Thirteen candidates are running for three seats on the Hamilton Township Board of Education. The winners earn a three-year term. Just one incumbent, Sue Lombardo, is running for re-election.
Cameron J. Cardinale, 19, is in his second year studying political science at Rutgers University. A member of the Steinert High School Class of 2016, Cardinale also attended Langtree Elementary School and Crockett Middle School. At Steinert, he was involved in athletics, peer leadership, and other clubs.
Girard Casale, 53, attended Saint Anthony’s and Mercer County Community College, where he studied culinary arts. By trade, he is an executive chef. Casale has a godson, a nephew and a niece currently in the Hamilton Township school district. He is a lifelong Hamilton resident, and has never held elected office.
Michael J. Donnelly, 81, is retired. He earned his bachelor’s in education, with a specialization in mathematics. He has not held elected office before, but did serve as the chairman of the Rockaway Township Environmental Commission in 1975.
Susan Formica, 45, is an elementary school teacher in the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District, and the parent of four children who attend or have attended Hamilton Township public schools. Formica holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and sociology. She has served on Mercerville Elementary’s Principal Selection Committee in 2013, and the PTA at Mercerville, Crockett and Nottingham. Formica has volunteered at HTRBA for 13 years.
Albert Gayzik, 70, is a retired educator, and former member of the Hamilton Board of Education. Gayzik is a graduate of Mercer County Community College (associate’s), The College of New Jersey (bachelor’s), Ball State University (master’s) and Rutgers (master’s). He also previously served on the Middlesex Borough Board of Education and the Middlesex Borough Council. Gayzik also has been president of the Mercer County School Boards Association, a delegate to the New Jersey School Boards Association and a member of Wilson Elementary PTA. He is a communicant at Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony’s Parish and a member the American Legion Hamilton Post 31.
Joseph J. Golding, 41, has worked for 18 years as a music teacher for in the Robbinsville School District. Golding also is a professional drummer. Golding has his bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts. He has not held elected office. Golding attended Grice Middle School, Reynolds Middle School and Steinert High School. He has one child in the district, and his wife and several in-laws work in the district.
Angelo Hall, 55, is executive director of the John O. Wilson Neighborhood Center in Hamilton. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Rutgers University. Hall currently serves on several Hamilton school board committees. He had two children go through the district, attending Yardville Heights Elementary School, Grice Middle School and Hamilton High School West.
Manuel Jimenez, 18, is a student, retail sales associate and a member of the Hamilton High West Class of 2017. He also attended McGalliard Elementary School and Grice Middle School.
Joy Kerlin, 39, is director of client services and production at a software company. She graduated from Albright College, and is now enrolled in a dual bachelor’s-master’s labor studies and employee relations program at Rutgers University. She has never held elected office. Kerlin volunteers with HTRBA, HTRSA and the Morgan Elementary School PTA. Kerlin and her husband, Dan, have two sets of twins: boys who attend Morgan Elementary School and a boy and a girl who attend Splendor Bilingual Montessori School in Hamilton.
Susan Lombardo, 49, is the lone incumbent running for re-election to the Board of Education. Lombardo currently serves as board vice president, and has sat on the school board since May 2014. A graduate of Mercerville Elementary School and Nottingham High School, Lombardo works as a program support specialist. Her three children also graduated from the Hamilton Township School District. Lombardo is involved with nonprofit organizations, including Joey’s Little Angels and The Jeremy Fund.
Sherry Morency, 50, is the owner of AVT Holdings and InnerCity Redevelopment. She has volunteered with local youth organizations, such as Nottingham Little League and Hamilton A’s. A product of the Hamilton School District, she attended Klockner Elementary and Nottingham Middle/High School. Her four children also attended township schools.
Gary Schuck II, 36, is an account manager and an Army National Guard veteran. A 1999 graduate of Hamilton High School West, he also attended Sunnybrae Elementary School and Grice Middle School. Schuck earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from West Virginia University. He has never held elected office. Schuck is involved with American Legion Post 31, Catholic Charities Diocese of Trenton and Mercer ARC.
Spencer Sydorko, 29, is a regional sales manager. A product of the Hamilton Township School District, he attended Langtree Elementary School, Crockett Middle School and Steinert High School. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from The College of New Jersey. He has never held elected office. Sydorko is a member of the Hamilton Democrats Club and supporter of the Sunshine Foundation.
The Hamilton Post provided the same four questions to each candidate. Their responses are below. (Despite repeated attempts by the Post, Casale did not return his responses, and therefore is not included.)
Now that voters have approved the referendum for school repairs, what do you see as the most urgent need for the school district?
