?                                    

A.)  The Budget - It is well known that we are no longer receiving the same amount of state funding that we have in the past and now there is a tax levy cap of 2%.  Unfortunately, the budget dictates to some degree everything the Board can do for our schools. It almost makes it feel like educating our children secondary since we are bound by the constraints of the budget. If elected to the board, I will review every line item of the budget to see what can be done to be more fiscally sound, whether through increased savings or revenue. I also will make sure that the taxpayers have the opportunity to review a clear and easy to comprehend budget.

B.) Growing Enrollment – It is a difficult thing to balance especially when it seems that all of our schools are seeing rising class sizes. We can only continue to try to keep class sizes equal across our schools as much as possible. If it means redistricting then we need to find a way to do so with the least disruption to the children and make sure we get constructive community input on the matter. That did not happen with the Washington redistricting and was mishandled. The Board at the time did a poor job on communications and we need to learn from this. Since enrollment has become an issue at least for now we need to remember that as much as we want smaller class sizes they are neither a guarantor nor a prerequisite of educational excellence. It is the actual classes that are offered and how they are taught that make our schools excellent. Our children are resilient and will thrive whether it is a class of 18 or 28.

C.) Communication – I attended the NJ State Board Association briefing and as I listened to what the responsibilities are of a board of education is I realized we need to improve dramatically on one of the key responsibilities. We must improve communication between our community and the school board. The board needs to be more transparent and not only hear, but listen to the community on major issues. One tool we could implement to help in relaying information quickly, easily and costs us nothing would be a district Facebook Page which we are seeing currently used in other districts.

How do you propose the Board of Education handle the school budget at a time of reduced state aid and the two-percent property tax cap?

• The board needs to come up with a long range Strategic Plan for our budget. We need to prioritize, our needs, keep our spending with in our limits and look for creative ways to save and increase revenue that does not involve that taxpayer. We need to look at grants, create an endowment fund and look to other districts to see what they are doing in order to gather ideas. Our budget for the schools is a proposed at $91.8 million dollars annually. This is more than some company’s budgets. We need to treat our district like a corporation. We will continue to have enrollment issues and must deal with this now, and not before we have to make quick second decisions.

What is your position on the contract the Board of Education negotiated with Schools Superintendent Margaret Dolan, which has been objected to by the state Department of Education for going over Gov. Chris Christie’s cap on superintendent salaries?

• I wish it had been handled differently. Again similar to the contract negotiation that took place with the WEA the board should have waited to hear the changes that were going to be imposed from Trenton. I look forward to learning all the facts of what occurred if I am elected.

What is your position on the contract negotiated by the Board of Education and the Westfield Education Association in 2010?

• As I have said before I feel we have some of the greatest teachers out there and I completely support them and the job that they do. However, the contract negotiation that took place last year between the board and the WEA was completely mishandled. The teacher contract was not expiring until June 30^th and the Governor was giving his Budget Address on March 16^th, what was the rush? Knowing full well that Governor Christie was going to be making significant changes to the amount of state aid districts would receive; the BOE had a responsibility to wait until that information was divulged before signing a new contract. It’s that simple. Not too mention like other districts, Westfield should have had a professional negotiator to work on our behalf. The WEA did.

What is your position on the school district’s capital reserve fund and the financing of future capital projects?

• First, we have old schools and long range planning needs to be looked at more closely. It appears that we have no concrete future plans to help improve the conditions of our old and waning schools. We need to develop a plan in order of priority in order to determine the amount of funds needed. This must be done first since the State of NJ has a limit on the amount of money that can be in a capital reserve fund. In the mean time we can look into any money from other projects that was not spent and transfer them into the capital reserve fund.

Do you believe that shared services can be implemented between the Board of Education and the Town of Westfield or other Boards of Education? If so, what types of services do you believe can be shared?

• Obviously the benefit to shared services is savings. Currently we share a few services with the town such as the use of town fueling stations for BOE vehicles and plowing and the purchase of the Honeywell Emergency Alert system was a joint venture. We need to look into further expanding our partnership with town. Other possible services could be recycling, bulk waste pick up and telecommunications. Shared service partnerships need to be further investigated with surrounding districts. I know we currently have some shared transportation services with other towns so lets look to see how we can possibly expand that. We can also look into sharing the purchase of insurance, supplies, technology, and food service. We need to be creative in order to find some cost savings everywhere we can. We could create an “idea bank” with other districts to gather possible shared services opportunities that would help benefit everyone.

