Board of Education Candidate Profile: Elaine Kusel

This is the fourth in a series of profiles of the four Board of Education members seeking three available seats in the April 20 school board elections.

The same questions were provided to all four candidates for the Board of Education and these answers are in their own words. Space limits were provided on each question. Editing was done for grammar and style but not substance. The questions and answers are provided to allow you the voter to hear directly from the candidates on the key issues impacting the public schools.

Name: Elaine Kusel

Address: 52 Granville Way

Length of Time in Town: 8 years

Family: Married to Christophe Kusel; three children: daughter in sixth grade at William Annin, son in fourth grade at Liberty Corner School, and a daughter who will be entering Kindergarten in the fall

Education: 1987 graduate of Boston University with a degree in Economics and a double major in International Relations; 1994 graduate of George Washington University Law School with a J.D. in 1994

Professional: Worked in Washington for seven years as a legislative aide, worked full time on Capitol Hill while at law school as a full time student, joined a large Manhattan law firm in 1995 specializing in complex corporate litigation, elected partner of that firm in 2001,  resigned in 2006, currently of counsel to a smaller California firm

Community Service/Activities/Experience:

• Active volunteer at Liberty Corner School since eldest child entered the school, serving as a classroom volunteer and a member of the Parent Teacher Organization
• Currently Co-President of Liberty Corner PTO
• Coached a Destination Imagination team for three years
• Regularly attended Board of Education meetings for many years

Questions:

1) What do you think are the three biggest issues currently facing the Bernards school district?

1. The State government's continued reduction in funding for our schools.
2. The challenge of maintaining the integrity of our academic programs while avoiding unfair tax increases.
3. The continued escalation of costs of employee benefits and salaries.

2) Please explain your positions on these issues: (Please limit your answers to 175 words per issue)

1. Our district currently gets less than 5 percent of our educational funding from the State and that means we are sending far more money to Trenton than we receive in return and our children deserve better.  The BOE needs to work to reverse these continued cuts in state funding. 
2. While dealing with the current budgetary constraints, it is important that our community works together to find the least painful cuts and/or tax increases that we can.  The BOE needs to work to bring all elements of our community together, and to ensure that it does not unwittingly divide the community into adversaries.  At the end of the day, all elements of our community whether single, retired, parents of high school age children, parents of special needs children, or parents of pre-school age children, benefit from living in a town with strong schools. We need to work together to find a solution which while perhaps imperfect, will work for all of us, and that will require more discussion and dialogue between the board and the community.
3. I believe we need to make sure that every member of our community shares the pain of budget cuts, not just taxpayers and students.  That means I would support a salary freeze for our teachers this year, and require district employees to start making meaningful contributions towards their benefits.  It is not right that while our district's spending is increasing 2 percent over last year, spending on instruction is actually going to be down nearly 1 percent (.77 percent).

3) What is your position on Gov. Chris Christie's proposed constitutional amendment to implement a 2.5 percent cap on property tax increases? What impact would this impact have on the Bernards public schools? (Please limit your answer to 250 words)

I think this is the wrong way to solve a very real problem. Our problem is our town sends too much money to Trenton and gets too little in return.  If a tax cap were implemented and state funding continued to shrink, we would face wholesale cuts in programs even if teachers accepted a salary freeze. Studies show that without increased state spending, the result of tax caps on public education is clearly negative: class sizes have increased and mean student performance on standardized testing has declined. The best way to ensure that our schools run the way we want them to is to make sure decisions are made locally, by our own elected officials who will lose their positions if they are not responsive to citizens' concerns. The Governor's proposal would take away this local control from our Township Committee and our Board of Education.  We need tax reform, but the solution is not to tie the hands of local government so that they cannot fix Trenton's mistakes.

4) If this year's school budget is passed, early predictions for the 2011-12 school year call for a $1.3 million budget shortfall. How would you recommend that the district face the coming funding challenges (i.e. program cuts, tax increases, etc)? (Please limit your answer to 250 words).

First, we need a teacher contract that reflects today's economic times.  Second, without increased state funding, we will still face a shortfall.  Therefore, I think the Board of Education should make long term planning a priority, and consider potential cuts and/or tax increases early in the school year, so that the public has a chance to weigh in on their potential impact long before the April budget season.

5) What skills do you bring to this position? (Please limit your answer to 250 words).

I am a parent and volunteer who is passionate about our schools, and regularly attends BOE meetings.  As a PTO president I have experience working with parents, teachers, and school and district administration.  As a former litigator, I have a great deal of experience negotiating complex cases and reaching agreements. I have learned to think independently and find solutions where none were seen by others.

6) Why are you running for the Board of Education? (Please limit your answer to 250 words). 

I am running because I think we need changes at the Board of Education.  Specifically, in addition to reigning in spending on salaries and benefits, I think the BOE should provide more facts and information about the actual budget numbers, rather than the generalized information that is currently made available. I also believe we need long term planning. The decisions about which programs are worthy of saving should not be made in whirlwind two-week period each year.  The public has a right to understand what programs are at risk and have a meaningful opportunity to respond.  This year, the budget contained cuts that were never even mentioned before the night the budget was approved.  While the BOE did not know the scope of cuts that would be necessary this year until very recently, the BOE should plan ahead and have a list of priorities, with input from the community, so that when the numbers come down, the town already knows what is likely to be cut. 

7) How do you intend on balancing the responsibilities of elected office with your personal and professional obligations? (Please limit your answer to 250 words)

I have long balanced a busy career and my responsibilities as an active volunteer.  I have managed to take care of my children, work outside the home and volunteer for many years.  I am comfortable that I could continue to do so.

8) Are the Bernards public schools better off now than where they were three years ago? (Please limit your answer to 250 words). 

Our schools are not better off than they were three years ago. Every year we have been paying more in taxes and getting less in return. Among other things, class sizes have increased and we have lost important programs such as Spanish in the elementary schools and enrichment programs in both the elementary and middle schools.  We need to reverse this trend of paying more and getting less.  The strength of our academic programs and our property values are depending on it.