The November 12 West Windsor-Plainsboro Board of Education meeting began on a sad note: President Hemant Marathe announced that fellow board member Yibao Xu, from Plainsboro, had died on November 7 (see obituary, page 11). Both Marathe and Superintendent David Aderhold praised Xu for his service on the board and his commitment to the district and its students. “Yibao didn’t speak much, but when he did, he was concise and perceptive. He left a positive mark on everyone on the board,” Marathe said.
Xu’s death left a vacancy on the board just two days after the election. Accordingly, the board will need to appoint a replacement, who will serve at least until the next election in November, 2014. See box, page 16, for details on the appointment and election process.
Another emotional topic was discussed at the board meeting: whether or not to designate Chinese New Year and Diwali as professional development days (meaning that students would have the days off but teachers and staff would not) during the 2014-’15 and 2015-’16 district academic calendars. After much discussion the adoption of the calendars passed, 5 to 2.
That means that students will receive a day off for Diwali on Thursday, October 23, 2014, and for Chinese New Year on Thursday, February 19, 2015. The following academic year Diwali will be Wednesday, November 11, 2015, and Chinese New Year will be Monday, February 8.
Richard Kaye was not present to vote, and Michele Kaish and Dana Krug voted against the measure.
Among the many members of the public offering opinions was West Windsor resident Xun Zhang, “I’d like to share some background about how special Chinese New Year is to the Chinese people. In China, there are millions of migrant workers at the factories far away from their hometowns. Only once a year, during the Chinese New Year holiday, they travel home to celebrate it with their families. We came to the U.S. as our adopted country, and try to learn and follow the traditions and customs here. In the meantime, we still would like to preserve our heritage as much as possible, and celebrating Chinese New Year with the families is a most important part of it.”
Zhang continued: “I’d like to thank all board members for [considering] this very professionally. You should all feel good about the outcome. There is no right or wrong decision. But the decision can be made by following the right or wrong process. I thought the process worked the way it should. No matter how you vote, I pay high respect to all of you. You are following the process professionally, adhering to your principles and beliefs, and delivering your arguments convincingly. That’s probably more important than which way the decision itself goes.”
Noting that the late Yibao Xu had proposed the idea of having a school holiday for the lunar new year celebration, Yingchao Zhang, also from West Windsor and a candidate for school board in the last election, said “we are a diverse community, and this holiday is a diverse holiday, celebrated not just by the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean people, but is a holiday for everyone, and is a way for us to learn about and adjust to other cultures.”
Anu Bhat, however, did not agree. “I have returned to West Windsor recently, after living in Singapore for five years, and I am concerned about what I see. I believe that granting of individual holidays to various communities does not necessarily bring communities together but may lead to segregation. I believe the schools should only be closed on federal holidays, especially absent a clear policy or guidelines in place that explains how it is decided which holidays should be days off.”
West Windsor resident Catherine Foley noted, “I have observed that the administration and board have made a priority of creating official policies in order to avoid inconsistency and the appearance of favoritism. In the recent past, the board developed a facility naming policy, as well as standardized placement criteria for advanced courses at the high school level, policies that brought order, consistency, transparency, and fairness to the decision-making process. It is because of the district’s track record of striving for consistency and fairness that I am confused and deeply troubled by the two proposed calendars that you will vote on this evening.
“Over the years, the former administration explained to the public that the district does not close school for religious holidays, but that school is closed on days when significant levels of teacher absenteeism would present a financial burden for the district. I accepted this explanation as district policy, but the calendars presented today indicate that no such policy exists. And the absence of a defined policy has made it possible for the board to pick and choose which segments of the community will be honored with a day off of school.
“That being said, when we start cherry picking which groups our district recognizes, the public can justifiably wonder whether our leaders are essentially dispensing largesse to certain groups and not to others. In the absence of an established calendaring policy, these calendars represent a decision based upon a set of criteria that is not transparent to the public. Shouldn’t our policies give people of all religions and cultures, not just those in the majority, equal access to a standard process?”
Before the vote was taken, several board members explained their positions. The majority of the board members supported the proposed calendars. Although not present, Richard Kaye presented a written statement in which he said, “ours is a diverse community, and I believe this calendar represents the best possible connection between our contractual obligations, federal and state holidays, and the diversity in our community, and so I will vote for this calendar.”
