Zatz more like it
A scant week after declaring my indifference toward the ongoing Board of Education election campaign and of my displeasure at the lack of real policy debate, I am ready to sing a different tune. A communication from Dr. Kate Zatz forwarded to me by a reader demonstrates that there may actually be something interesting and productive happening in this race, because one candidate has begun to set herself apart from the field and express some real reservations about issues other than the consensus concerns (i.e. achievement gap). The way Zatz is now framing it, Teaneck voters are faced with a choice of shaking up a tired and complacent Board of Ed by choosing her or endorsing business as usual. How so? For starters, Zatz points to the fact that the rest of the field consists of two incumbents and two existing members of the Superintendent's Advisory Committee, making her the "only real outsider." A look at the various endorsements contained in this week's Suburbanite seems to bear this out. Incumbent Dr. Henry Pruitt counts a number of sitting members of the BoE among his endorsers in addition fellow candidate Margot Fisher, who herself has the public support of the Deputy Mayor and at least one of the current members of the BoE, and so on. If this is the way these people compete with another for election, it seems unlikely that the aftermath of the race will see an infusion of energy and intellectual ferment in a place that Zatz charges has "time-worn excuses for any criticism."
Of course, lacking endorsement from one's peers is not itself a selling point. One must also break with them in some meaningful way, and Zatz does hint at one area where she thinks differently: budgetary issues. She takes a swipe at the BoE's well-advertised 2.9% increase for the coming year, arguing that it should really be construed as a 5% year on year jump, and criticizes the glossy mailings sent to all residents as "marketing, not communication." Later in the piece, she takes aim at elevated personnel costs and pins some of the blame on the current BoE, too. Is Zatz the only candidate urging a 'No' vote on the budget? That she does not say. But what is clear is that Dr. Kate Zatz is now positioning herself as the choice of all those who feel it is time for a change at One Merrison Street. Will they turn out for her?
Now we have a race worth watching.
posted by Teaneck Blog @ 6:22 PM
27 Comments:
3 cheers for Zatz.
It's bad enough that the BoE can't control spending and mischaracterizes the true amount of year over year increase. They pull out all the stops to do it.
In the "Connections" mailing they helpfully sent to us, they state "The district continues to see an increase in its enrollment, particularly in the area of students with special needs." Of course this has the helpful benefit of reducing the per student cost (where Teaneck still finished 98/103) and moving more costs per student to the special ed ledger.
However, these increases reflect laregely the imagination of the school board. These increases are based on the Board's 2007 "estimates." Curious. After years of decline, including over 100 less students last year, the Board is actually projecting a small increase this year - why? Similarly, after a small increase in the number of special ed students between 2005 and 2006, they are estimating a pretty signicant increase this year. Pretty convenient, huh?
Fortunately, in addition to the special ed costs, "Connections" also helpfully reminded us of the Boards other2 favorite budgetary scapegoats the Charter School (less than 3% of the budget) and busing (even though this number is not used in the per student calculations where Teaneck holds its 98th percentile title).
Hopefully with Zatz on the Board these games will stop and we'll get an honest discussion.
Funny how Zatz came out with this statement after stating at the last 4 candidates' forums that "we must pass the budget" and sounding very impressed with the budget presentations. Funny how she criticizes the high school without once stepping foot in it or touring any of the schools... I prefer my candidates to at give the electorate the respect they deserve by preparing for candidacy and at least attend some of the meetings to know more about the district before leveling critiques out of left field.
Re anonymous #2: I am impressed that you have such good surveillance of all the local schools, so you can know for certain who has and has not been in them.
I suspect that, what looked like Dr. Zatz agreeing with the budget, was her midwestern courtesy?
Always love the "never set foot in the high school" argument. Suppose someone made that incredible journey, what would they see. I suppose they would see classrooms with teachers and students, some engaged, some bored. On the walls will be artwork. Near the college guidance office will be college posters. Elsewhere, there will be signs for various clubs and other activities. Assuming further that the kids in the halls are reasonably well behaved, exactly what would this tour reveal?
