Schools

School Board Candidates: Meet Katie Spiegler

Katie Speigler is seeking re-election to the East Brunswick Board of Education.

Welcome to East Brunswick Patch’s 2011 School Board Election Coverage. Each day this week we will present information on one of four candidates seeking a three-year seat on the school board.

School elections will be held Wednesday, April 27. On the ballot for school board will be incumbents Laurie Lachs, Todd Simmens and Katie Spiegler, who are seeking re-election, and , who is hoping to win a seat for the first time.

Voters also will get their say on the district’s $128 million spending plan that calls for eliminating 25 full time teachers.

Find out what's happening in East Brunswickwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The budget carries a $108,924,563 school tax levy and calls for a school tax rate increase of 9.88 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.

That means the owner of a home assessed at $100,000 can expect to pay $98.80 more in school taxes next year. For a video of recent school budget presentations, click here.  For more information on the budget, visit the school district's budget information page, here

Find out what's happening in East Brunswickwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Today, we visit with Katie Spiegler.

A resident for 20 years, she has two children who have graduated from the East Brunswick High School. She received her BBA in marketing from Hofstra University and has worked in production scheduling and as inventory control analyst and sales forecast analyst for Unilever USA and as a forecast analyst for Johnson & Johnson/Personal Products. She also has worked as a homemaker and volunteer.

During her time with the school board she has been a member of the policy, T&E Technology, Buildings and grounds, finance and Hazardous Routes Committee. As a volunteer she was involved with the district’s PTAs, co-chaired Project Graduation, worked with booster clubs, and served as parent representative to several committees and groups.

Spiegler is finishing up her first three-year term. She was elected to serve in 2008.

1. What are the biggest issues the school board is facing over the next three years?  How to you think the board has handled similar problems in the past?

The biggest issue facing our schools over the next three years is funding.  The East Brunswick Public Schools have been faced with unprecedented cuts to our sate aid in 2009 and 2010 with reductions of over 30 percent during these years.  Although there has been a slight increase in aid for the 2011-2012 budget year, we are still looking at an overall loss in state aid of over 24 percent.  Also, a new charter school with yearly expansion plans continues to present the district with decreasing funds.  Throughout this financial crisis, the East Brunswick Board of Education remains committed to minimizing expenditures and maximizing efficiencies while still maintaining the excellence in the programs of our district. Through an on-going analysis of current operations using the expertise of our administration and staff we need to work even harder to find ways to continue to support our extra-curriculars with parent pay options as well as increased volunteer efforts.

2. How can the board balance decreases in revenue with maintaining a high quality education for students?

As a result to the cuts in our funding, parent pay fees have been instituted for clubs and sports in order to offset some of the costs associated with these programs.  All field trips are also parent paid.  Our district also has been able to reduce expenses in several areas including through negotiations in which our teachers, staff and administrators accepted pay freezes and contributions to health benefits.  Also, our efficiencies in energy and purchasing have reduced our expenses.  As a board member, I support proposals that generate additional revenues to the district while enriching our students learning experiences.  Some examples of these are the rental of the EBPAC at Hammarskjold and the establishment of a wrap around kindergarten program.  We also promote in-district programming for our special needs children, which allows them to attend their neighborhood school while still getting all of the special services and accommodations needed to meet their full potential.  The district PTAs and Booster Clubs also provide financial support for programs and equipment.  Our district actively pursues grant opportunities in all fields including technology and the East Brunswick Education Foundation continues to provide grants to teachers and organizations which continue to enrich and enhance to education of our children.

3. This year’s school budget calls for cutting an additional 25 teachers.  Last year’s spending plan meant a reduction of 99 school district employees.  The question is, is there a point when laying teachers off is no longer an option?  Will there be a moment when you feel “enough is enough”?

Although the budget calls for cutting staff and teachers, they have been carefully reviewed so as to have the least impact on our students and programs.  The majority of these cuts are based on decreases to enrollment and do not adversely affect class size.  Cutting teachers and staff is never an easy choice and is only done after careful review and with the minimum amount of effect on the educational process.

4. On the education side, what would you like to see the district focus on to prepare students for graduation, college and careers?

As a board member, one of the things we hear over and over from our graduates is how prepared they were for the college experience.  I’ve gotten to see this first hand as the parent of two recent EBHS graduates who are now in college.  As a district, we offer students tremendous educational opportunities with the electives offered at our secondary schools.  We also continue to offer extracurricular clubs, sports and arts programs that allow our students to find a niche that may fuel a passion for learning in a particular area or field of study.  As a district we need to continue to offer these programs as well as to integrate the world of technology in to all of our student’s educations.  Our students will be competing for jobs in a global and ever increasing technological market.  We must continue to provide the technology to enable our graduates to compete on all levels in their college and work experiences.

5. Tell us in your own words why you would like to run, why you think you will do a good job, and what you hope to accomplish?

When I decided to run for the board, I felt that I could offer the perspective of someone who volunteered in the schools and took great pride in the excellence that our district offers.  I felt that this was a natural progression in my volunteer experience within the district.  I respect the work of our administrators, teachers and staff, seeing it first hand throughout my 15 years of involvement with the schools.  I want to see our schools maintain their excellence even in this era of education funding cuts and will continue to use my voice on the Board of Education to do this while maximizing our efficiency.  My years of volunteering in the community have allowed me to feel a part of this community and I am dedicated to making East Brunswick a great place to live and educate our children for years to come. 


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