Special thanks to the WW-P News for polling (in its November 20 issue) District Superintendent Dr. David Aderhold on the videotaping of WW-P Board or Education meetings. Perhaps he was confused by the question?
For too many years I (among others) have requested testing the BOE meeting videotaping. Princeton Schools and Princeton municipal government videotape, and somehow Princeton is still standing. Working with a $168 million school budget each year (and growing), taxpayers should demand a more rigorous curriculum filled with opportunities, not the current watering-down of academic stress and vaporization of midterm and final exams. Where is our tax dollar going? We pay more, for less.
Despite being re-elected to the WW-P BOE, videotaping meeting discussions by Michele Kaish and Tony Fleres seem to be a low or non-priority; neither of them supports videotaping because “no one has asked them” to discuss this? Why have a high school curriculum for radio/TV broadcasting if the students avoid clinical experience? Getting hands-on experience under the auspices of talented WW-P technologies videographer Jamie Watson should be an honor. And no, our students do not have to be paid.
The Board, in my opinion, needs to work for the community, taxpayers, students, and parents. In reality, it is just campaign re-election rhetoric. I applaud the district’s parents speaking up and getting involved. The district’s mission statement specifically leaves out the role of parents, which I believe, is in error. At one time, the mission statement included parents.
WW-P lost the extraordinarily talented and visionary WW-P assistant superintendents in Steve Mayer (Robbinsville) and Tom Smith (Hopewell) to those respective districts. The current WW-P replacements seem not ready for primetime. Instead, the current administration is fostering dismay instead of confidence, generating more questions than answers.
Currently in West Windsor, there are no time restrictions for when anyone can watch Township meetings from one’s computer! Great news! Should we not provide a link for school meetings the same way we do for West Windsor Township meetings? Let’s cut one assistant superintendent position to fund videotaping WW-P Board meetings.
Thank you for your involvement in making a difference.
P.S. When does the NEW Board office open, for which there was no taxpayer referendum? Or is it currently functional? Why shouldn’t the Old Board/Town Office in Dutch Neck be sold instead of more empire-building? Perhaps WW-P didn’t need a new Board office; rather, it was an expensive want.
Pete Weale
West Windsor