Do you believe there are any programs/services that should be cut from the school district budget? Do you think there are any programs/services that should not be considered for being cut from the school district budget?

• We are already running with a bare bones selection in our programs so I do not believe we can afford to cut anymore.  It’s not fair to our children. They look to the after school programs for an outlet from academics. If cuts need to be made to the budget I feel it should not and cannot be at the expense of our students. We would possibly need to take a closer look at administration, office staff and other areas rather than teachers and programs.   

What are your thoughts regarding the student activity fee implemented at the beginning of the current school year?

• It was absolutely fantastic how our parents yet again stepped up to help keep things in place to benefit our children. However, I feel the fee needs to be a temporary solution. We need to find another avenue for funding our children’s activities. We need to find savings or revenue elsewhere to pay for the activities. This cannot be the final solution for funding the extra curricula’s of our children. 

How do you propose the school district deal with the projected intermediate school enrollment bubble?

• The enrollment in our schools is becoming more difficult to deal with especially since we continue to see rising class sizes. I have a 5^th grader who will be part of the “bubble” class entering Edison next year and I have concerns. I understand that the redistricting was done to help keep class sizes small but was it really the best strategy? If redistricting is unavoidable then we need community input in order to make the shift of students in the best interest of everyone. I also feel leaving the children in their neighborhood schools and dealing with larger class sizes for that short period of time should also be a consideration. It would keep kids together and potentially be more fiscally responsible. Since we have been told that the board cannot do any long range budgeting it will be interesting to see how they continue to staff Edison for the next four years. We will have additional teachers for next year but there are no plans in place for the next “bubble” class coming up who are currently in third. I don’t believe we will have the appropriate funding for teachers for these two “bubble” classes. I can say I certainly do not want part-time teachers from other districts coming in. That’s not what my tax dollars are paying for. Sharing teachers within the district is hard enough and the children get short changed with that, shared teachers from other districts would be worse. 

What is your position on parking for students at Westfield High School and the parking/traffic situation in the Dorian Road neighborhood?

• The parking situation is one that cannot continue to be pushed aside. The discussion that took place a few weeks ago is a step in the right direction but the dialogue needs to continue between the boe and the town council. This is not a parking issue per say but a safety issue. A solution needs to be found not only to help create more parking for students but to keep the surrounding neighborhoods safe from poor driving, vandalism, and trash. More community forums should be held for people to give constructive suggestions on how we may solve the problem.

What is your position on Westfield High School’s ranking dropping from 27 to 41 in the latest ranking by New Jersey Monthly Magazine? Do you believe these rankings reflect the academic performance of the high school?

• One of the main reasons my husband and I moved to Westfield was for the schools and we certainly looked at NJ Monthly as part of our research so our continued drop in NJ Monthly magazine troubles me. While I know that these rankings are not a reflection of our student performance, I do not believe everyone reads all the data in detail, I believe they just concentrate on the ranking itself. It is unacceptable that we were not even in the top 20 considering our outstanding test scores and 99% graduation rate. We need to take example from neighboring towns like Summit and Millburn. They have a committee on how to advertise their districts in publications. Improving our ranking will allow our community (taxpayers) to feel better about where their money is going. Westfield is known for its excellent school system and the ranking affects our home values therefore we need to see it rise not continue to decline.

What can the school district do to handle the issue of student stress?

• Student stress is a complex issue, one that will not be fixed overnight. The first step is having a dialogue about it. This dialogue must continue to grow in order for action to take place. It will be a long road but one that will benefit our children. One step would be to show the film in all schools: elementary, middle, high school and colleges. Obviously at the elementary level it would only be the higher grades and some of the content would need to be edited out to remain appropriate. As well as the students, all teachers and administrators must see it so we can work together to come up with a plan to make change happen without compromising the academics of our students. It should go without saying that viewings also need to be made available to the parents since change cannot happen without their participation. This change is a tall order but it can be done. It just takes one person or in our case district to start to make it happen and put forth the time and energy to do so. It is us that have conditioned our children that all these “things” are what is needed to succeed. Our children should not feel like they are already in their careers. We had less pressure at their ages and have turned out many successful people. 