Board member Rachelle Feldman-Hurwitz echoed Zhang’s sentiments, saying “although I cast a single vote, in my heart it is a vote for Yibao as well, because I know he would have supported this calendar. We are obligated to use our votes to be fair and to allow parents to teach their children about their holidays, and to give children the opportunity to celebrate their holidays with their families.”
The Board did not unanimously support the calendar, however. Board member Kaish said, “as long as I have been a member of the school board, never have the competing interests of all the stakeholders in our WW-P community been more tested than in the creation of the 2014-’15 school calendar. Laws, federal holidays, contractual obligations, and the wants and needs of teachers and students and their families all vie for the 180 instructional days that must fall between September 1 and June 30.”
“With all of the issues that have come before this board, my motivations have always been focused on assessing what will best serve the education of our students. In evaluating each issue, my goal is to be fair, respectful, and most important, focused on how we can best prepare our students for success in college and career,” she said.
Kaish continued: “The calendar that appears on tonight’s agenda represents a shift in priority from past calendars. While I respect and understand the motivation in making this change, I am concerned about the impact this calendar may have on the continuity of instruction for our students and the professional development for our staff.
“Furthermore, I am uncomfortable by the absence of a clearly-defined policy that would give guidance to community members and future boards who will most certainly ask for more calendar changes in the future. And so, after a tremendous amount of energy spent trying to figure out what will promote an outstanding and consistent public education that is in the best interest of all of the children of West Windsor and Plainsboro, I will vote no on the calendar tonight.”
Board member Krug also explained why she would not support the proposed calendars. “I serve on the WW-P School Board to represent the best interest of all children, not just those who represent a specific group. Sometimes the board will not have a unanimous vote and tonight’s vote on the calendar is one example. I cannot vote in support of this calendar because I believe that this calendar does not uphold the best interest of all of the district’s children,” she said.
The only reasons public schools should have days off, Krug, added, are “federal holidays; contractual obligations; significant financial burden for the district; or local, state, and federal laws. These [proposed] student days off do not meet any of these criteria,” I respect that my opinion may be in the minority and I look forward to continuing to work with my board colleagues to support and enhance the education of all children in the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District.”
Board Vice President Tony Fleres reminded everyone that “reasonable people can disagree; there are no right or wrong answers here. That’s why we have nine members. This is one vote on one issue, and then we will move on.”
And Marathe, the board president, commented, “The decision being made today is not being made lightly. We have been discussing this issue for more than a year, and everyone has considered the issues very carefully. I am very proud that the board members have handled this so professionally.”
The vote to recognize Diwali or Chinese New Year in the academic calendar follows that of several other ethnically diverse school districts, including South Brunswick.
According to 2010 Census data West Windsor’s population includes 14,924 whites, 5,109 Asian-Indians, 3,368 Chinese, and 1,768 “other” Asian (including Filipino, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese. In Plainsboro the 2010 Census data shows 7,614 whites, 6,458 Asian-Indians, 2,243 Chinese, and 1,079 “other” Asians.
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The board also voted — unanimously — to approve Custom Computer Specialists Inc. to provide implementation services, support, and training for the Infinite Campus online registration system, at a cost of $3,900; to accept Investing in Innovation (i3) grant funds of $4,500 from Flemington-Raritan School District to be used for expenses related to new Reading Recovery teacher training for the 2013-’14 school year; and to accept the audit report for the 2012-’13 school year.
The board also viewed a presentation from middle school and high school students involved in National History Day, a competition for gifted students who conduct year-long research and then present exhibits, documentaries, performances, or other projects. At the national level, all of the awards won by students from New Jersey were earned by WW-P students.
In other district news, a group of about 250 students and their parents attended the recent volunteer fair at High School North. The November 13 event, sponsored by the PTSAs from North, South, Community, and Grover, provided teenagers the chance to meet with 17 volunteer organizations, including West Windsor’s Farmers Market and Twin W; Plainsboro Preserve and the Township’s Recreation & Cultural Center; WW-P Education Foundation; Jewish Family & Children Services; A2Z Mentoring; and more. (See letter, page 6.)
