JACKSON – Michael Walsh, Tom Colucci and Selene Haskins are running for two three-year terms on the Jackson K-8 School District Board of Education in the Nov. 5 election.
Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Haskins did not respond to a request for comment.
Walsh was elected to the board three years ago and said he is running “to help maintain the high level of education in the Jackson School District. The institution of the state’s S-2 law limiting state aid to out district, which works out to be millions of dollars lost each year, could cost the district many staff members.
“Finding alternate revenue streams such as advertising on buses and other places in the district, along with a program which uses saved energy costs to improve facilities without increasing the budget” are priorities, Walsh said.
“I want to protect special education programs, many of which are state or federally mandated and should be supported by those governments. I want to see that all of the extracurricular programs are maintained, along with the curriculum for art and music which make our students’ education well rounded. All these with keeping taxes under control, as taxpayers in Jackson pay more than their fair share,” Walsh said.
Colucci has been a board member for six years and said, “We have made steady progress improving the school district in several areas. We have an outstanding superintendent in Dr. Stephen Genco. His knowledge and experience have been evident in school performance results and the steady ship he runs.”
Genco has announced his retirement and Colucci said that by running again, “I can participate in the selection of the next superintendent. I want to ensure the next candidate possesses the same outstanding characteristics as Dr. Genco, to make the district the success it has been in the last several years under his administration.
“I also want to follow through on several district improvement projects we have been working on. The completion of a satellite bus transportation center on the Jackson Liberty High School property will allow our buses to be operated more efficiently and improve our maintenance.
“The Energy Savings Improvement Program, which is part of the New Jersey Clean Energy Program, allows us to make energy related improvements to our facilities and pay for the costs by using the value of the energy savings that result from the improvements,” Colucci said.
“Sustainable Jersey for Schools is a certification program for New Jersey schools that want to go green. Since I have been on the board, we have achieved three silver and one bronze award for being able to conserve resources in the district. I want to continue and improve upon that performance by serving another term if I am elected,” Colucci said.