She has also never been to a Teaneck Bd. of Ed. meeting; by her own admission at the AARP debate.
Her educational experience has been primarily in post high school education, much of in private and "for profit institutions".
So she has no pertinent experience and no knowledge of local conditions. But she'll bring about regime change.
I've heard that before, where was it?
"She has no pertinent experience and no knowledge of local conditions...."
Neither do any of the other board members because they are so well insulated from change.
Anonymous 3:46 Schools are so much more than posters on the walls... It's the individual staff and students that make a difference. No one, no matter how many degrees they have can help improve something they know nothing about. It's important to visit all the schools, meet staff, parents and students and attend meetings before boasting that you can make a difference.
Even a hint of a board candidate opposing the budget is enough to excite the blogger. His only concern with public education is money.
I do not believe Dr. Katz has changed her stance supporting the budget. If the blogger was interested in her opinion, rather than promoting his own, he would have contacted her to find out.
Does anyone like me wonder why the blogger chose not to reproduce the communication?
We will not be voting for Dr. Zatz, despite her credentials as an educator. Dr. Zatz has attended exactly one regular public meeting of the Board, as well as the mini-curriculum fair of 4/4; she has not attended any workshops, where the discussions RE: the education of our children take place, for the most part. Should she show more interest in the workings of the Board in the future, we might consider her a serious candidate; however, we can't do so at this time. The letter below summarizes our position vis-a-vis the upcoming election.
In choosing our elected officials, we often have to balance injecting energy and new ideas into our governing bodies against a proven ability to accomplish the required tasks. Thankfully, in this year’s School Board Elections, we can have the best of both worlds with our two incumbent candidates. Barbara Ostroth is running for a 5th term as a board trustee. During her tenure, we have seen the district complete an extensive building program on time and under budget. We have also seen a full restructuring of the high school curriculum, with a raising of graduation requirements to well above those required by the State of New Jersey. We have seen the implementation of two smaller learning communities – the TEAMS Academy and the Arts Academy – to support those students with special interests in math, science, and technology as well as in the fine and performing arts. We have put into place a program designed to address something no district nationwide has been able to accomplish – namely, to tackle the heretofore vexing problem of the achievement gap between persons of color versus the rest of the school population. Barbara has been intimately involved in the details of all of the above, and she continues to exert a leadership role in the implementation of these programs. Her ideas to improve the selection processes for the Academically Gifted programs, to form alliances between the district and various segments of our community to better the education of our students, and to improve the mentoring of our students will serve us well in the next years.
Finally, Barbara has always been willing to take on the necessary but often frustrating and thankless task of lobbying our state and federal legislatures to ensure that they return to us at least a portion of what we pay into those governing bodies. She continues to work closely with our administration, our teaching staff, and our parents to ensure that we provide the best education possible given the fiscal restraints that we face as a district. Her voice of optimism, combined with a hard-headed pragmatism of how to get things done, are necessary in the next three years as we proceed with the implementation of the ACT Initiative.
Dr. Henry Pruitt is running for a second term as a Board Trustee. In his first term, Dr. Pruitt has pushed tirelessly for the advancement of the education of all of our students, especially those students who have heretofore often been neglected or overlooked. His efforts to improve the rigor in our curriculum, as well as the assessment of programs both old and new, have helped to push the ACT Initiative implementation to its current level, and promise to continue to keep us moving forward in the coming years. Henry’s championing of teaching algebra to all 8th graders (and putting the resources in place to help those who might struggle with that decision) promises to put our students in a more competitive position when it comes time to apply to college. Furthermore, his willingness to point out that which makes us uncomfortable, and to hold us to the standards that we all profess to have, is absolutely necessary in this time of change.