What is your position on merit pay, teacher tenure reform and “last in, first out?”

• First, let me say that I completely support our teachers and appreciate all the time and work that they put into our children. However, I absolutely believe that tenure is no longer needed and at bear minimum needs to be changed. At one time tenure was necessary to protect their jobs but, those were different times, it is no longer necessary. Teachers need to be held to the same standards just like everyone else for the job that they are doing. Most people have a review once a year in order to be held accountable for the job they are doing. If their job performance is not up to standard there are consequences, such as not receiving a pay increase, being put on probation until performance improves, or to those that it applies, would not receive their bonus. Teachers need to be treated just like the rest of the working world. I also completely disagree with “last in, first out”. Some of our most talented teachers are the young new ones we see in our schools. Sometime they are the most innovative and most motivating teachers. Just because someone has been teaching for 15-20 years does not mean they are the best teacher.

What processes and procedures do you believe should be used for teacher evaluations?

• The topic of teacher evaluations is definitely a hot button topic right now and there is no simple answer. I feel a multi-factor approach needs to taken. Some suggestions could be doing some sort of comprehensive evaluation. Teachers could develop a portfolio that would be reviewed by a number of people. It should also combine student, parent, peer and administrative feedback. The evaluation needs to also evaluate lesson plans and units, not just a day. It should have a self-evaluation component to reflect on their personal growth. Finally, potentially the day-to-day test scores could be factored in rather than the standardized test scores. We cannot use just one criteria, especially test scores, it doesn’t tell the whole picture. The goal of an evaluation process should be to assist teachers however, school administrators need to improve on how evaluations are conducted and use them to develop action plans that help teachers improve. I also feel that other administrators outside of the principal should conduct several of the evaluations that way the teacher has a better chance at a fair assessment and no personal feelings can come into play.

What are your thoughts on moving out-placed special education students back into the school district?

• I feel it is very important to bring these students back in to district when at all possible. It not only benefits the district from a financial standpoint but more importantly it benefits the child allowing them to be part of their neighborhood school. We can continue to move forward with bring students back by enhancing our current programs, continue to create new programs, and look into shared services with other districts for additional programs to help off set the costs.

What do you believe the school district could do to prevent bullying?

• I think Westfield has taken a great step with the creation of the Bullying Task Force Committee. In conjunction with the committee we need all areas of the school community to work together to address the problem of bullying. This means teachers, administrators, parents, and students need to come together and develop ways to respond effectively. An assessment should be done in each school to uncover the extent that bullying might be a problem. One way to do that could be utilizing surveys to both our students and parents for fact finding. As a district we need to be sure all teachers and administrators are able to identify the signs of bullying and agree to intervene consistently whenever they see unsafe, disrespectful, or hurtful behaviors. We need to make sure we have a “list” of appropriate consequences and that our teachers are trained on, and how to implement them on the students who bully. We also need to establish a policy on how we contact the parents of a student who has engaged in the bullying of another child. This will be an ongoing process, one that will continually change as our students and technology changes.

Are the Westfield public schools better off than where they were three years ago?

• I think it depends on how you look at things. You can answer yes when you look at several facts. First, we have 25 students that have achieved perfect SAT scores, the highest number in Union County. Second, we continue to bring more special education students back into district.  In addition, we continue to do well on state standardized testing while our student enrollment continues to increase. Our children certainly take advantage of all that the Westfield Schools have to offer. However you could also answer this question no when you look at other factors. Three years ago there were more programs available to our children, there was no activity fee, and we had more staffing which allowed for smaller class sizes. I choose to be a glass half full kind of person and feel that academically our children are getting a great education and I am proud that my children attend our schools. If we proceed on the right course we will continue to move forward towards 21^st Century teaching therefore, continuing the standard of educational excellence Westfield Schools have always provided.   

Editor's Note: These questions were provided to the seven active candidates for the Board of Education and these answers are in their own words. Space limits were provided on each question. Editing was done for grammar and style but not substance. These questions and answers are provided to allow you the voter to hear directly from the candidates on the key issues impacting the public schools.