School Board

Four compete for 2 seats on Crest school board
By TRUDI GILFILLIAN Staff Writer, (609) 463-6716
Press of Atlantic City
Published: Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Updated: Tuesday, March 28, 2006

WILDWOOD CREST — Shared services versus too much sharing is a central issue in this year's school board elections.

In 2005, Wildwood Crest and Wildwood agreed to share the services of Superintendent Dennis J. Anderson to save administrative costs. Now, the four candidates for school board are looking at what role sharing should play in the school district's future.

Incumbents Judy L. Huber and Frank Accardi are each hoping for a second consecutive term, while Fred Spiewak and Donna Osborn-Long are hoping to return to the board they have served in the past. Two seats are open.

Accardi, 54, is a motel and restaurant owner and is a director on the Boardwalk Basketball Tournament committee.

He said the current board has successfully operated the school and kept spending low, and he pointed to news that the tax rate will remain stable for the coming school year. The rate is expected to be 37 cents per $100 of assessed property valuation.

“I feel we've done an excellent job in the last three years saving taxpayer money, and we will continue to do that,” Accardi said.

Accardi said he supports efforts to share services such as purchasing with other districts, but he said local residents will continue to run their school.

He said sharing allows the district to save money in one area, such as administrative costs, and make use of it in the school's educational offerings.

“Regionalization is totally out of the question.” Accardi said. “Crest Memorial will stay Crest Memorial.”

But Accardi is looking ahead to the issue of school enrollment as student populations continue to fall in shore communities throughout the region. Many young families are turning away from resort towns as property values continue to rise.

The district already brings in students on a tuition basis from outside the borough and that will continue to defray some costs, Accardi said.

Huber, 44, is a Wildwood High School graduate and recently sold the retail business she and her husband started in Lower Township. She is now starting a new career in real estate and also coaches youth sports.

“You have to be concerned with the enrollment issue. Where will we be in three to five years?” Huber asked. According to school officials, the school district has an enrollment of 284 students.

Huber said sharing superintendents and other services is a good beginning, but she added, “It helps, but it's not the answer.”

Huber wants to look at ways to cut the budget in areas not directly linked to the classroom, such as reducing heating/air conditioning bills, anything that would allow the district to preserve its strong educational programs.

“The bar for education does not get lowered,” Huber said.

While sharing remains on the table, Huber said she, too, does not support regionalization or joining other school districts. “I believe the community has stated loud and clear they're not for it,” she said.

Osborn-Long, 46, is a learning consultant with the Cape May County Special Services School District and will have two children in the elementary school in the 2006-07 school year.

Osborn-Long said “many good things can come out of shared services,” but some aspects of the school's educational program should not be open for sharing.

For instance, she said, the school should continue to have its own child-study team to ensure students get the attention and continuity they require.

But if sharing is going to continue, “We should go to the voters,” Osborn-Long said.

She said Crest Memorial School has a solid reputation and high test scores and that should be maintained. “I know what a wonderful school Crest Memorial is,” she said.

Fred Spiewak, 48, is president of Licensee Services Inc., a distribution company, and has two children at Crest Memorial School. He is a past board president and has a background in accounting.

Spiewak, who is running with Osborn-Long as a team, said he is concerned that the school board is handing over control of the district by sharing essential services.

“If this is what the community wants, let them tell us. I would put the vote to the people,” Spiewak said.

Spiewak said sharing does not equal a cost savings, and he said he would review all of the school district's inter-local sharing agreements. He said it makes sense to share in some areas, such as in the area of building maintenance, but not educational staff.

“We would take a step back from where they're going,” Spiewak said.

To e-mail Trudi Gilfillian at The Press:TGilfillian@pressofac.com