Do they agree with each other? Often not (though I think they would both be surprised to find out how often they do agree). Do I agree with either of them at all times? Definitely not; there are times when I agree with neither of them. Do they have the best interests of our children, as well as our communities, at heart at all times? Absolutely! Their ability to work through their differences towards the common goal of bettering the education of our children, while exercising fiscal restraint for our taxpayers, will hold us in good stead in the coming three years. We urge the Teaneck voters to return Ms. Barbara Ostroth (Line 1) and Dr. Henry Pruitt (Line 5) to the Board of Education for the coming three years.
Finally, we also urge that the Teaneck voters vote YES on the school budget. At a tax levy increase of 2.92%, a full 1% below the rate of inflation, this budget actually saves money for the taxpayers of Teaneck. Moreover, the budget provides $1,000,000 in funding to programs designed specifically to address the student achievement issues of the district. We need to fund the education of our youth. Yes, education is expensive, but it pales next to the cost of ignorance.
David L. Diuguid, MD
Caryn R. Diuguid
"Her educational experience has been primarily in post high school education, much of in private and "for profit institutions". So she has no pertinent experience and no knowledge of local conditions. But she'll bring about regime change. "
Well, I guess it all depends on what you consider pertinent. She is a certified social studies teacher and if you read her site it looks as though she spent a lot of time working with high school kids and high schools.
Also, as I recall, the board doesn't actually teach classes to the kids. They are supposed to do things like set policy, measure performance, and set budgets. These are things Zatz has done that the others seem "befuddled" with.
As for the budget, personally, I say VOTE NO, not because I'm cheap, but because the money will be thrown away until the board gets some collective sense of responsibility. I have been very impressed by some board members, and depressed by others. I think most want to help but I also think the current culture of the board, like that of the town council, is suppressing the individuals rather than helping them.
And if it means getting outsiders in every year until there's change, that's OK with me. But I think we have to be able to tell the real outsiders from the poseurs.
Funny. The Board has had no problem relying on the recommendations of outside consultants to support major changes, but yet Zatz is rejected because she is an outsider. It seems to me that there are more than enough people on the Board with "local knowledge" and having an "outsider" on the Board would be like getting an ongoing outside consultant's view for no charge. Remeber, she can't enact anything by herself without the votes of others with many years of Board service.
As to Tom's comment:
"Even a hint of a board candidate opposing the budget is enough to excite the blogger. His only concern with public education is money."
Can't speak for the Blogger, but I find it exciting. In their public statements to the Suburbanite 4 out 5 candidates failed to mention fiscal policy - even though we are one year out from the rejection of the Budget. The 5th, Barbara Ostrow, talked about the careful review performed by the Board - which,as we know know, led them to conclude that every program and employee of the Board was essential and could not be cut. Comedically, candidate Margot Fisher demonstrated in her campaign ad that she is incapable of even defining the term "fiscal restraint."
So, yes, any candidate who even questions the budget and does not just blame factors outside BoE control is a basis for excitement. And Tom,yes, it is about money. You can still be a big fan of public education and question why Teaneck has to be in the 98th percentile of spending year in and year out.
Dr. Zatz gets my vote for being honest and not beholden to anyone on the BofE. Teaneck for some reason thinks that you need to be from Teaneck to be enlightened and knowledgeable. Hogwash! New eyes are needed. Open up the windows in the HS and let the stink out!
Dr. Zatz has two children. One goes to the charter school. Is the other child old enough to attend school? Where does s/he go to school?
At some point I think she said one was going into the school system next year.
befuddled said :So she has no pertinent experience and no knowledge of local conditions. But she'll bring about regime change.
I've heard that before, where was it?
probably from elnatan rudolph, and if you followed the council and its actions since the election, you would see the change is occuring.
I'm voting for Zatz and the two incumbents. Some changes are desirable, but the new needs to be better than the old...
