Board President Endorses Krakowiak, Holst, And Veliky

October 28, 2018

Dear Fellow Residents of Franklin Lakes,

I am a member of the Franklin Lakes Board of Education, currently serving as the Board President. I am writing about the upcoming Board of Education election, to share my perspective gained not only as Board President but as a parent who has been in the district for 13 years. This letter reflects my personal opinions, not necessarily the position of the Board of Education.

I applaud all of the candidates for their willingness to volunteer their time to serve our school district. But not all of them are equally qualified, and, in my opinion, at least one is disqualified.

I can speak firsthand to the qualifications of Amanda Krakowiak, Vicki Holst and Jackie Veliky. Amanda, Vicki and Jackie deserve my vote not because they are incumbents, but because their experience and their diverse backgrounds, perspectives and skill sets make them the best choices to help the Board and the district move forward. Even if we don’t agree on every issue, we share a belief in respectful and orderly discussion, a willingness to fairly consider alternate points-of-view, and an overriding commitment to acting at all times in the best interests of the district and students. What Amanda, Vicki and Jackie will not bring to the Board – and what the Board does not need – is disrespect and intolerance, conflicts of interest, or personal agendas.

What about the other candidates? Actions speak louder than words. More persuasive than the campaign’s rhetoric and the “Truth, Transparency and Trust” slogan is the fact that they have failed to disclose and address the significant conflict of interest of at least one of their candidates. Voters deserve to know that Mr. John Butto, if elected to the Franklin Lakes Board, would be excluded from a number of important matters because his spouse is an employee of our district and a member of the Franklin Lakes Education Association. This is not an opinion or a matter subject to Board discretion; it is a fact of New Jersey State Law, confirmed by the New Jersey School Boards Association.

The negotiation of a new teachers’ contract and the hiring of a permanent superintendent are, arguably, the two most critical issues facing the Board. If Mr. Butto were to be elected, our district would effectively have an 8-person (rather than 9-person) board handling these matters, because under the School Ethics Act, Mr. Butto would be prohibited not only from voting, but also from participating in any way. He would not even be allowed in the room as an observer during executive session discussions. Anyone who cannot contribute to these important efforts should not, in my opinion, occupy a seat on the Franklin Lakes Board of Education at this time. With all due respect to Mr. Butto, I believe he is effectively disqualified by his conflict of interest and should not be elected.

Finally, I’d like to thank you for the opportunity to serve our community. It is a privilege to represent you on the Board of Education, and I look forward to working with my fellow trustees in the coming year.

Sincerely yours,

Joel Rosano

The opinions expressed herein are my own and are neither authorized nor endorsed by the Franklin Lakes Board of Education.