Candidates want pupils to continue to succeed
Spilken, Madari, Hoffman, Green are seeking seats
BY REBECCA MORTON Staff Writer

MARLBORO - Voters will not only decide the fate of the Marlboro K-8 School District budget on April 15, they will also elect three people to the Board of Education.

The candidates running for threeyear terms are Terry Spilken, Cynthia Green, Murray Hoffman and Edwin Madari.

Spilken, Green and Hoffman are current members of the board.

A fifth name, Elizabeth Garrity, will appear on the ballot but Garrity said this week that she has dropped her bid for election.

Green, 60, has lived in Marlboro for 29 years and has served on the board for 18 years. A former middle school French and Spanish teacher, Green's children have graduated from Marlboro's schools and she has no relatives currently employed in the district.

She said she believes her teaching background fuels her commitment to education. Green said she is a part of Tufts University's Alumni Admissions, a position which allows her to see what colleges look for when granting acceptance to students.

The district's consistent focus is providing an educational opportunity for all students to achieve their best, Green said, noting that she is proud of where the district currently stands in terms of student achievement.

Green said she loves what she does and still has the enthusiasm and time to continue moving the K-8 district forward. Through the various board committees she has served on, Green said there are many programs and innovations taking place in the district that she helped along and would like to see through to completion.

Hoffman, 75, has served on the board for 15 years. The 18-yearresident of Marlboro is a retired educator with the New York City Board of Education, where he worked as a teacher, principal and assistant MARLBORO superintendent. Hoffman said he does not have any children or relatives currently attending school or working in the district. Reflecting on his 15 years of service, Hoffman said being a board member becomes part of a person's life. He laughed, noting that he believes there is not a committee involved with the Board of Education that he has not participated on at some point during his past five terms.

When asked about areas he believes the district needs to focus on, Hoffman said administrators must find ways to improve the current lack of space in the district's schools, noting that all six schools are filled to capacity. Ways to alleviate the congested classrooms must be reviewed, he said.

Madari, 46, said he decided to run for the board after coming up with solutions that he believes will help the issues and needs of the board. The five-year resident of Marlboro works as an information technology professional and currently has children attending Marlboro's schools. Madari said he has no relatives currently employed by the district.

Madari said school districts must be well equipped with the latest technologies, but he noted that with the rising cost of living, increased funding is needed just to maintain the current quality of education.

Instead of overburdening the taxpayers, Madari said new and innovative sources of revenue must be sought. Madari said he plans to seek out the help of large businesses and corporations as an additional source of revenue. He plans to approach and involve these businesses with science fairs, math quizzes and debate competitions for the students.

He also believes that volunteers from the community should be used to offset some of the services the district must pay for. Children these days are computer savvy with some even maintaining their own Web sites, Madari explained. With the help of these students and any IT professionals in town who want to volunteer, Madari said the district could run its own Internet Web site rather than contracting it out.

"Because 80 percent of the school funding comes from the local tax levy, we should try to reach out to the community," Madari said.

He gave an example of creating a community outreach program where students would help their community by completing acts such as teaching adults the basics of cell phone use, including text messaging.

Spilken, 58, is a podiatrist who has lived in Marlboro for 26 years. He is finishing his ninth year on the board, five of which he has served as president. Spilken said his three daughters have graduated from Marlboro's school system and he does not have any relatives currently employed by the K-8 district.

Spilken is no stranger to education, as he holds a Master of Education degree, is dean of student services at the New York College of Podiatric Medicine and prior to his time on the board served on Marlboro school district committees.

He said one of the biggest problems that any school board in New Jersey faces is budget issues, stemming from state funding. Spilken said there is an uncertainty when looking toward future budgets, as it is never known what type of aid a district will receive from the state. He noted how the state paid 26 percent of Marlboro's budget five years ago, 14 percent of the budget in 2007-08 and will fund 16 percent of the budget in 2008-09.

One issue the board will have to face in the coming year is space within the district's schools. Spilken said the number of special education students enrolled in Marlboro is continuing to rise and he said the special education classes have fewer students, thereby causing a need for more rooms.

He said the quality of education offered to all students in Marlboro entices people to move to the community. Spilken praised the district's administration and staff for the quality of education being offered.

Spilken said he believes his experience and leadership skills continue to make him a qualified candidate for the board. He believes that everyone has a community responsibility to fulfill and said there is nothing better than working to improve a child's education.

The school election will be held on April 15. Polls will be open from noon to 9 p.m.