Two Westwood residents are currently vying for a position on the Westwood Regional Board of Education.

The incumbent, Lee-Ann Schaadt, whose daughter is currently enrolled at Westwood Regional Jr./Sr. High, has served three terms on the board. Jaimie Baker, a mother of three children currently attending school in the district, is running for the first time.

The platforms of these two candidates differ in numerous ways; not the least of these being that one sets her sights on initiating changes at the district’s elementary and upper-elementary schools, while the other seems more concerned with continuing to improve the quality of education at the Jr./Sr. High School.

According to Baker, there are three main issues that she would like to focus on if elected to the board. First of all, she said, financing and budgeting must be constantly monitored and reevaluated so that the district can get the most bang for its buck. “I am shocked at the lack of funding we get from the state,” Baker declared. She suggested that the school district put extra effort into seeking endowments from the state and federal government and “be more creative. … We need to try and fix this however we can.”

Secondly, said Baker, the district has to make more of an effort to evaluate the curriculum in its schools “to make sure there is continuity and progression as children move up through the school system… [and] to make sure there are no gaps in learning.”

Baker said that she honestly feels that “if you want your kids to be in AP classes [in High School], that learning begins in kindergarten.” At the same time, she notes that it is important that all children receive the same quality and consistency in their education, whether they are on the honors track or not. She feels that it is especially important that the district identifies and addresses the needs of learning disabled children, and focuses on helping them “when the kids are in the first and second grades, and not wait until they get older.”

The last area in which Baker feels the district can use improvement is with “intangibles,” or the small and large efforts and initiatives that take schools from good to great. For instance, she said, “We need to become very proud of our school district… It’s not a short-term fix; it’s a matter of changing the culture.”

She believes that the board can accomplish this by reaching out to and involving the community as much as possible in school-related functions and improvements “so that the school is seen as an asset to the community. … At the end of the day,” said Baker, “the better our schools are, the higher our homes will be valued at, which is a huge concern for everybody.”

Incumbent Lee-Ann Schaadt, placed more emphasis on initiatives to improve the quality of education at the Westwood Regional Jr./ Sr. High School and has a list of issues she would like to tackle if reelected.

First of all, she is interested in updating and improving the math program at the Jr./Sr. High School. “With the current referendum,” she said, “the district will be looking at expanding science curriculum with the state of the art facility, so I know the math program is a really important piece of this.”

Like Baker, Schaadt is also a believer in the importance of open and effective communication between and among the board, district residents and community leaders, and she points out that she has already developed productive relationships with organizations in the district. “I would love to see the district continue to reach out to community and municipal bodies and keep them informed of initiatives,” she said. “If elected, I would like to continue to work with community groups.” After all, “schools are an essential part of our town and community.”

Finally, Schaadt would like to see the Board of Education continue on the path that it is already on, one that she has helped forge. She wants to see the board “continue to support the new administration,” specifically in the area of more diverse class offerings. “There are a lot of updated programs that the new administration would like to offer,” she said, “and we need to be more supportive to allow students to attend a wide variety of colleges of their choice.”

New programs include a variety of half-year electives at the Jr. Sr. High School, including journalism, forensics, and “a host of new and different arts programs.” Schaadt says that these are the kinds of courses that allow students in the district to explore education beyond the basics. “These are things they need to be exposed to. We are trying to broaden their horizons.”

Karen F. Mrnarevic's e-mail address is Mrnarevic@northjersey.com.