09/19/2023
I ask you all to Believe in Barnegat! At the end of last week Barnegat residents received the Barnegat Leader in their mailboxes. Those who flipped through last week’s edition were subjected to a two-page advertisement for board of education hopefuls, "Education is Key". Their "ad" is grossly misleading, deceitful, and is walking the line of outright slander.
I want to take a few minutes to clear up the lies and gross exaggerations told by my opponents.
Lie #1 - The Bistro
The bistro project is NOT a teachers lounge as suggested in their ad. It has it NEVER been presented nor suggested to be. The bistro project is a proposed cafe for use by high school students, many of whom are special needs, will have the opportunity to obtain real life experience working in the food service industry. The money for the bistro project will come from a surplus account that gained large amounts of capital during COVID. The money in that account must be used within strict guidelines and if the district does not spend it, it can be taken away and future funds limited. So yes, I voted to use earmarked funds to enhance the social, emotional, and educational experience of every student in the high school. I surely did not vote for a $368,000 teacher’s lounge.
Lie # 2 – 6% Tax Increase
I am being accused of voting in favor of a 6% tax increase while two of my opponents voted no. The fact is that NONE of the board members voted for or against a 6% tax increase. Coupled with this lie is that I voted to cut staff, eighth grade graduation, student programs and to keep outdated books. The initial proposal was for a 6 CENT increase to which the board was unanimously against when it was initially proposed. The actual vote compromised of a 4 CENT increase which was negotiated down from the proposed 6 CENT increase. I did vote yes for the 4 CENT increase. I voted yes to KEEP teacher positions, allow new books to be purchased, and to give the eighth-grade graduation ceremony a fighting chance. Anyone that voted no, were stating that they agreed with cuts that would have devastated our students and staff. I voted yes because our students do not deserve a bare minimum education and our staff do not deserve to work more shorthanded than they already are. I understand completely that any tax raise is hard on families, however, children being taught in classes of 30+ students is unacceptable and that most certainly would have been the scenario if an increase in taxes were not considered. I truly believe there is not one member of our community that would be okay with that outcome.
Lie # 3 – The Curriculum
I am being accused of voting yes to a curriculum that "removes parental rights" and is "politician crafted". I voted yes to the curriculum for the entire district. Those who voted against the curriculum directly caused the parent portal opening to be delayed, cost the district thousands of dollars in stipend pay to edit curriculum and put Barnegat in the spotlight in a negative way. It has been clear that that my opponents are not advocates of the NJ Health and PE standards. The fact is that these standards are not up to any local board of education, no matter how many times board members claim that they are. Barnegat School Administrators spent many hours meeting with community members in an effort to craft a curriculum that meets the standard in a way that parents can be comfortable with. It has been clearly communicated that any parent who wishes to keep their child out of these lessons may do so by sending an email to their building principal. After the discussion with the building principal those children will not participate in the affected lessons. I will always advocate for parental control and input, and I do agree that each parent has that right and I fully encourage them to take advantage of that. Districts who have refused to adopt the state standards are being sued by the state. That is not a situation that Barnegat can realistically afford. The purpose of the board of education is to ensure the schools are operated in an ethical and fiscally sound manner. Putting the district in a situation that will bring upon potential legal issues is counterproductive to fiscal responsibility.
At the end of the day, EVERY child should feel safe in school. By EVERY child I mean EVERY child regardless of age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, s*x, or s*xual orientation. I realize that my stance here will trigger questions about the procedure for notifying parents in the scenario that a child begins to identify as a different gender. This policy is a safety net. This allows school staff to keep a child safe from potential discrimination and in more severe cases, abuse. I stand strongly in the belief that our district staff and counselors will rally behind any child that is faced with any form of discrimination or abuse and work to find a way to see that every student reaches their fullest potential without fear of abuse.
I am appalled that three women running for a position on a Board of Education are comfortable with lying and exaggerating in an attempt to deceive the voters of this community. I know I do not want people who would stoop to this low of a level to be in charge of the policy making of our schools. So again, I ask our community to show up at the polls and voice the opinion that we do not need hate, fear mongering, and lies in our schools. Vote Believe in Barnegat in November with candidates that have true transparency and will put the education of our children first.
- Colleen Angus (4D)