The Diuguids correctly pointed to progress, but I can also point to big problems with the current board that do call for an outsider. Such as spending so much time and effort on arguing for the budget, issuing propaganda pieces on taxpayer dollars to convince us to vote for the budget, but nto actually telling anyone what's in the budget other than a few chosen graphs. Where is the budget exactly? It's not on the web site, or in the Suburbanite. I see the charter school uses less money per student yet has better numbers in the Record's summary. I also see that we are spending a huge amount of money per student and though our numbers are pretty good compared with some towns, they are pretty low compared to others. Mainly what bothers me is the Board of Ed telling me that everything is fine and I should just vote yes without telling me what I'm voting for, and being proud of a "small" hike when they still do things like waste money on regular night football games and don't seem to have any control (or at least any sense of control) over salaries. I think it would be good to have someone who knows how to use the numbers to make better decisions, along with all the people who dream up creative and sometimes good projects (whose impact doesn't seem to be objectively measured anywhere).
By the way, during this budget hike - did the number of students go up or down? Anonymous said there were 100 fewer students, and I didn't know that. Shouldn't we be spending less money, not more?
See Dr. Katherine Zatz - Teaneck Board of Education Candidate FAQ for:
Q. Were there mistakes in the posting to Teaneck Shuls?
Yes, and I regret them. I had to be out of town on personal business when the posting was due, and my husband put together what I had already written with what he thought to be accurate information given to him. There were mistakes. In addition, though the wording of the increase is always couched in terms like “proposed tax increase of less than 3%,” the apparent budget increase is indeed 2.92% - he misread the prior year’s figure. I apologize for these errors and, as the posting went out under my name, take responsibility for them.
Even a hint of a board candidate opposing the budget is enough to excite the blogger. His only concern with public education is money.
I do not believe Dr. Katz has changed her stance supporting the budget. If the blogger was interested in her opinion, rather than promoting his own, he would have contacted her to find out.
Does anyone like me wonder why the blogger chose not to reproduce the communication?
Ah, yes, if it only it were so simple. If you could just neatly tuck away the complex views of all those who disagree with you into a tiny little box hidden out of sight, life would be a lot easier, wouldn't it? Unfortunately, it's not an either/or proposition. Most Teaneck voters want to have a successful school district at a reasonable price. And while we cannot have it all, we ought to try. The best way to do that is to have a vigorous public debate in which the issues are acknowledged and addressed. Until late last week, the campaign lacked that. I am hopeful that has changed.
I have no idea what you are trying to intimate about my not reproducing the full text of the communication, but to put your mind at ease, here it is:
My name is Kate Zatz, and I am running for the Teaneck
Board of Education.
Our town has incredible potential, with active citizens, a higher than usual level of achievement, and many professionals in education and other fields. We have enthusiastically supported our schools, paying more per student than people in most other towns. Yet, our schools have not been performing as well as they should be - one fifth of the graduates are not passing the High School Proficiency exam (excluding students with learning issues; if you include them, it goes up to one quarter). Parents have been telling me that their children can get a good education, if they end up in the right track and get the right friends. But many parents have been voting with their feet.
The Board of Education claimed their current hike is only 2.9%, assuming other taxes remain steady, which they rarely do. Using Board of Ed numbers (as taken from their costly, glossy blue mailing), we can quickly see an actual 5% hike in the school budget(using the formula for change, new minus old, divided by old). This is marketing, not communication.
Two candidates are already on the Board; and two are on the Superintendent' s Advisory Committees. One candidate has, as their campaign manager, a member of the Town Council. As far as I know, I'm the only real outsider, and sometimes it takes an outsider to break through a culture where people have become complacent and have time-worn excuses for any criticism (like not being able to lower the budget because salaries are such a large part of it, as though they have no control over staffing and salaries.)
