There are many factors that go into our students' performance on standardized tests. And the tests themselves are only one of many ways to assess how successfully our kids are learning. So while I don't like putting too much emphasis on the NJ School Performance Report, we certainly can't ignore it.

That report tells us that Hillsdale Schools are underperforming our neighbors in Montvale, River Vale and Woodcliff Lake in student growth. I know this is a priority for our superintendent and the board alike. If elected, it would be my top priority, as well. 

Our district has just begun a major renovation of our middle school that will impact approximately two-thirds of the students currently in the district. 

I have long been a proponent of rebuilding and/or replacing our middle school. I do not take that stance lightly, as I understand the burden it places on our residents. I expect to live in Hillsdale for the entirety of the 20-year bond. But I also recognize that structural problems at George White, from the degrading boiler, roof and bathrooms to the outdated and undersized classrooms had to be addressed. It is now the job of our BOE to ensure this money is well spent and leads to improved educational outcomes for our children.

Already, regrettable challenges in the local permitting process for our temporary classrooms have set back the timeline by several months. I commend our superintendent Mr. Lombardy for working through this situation and ensuring our middle school students would be able to begin school on time this September. 

No project of this size will ever proceed without hiccups. Many more decisions lay ahead of us and quite a few of them will be unexpected. Great responsibility will fall upon the superintendent and the board of education over the coming years to see this project to a successful conclusion. 

Why doesn't our district post its curriculum on its website? Just compare the curriculum page for Hillsdale with those for Woodcliff Lake or Westwood. Are we hiding something?

The truth is, of course not. There is no deep dark secret that our school district is keeping from the public. However, when you don't operate transparently, you leave far too much to the imagination. A school district with nothing to hide should act like it.

Every Friday, our principals email the parents about the goings-on at school. It's a great practice. Now let's expand that. How about a monthly newsletter from Mr. Lombardy updating the community about the entire district? He could share highlights of the many great things our children accomplish.

Along the same lines, perhaps the board president could issue a quarterly report on what the board has been up to. 

If we want the public to be engaged in the schools, the school district needs to engage the public.

I am very pleased that the district has added another School Resource Officers (SLEOs) for our district over the next few years while George White is under renovation, but I still think two SLEOs is insufficient. We need a safety officer at each school as both a deterrent and an immediate first responder. I recognize the expense of employing someone in this role, but I believe our students' safety must always be our priority.

The fees charged by PaySchools Central are far too high. On a $50 deposit, we pay an additional 13.5% for PaySchools to hold our money in a debit account. We can avoid the fees by submitting a check to the BOE, but obviously that's far less convenient. 

It's not unreasonable for PaySchools to make a profit, but if the district is already paying them for their services, why must they charge the parents as well? I've certainly never heard of a bank taking a cut of every deposit! The BOE needs to renegotiate this contract and get our parents a better deal.

(Also, the meals should be far more nutricious. How many times a month are we going to offer the kids some version of bread, sauce and cheese?)