WOODCLIFF LAKE—We asked our local board of education incumbents and challengers to rank their school board’s responsiveness, suggest ways to reduce the schools’ tax burden on residents, and add any information that they wanted voters to know in advance of Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 8.
Municipal public school expenditures comprise 60% to 70% of local property taxes, with about 20% for municipal services such as police and public works, and 10% owed to Bergen County.
In Woodcliff Lake, three candidates are on the ballot for two seats, including incumbents Robert Wolpov and Debra Starr. Newcomer Andrew S. Eisler is challenging.
Robert Wolpov and Debra Starr, running together, submitted one response, giving the board’s responsiveness a nine out of 10.
They said, “Our Board of Education strives to always do what is best for children while remaining in compliance with the multitude of government mandates that we face. As representatives of our community, we strive to always listen to all stakeholders. While we would like to say our ranking is a 10, there are times that we cannot meet every stakeholder’s concerns due to legal requirements or budgetary restrictions.”
They added, “However, to ensure that stakeholder needs are heard, we have worked to find creative solutions for communication. Next year the Superintendent will host monthly open parent meetings and create a parental forum for consistent communication, problem solving and community involvement.”
They said, “Approximately 80% of the Woodcliff Lake School District school budget is dedicated to employee salary and benefits. The continued success in working collaboratively with our teachers and administration is essential to the success of our district.”
With the remaining portion of the district budget, they said, “We have invested wisely in our facilities. Through our hard work on the Woodcliff Lake School Board Finance committee we have done an outstanding job of investing in the maintenance and improvement of our schools by planning ahead and being fiscally responsible. This diligence has enabled us to have state of the art facilities without needing to ask the taxpayers for additional funding in the form of a referendum.”
They added, “One of the hallmarks of a successful board is a diverse membership. With Debbie’s 15 years of experience on the board and Rob’s successful 3-year term, coupled with our many years of residence in Woodcliff Lake and history of being active in the schools and the community, we believe we are able to offer a valuable perspective that is needed to help with decision making and planning for the future of our district.”
Andrew Eisler provided a statement in response to our survey:
“My involvement as the Grant Committee chair of the Woodcliff Lake Educational Foundation has allowed me to oversee how funds are allocated towards the betterment of our schools, supporting the vision of our teachers, our administration, and board of education.”
He said, “As a board member, I would like to see the district continue to grow and flourish, making our kids the priority. I want the district to explore the possibility of adding a ‘before the bell’ program to our already successful ‘after the bell’ program, allowing parents to drop their kids off earlier if needed.”
Eisler wrote, “Most of the surrounding towns already have similar programs to model and I feel this would make it easier for parents and alleviate some of the traffic concerns at drop off. I also would like the school to further pursue opportunities to make real world connections to the curriculum, especially with the technology available to facilitate the process.”
Eisler said, “We need to be smart about district spending, making sure our funds are used wisely and appropriately to allow our schools to continue to be a premier district in the state.”
And he added, “My father was on my hometown’s board of education for 21 years and has helped me recognize the importance of the position towards both the school and community. My experiences have guided me towards this candidacy and allow me to better understand the issues schools face first-hand. As an educator, I am confident I can bridge the gap between teachers and the board as well as offer new perspectives to the position.”