I have run on my background until now. I have been in the field of education for 25 years, and am currently the chair of the board of the largest on-line college for military personnel. While I have been chair, we have adopted new, stronger outcomes measures to make sure our students are getting the educations they need and deserve, and we were accredited not only by a national accrediting body but also by a regional accrediting body - a rarity in education.
In three local colleges - SUNY-Rockland, College of
Aeronautics (now Vaughn), and Hudson County Community College - I have achieved not only higher enrollments, but also far
better services for existing students, with a lower cost per student. It has been a matter of taking responsibility, working with others, and having clear measures of success so we know what works and what does not - and not fooling ourselves by using inappropriate or irrelevant measures. If a small number of students move on to prestigious colleges, it does not make up for having many students who cannot do well enough on standardized exams. We need to educate all students well, not just a few.
Having a daughter in the charter school provides a different perspective, as well. The charter school is not perfect by any means, but it has implemented some new ideas that really work. Middle schoolers at the charter school behave with a uniform respect for others, something which is unusual at that age. Foul language is not heard in the hallways or on the sidewalks outside the school. Kids work together to learn, and they tutor each other. The mixing of ages in many grades works well, too. There are many things the other Teaneck schools could be doing to increase the quality of education for our children.
I am honestly concerned about the high school. Yes, I am running largely to make the high school better for my kids, and the way to do that is to make it better for ALL kids.
I invite you to ask me any questions you may have
about my running, and to see http://www.Drkatezatz.com
for more information.
Thank you.
So is this the Teaneck Shuls posting that is, according to Dr. Zatz's website (and Tom Abbott's post), partially wrong?
Correct. Her retraction is now posted on her website and hopefully on teaneckshuls by the end of today.
Most who know us, already know that my wife and I are supporting Barbara Ostroth in tomorrow's Board of Education election. When I met Barbara she was not a board member, but she was already actively working to improve the quality of education in the Teaneck Public Schools. Barbara and my wife Janet became allies in their constant drive to improve the quality of public education in Teaneck.
While the entire "Board Member Code of Ethics" is important, I have always felt the reason most candidates run can be summed up in:
"I will make decisions in terms of the educational welfare of children and will seek to develop and maintain public schools which meet the individual needs of all children regardless of their ability, race, creed, sex or social standing."
Ms. Ostroth’s actions as a board member have made it clear that she has always understood and been guided by this. It is not surprising that Barbara has the support of Mayor Katz, as well as former Mayors Kates and Ostrow.
I urge everyone to vote for Barbara Ostroth on Tuesday April 17th
… and quoting from Barbara’s flyer
"SUPPORT OUR SCHOOLS! Vote “YES” for the 2007-2008 Budget."
The thing about Zatz is that she doesnt understand the climate of the community. She thinks everyone has the same resources as she does. She sends her kids to the charter school. I do respect that but she is surrounded by parents who take a vested interest in their children's education, who looked for alternative routes and went throug a competitive process to enroll their children into that school. Anytime you put an involved parent with a child, you have a formula for success. (Although the numbers for the Charter school arent that great either!)
She is very intelligent, but speaks at such holier than thou level, she turns people off.
One thing that really bugs me about her is that she talks and talks about The internet being a porthole for communication for parents and teachers and classrooms..
She writes on her website
"One thing I would really like to see is that every parent or guardian can log on to their school’s web-site and find out what homework assignments are coming up for the child."
What about the parents that dont have internet access or dont know how to get on the internet? Lets face it, there are tons of those parents in our district..For me this just shows she is out of touch with the needs of our community.
How about we start with computer labs at all the schools. From KG on up. Dont try to tell me that Bryant has a computer lab.
Ive been looking all year.
All classes have computers. Most parents, with the exception of my husband, have email addresses. (He's a renaissance man, literally.)
1st place- Henry Pruitt
2nd place- *Margot Fisher*
3rd place- Sebastian Rodriguez
4th place- Barbara Ostroth
5th place- Kate Zatz
The people have spoken.
School Board Election Results (unofficial)
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