Officials defend council's support of school board
Shutzer, Sims say e-mail accused them of playing politics
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer

FREEHOLD - Councilwoman Sharon Shutzer is ticked off.

Shutzer, a veteran member of the Borough Council and a former member of the Freehold Borough Board of Education, lashed out at an e-mail that circulated around town in recent weeks.

Shutzer and Councilman Jaye Sims attended the board's Dec. 10 meeting to clarify the council's position on matters relating to the school district. They both said they are pleased that relations between the two bodies have improved in recent years and said they want that to continue.

They made it clear that they do not want anything - especially what they said are factually incorrect e-mails - to detract from the cooperative spirit.

During their comments to the board Shutzer and Sims did not identify who they believed wrote the e-mail, but said it contained an inaccuracy.

The e-mail claimed that the council, which is made up of six Democrats, supported a state bill put forth by Democratic Assemblyman Michael Panter, and did not support a state bill put forth by Republican Assemblywoman Jennifer Beck. The bills had to do with school funding issues that directly affect the borough.

Sims and Shutzer denied that the council played favorites with a Democratic state representative.

"Education and children are my life," Shutzer said. "We are with this board and with the school community in this battle. Under no circumstances am I going to sit back and allow someone to destroy that relationship as the e-mail attempted to do. Please know that I do not give a rat's behind who writes a bill as long as Freehold Borough's children get what they deserve."

Sims said the council's support for Panter's bill came about because it had been posted for action in the state Legislature. Beck's bill had not been posted at the time the council offered its support for Panter's bill.

Both council members told the board in no uncertain terms they were confident the council would support a bill regardless of who proposed it, if it was a piece of legislation that would benefit the borough's schoolchildren.

Sims spoke about the relationship between council members and school board members.

Reading from a prepared statement, Sims told the group there has been regular communication via phone or e-mail with school board President James Keelan since 2003. He cited several examples of the council and board working together.

Among those was an example concerning the vacant Bennett Street School, which the council has been attempting to sell. Sims said discussions at the council have led to a decision to give some of the proceeds from the sale of the building to the school board.

According to the councilman, all members of the council attended a town hall meeting with state legislators to ask for their help with school funding. The council also sent Shutzer to Trenton to help lobby for school funds. Sims said the council provided the most qualified person to do this job, Shutzer, who has been an educator for more than 40 years.

"I would like to state that all of these facts were stated because of the recent rumors circulating around town that there is a wedge between the Board of Education and the Borough Council. That is not the case," he said emphatically.

Sims told the school board he was pleased to serve as the council liaison for 2007 and was looking forward to serving in the same capacity in 2008.

Shutzer, who has always acknowledged her way of "telling it like it is," said she was "incensed and ready to scream," when she become of the aware of the e-mail, which she said accused Mayor Michael Wilson and council members of "playing partisan politics" on issues that "profoundly" affect the borough's children.

Shutzer read from a prepared statement because, she said, she did not want her emotions to overcome her. She forcefully told the board that "as a public official, I do not ever mind being accountable for my actions or for my lack of action; however, to be put in the position of having to defend someone's interpretation of my actions is absolute egregious to me. How dare this person even think that any one of us - mayor or council member - would use our children as pawns!"

Shutzer said she and Sims were at the school board meeting representing council members to assure the board, parents, administrators, school staff and the children that the council could not be more behind them in their attempts to attain the means to provide a thorough and efficient education for each child.

"Our record, not someone's interpretation of it, speaks for itself," she said. "When children are concerned, there is nothing that can sway us or coax us off the course. And we will not tolerate anyone's attempt at doing so."