Sea Isle City — Six candidates are running for three seats on the Sea Isle City Board of Education. Two incumbents and four newcomers appear on the ballot on Tuesday, April 21, when residents head to the polls to vote on the 2009-10 school budget and three new board members, each to serve a three-year term.

John Birkmeyer

John “Jack” Birkmeyer has been involved in school as a volunteer and mentor during the past 10 years. He said the new send-receive agreement with Ocean City is a step in the right direction.

“About seven years ago, the principal then came to the community and had a plan to meet the problem of Sea Isle’s shrinking enrollment. The community went wild against it. Since that time, the school has lost population and lost services.”

Birkmeyer wants to make sure the changes started in the past year, which he said benefit all Sea Isle City students, need to continue. “I’m afraid there is a group within the community that wants the school back the way it was years ago and trying to do that would be disastrous.”

A key area the board needs to work on, Birkmeyer said, is shared services with other school districts, the city or the county. Using the example of the new library, Birkmeyer said there are ways to make it beneficial, financially and otherwise, for all residents. He said, regardless of who is elected, the school board cannot use old ways to solve new problems.

Birkmeyer said he has experience in developing new programs. “What I am excited about is the chance to work out problems, see new programs developed and then follow through. I think there can be many exciting things in the school and I want to be a part of it.”

Valere Egnasko

Valere Egnasko was elected to school board three years ago and was board president this year.

She is seeking another term because she believes a lot of progress has been made by the school board, “but there is a lot to be done yet.” She said a goal of the school district should be to look at other small districts and study how those districts operate cost effectively.

“We need to set a best practice of meeting the needs of those who want to keep our youngest children in school here, and those who want the best value for their tax dollars.”

Challenges facing the school board include working a smooth transition for students going to Ocean City next September, finding a long-term solution for school administration, and pursuing more shared services with other school districts, to provide services at lower cost. The board also needs to improve communication with the community.

Egnasko said, of her time on the board, she is most proud of the send-receive arrangement with Ocean City. “That was not easy but it is clearly the best thing for these kids. To have three kids in a grade, people have to imagine what that is like. It will be different in Ocean City, so many more opportunities for them.” Egnasko is also proud of the board’s ability to control costs, having no budget increases in the past three years.

Egnasko’s professional background leads her to ask questions and seek information. She said tenacity and willingness to put the time and effort into solving problems are also assets. Egnasko said bringing objectivity to the board is important, “because a lot of these issues can be very emotional.”

Dan Organ

Dan Organ decided to run for the school board when, “I had been attending board meetings and I heard a senior board member say that, come April, they would put things back they way they had been. This election is about what direction the school will be going in the next few years.” Organ said if the candidates that share his vision of the school’s future are not elected, “all the progress of the past two years will be undone.

“The decision voters make is what they believe the future of our town’s children should be,” Organ said. He believes the agreement with Ocean City, for the fifth to eighth graders, is in the best interest of the students and taxpayers.

Organ said key areas needing attention in the next few years are curriculum development and finding a long-term administrator. “Luckily this year, the superintendent has been there a whole year, but using retired administrators is a temporary fix and doesn’t provide stability.” Organ said the best solution would be shared services with another school district.

As a school board member, he would “bring common sense and the ability to objectively analyze information to solve problems.” Organ said his business background would lend itself to working on school budgets, as would his experience in problem solving and bringing groups together to work on an issue.

Editor’s note: Candidates MariaRosa Crudele, Antimo Ferrilli and Jodi LaRosa did not respond to interview requests by the Ocean City Sentinel.