Cameron J. Cardinale: We need to cut out unnecessary expenses from the budget. Administrative costs per pupil have gone up 116 percent in the past 5 years. If we can cut out all of the wasteful spending, we will be able to restore the aides’ jobs and give the students more supplies.
Michael J. Donnelly: As a new and inexperienced board member, I will listen to the various discussions and debates about such things. I am not ready to jump to conclusions—the issues are far too important to do that.
Susan Formica: It was inspiring to see the outpouring of support for the referendum. Dr. Scott Rocco, our new superintendent, has started a wave of change here in Hamilton. My goal would be to keep the lines of communication open and foster a positive relationship between the BOE and the community.
Albert Gayzik: The board should employ the best architects to prepare accurate and complete information for a successful bidding process. After the bids provide a calendar and timeline for the repairs in the referendum. The board should strive to resolve contract issues to improve labor relations in addition to improving pupil proficiency.
Joseph J. Golding: Asbestos abatement and roofing upgrades. It will become even more difficult to educate anyone if our roofs are literally falling down on students.
Angelo Hall: The most urgent needs currently confronting the school district are: curriculum development, to bring the district more inline with today’s best learning environment; and school overcrowding and the related shifting of Hamilton’s demographics.
Manuel Jimenez: I firmly believe that ensuring the safety of our students and staff will be the most important task in the years to come. It is great that the people of Hamilton Township went out and voted for this referendum, now the work of getting started must be the main priority. We have failing structures that need urgent repairs. Maintaining our schools, and giving our students the best learning environment possible, should be our most important job.
Joy Kerlin: The parents, taxpayers and residents of Hamilton came out and voted yes to the referendum in good faith. Now, the board has to follow through on every point that was listed, while giving the community the updates that were earned by voting yes. We voted yes to provide the staff and students in this district with the safest, healthiest schools possible. Transparency on this work effort is key in building trust and confidence.
Susan Lombardo: All the repairs are very necessary and I wouldn’t say one is more important then another, but I would like to see the security and safety glass addressed first.
Sherry Morency: The vote passed; now the question is who is going to oversee how the $55M is distributed and make sure we are not being gouged with the bidding process. We have no room for mishandling of funds. The Hamilton residents do not want to look around down the road and find out there are no funds available for repairs.
Gary Schuck II: Transparency. Starting with progress reports on the referendum projects. At the same time, conduct a financial analysis to successfully manage future budgetary challenges and trends. I want to look into obtaining more funding through grants, and bring back the educational and lunchroom support staff for the continued safety of students.
Spencer Sydorko: Hamilton needs a clear vision forward that everyone in the township can get behind. We need a five-year and ten-year plan that details improving the infrastructure and resources in our schools so that Hamilton is an attractive place for new families. We need to first ensure that our teachers and students have the daily necessities, then strive to become a technology leader in this digital age.
More than a year ago, the school board voted to cease video recording and publicly posting entire board meetings. Should the cameras be turned back on? Yes or no, and why?
Cameron J. Cardinale: The cameras should absolutely be turned back on and the recordings should be put on BoardDocs so everyone can see them whenever they want. Concerned people also need more time to speak at the board meetings. Our government is built on transparency.
Michael J. Donnelly: Transparency and public knowledge regarding the operation of anything as important as our schools is of great value. When people come to our public meetings, I would encourage them to discuss the agenda among themselves prior to the meeting’s open portion, enabling them to more fully take part in the public meeting.
Susan Formica: Yes, I believe the cameras should be turned back on. Transparency is important. There are many busy, hard working people in Hamilton who are unable to attend meetings. Videotaping board meetings allows residents access to view the meeting when they have the time.
Albert Gayzik: The cameras should be turned on. Residents had access to two board meetings a month. Some may call those turbulent times but transparency is not always neat and tidy. When the board deliberates in public the questions asked can be very informative.
Joseph J. Golding: I strongly believe all meetings should be recorded, and then posted online. As highlighted in past BOE notes and meetings, this has become a personal endeavor in order to get more citizens informed and involved.
Angelo Hall: Yes, the school board should turn the cameras back on. The transparency of the school board is extremely important and allows those in our community who are unable to attend in person to more fully participate in our educational process.
Manuel Jimenez: As I was the first to bring this up in the HTEA Candidate Forum in the closing remarks, I mentioned that the board must step up and become more transparent. Turning on the cameras would be part of my initiative. Adding recordings to a district YouTube page is also something I’d like to see done.
Joy Kerlin: I do believe that the cameras should be turned back on for the board meetings. Scheduling conflicts should not interfere with the public’s ability to be informed on board decisions. There are many districts that live stream their meetings, which is another option I feel should be explored.
Susan Lombardo: I was one of seven board members that voted to stop the recording of meetings, and I have to stand by my decision. We did make sure that there is video recording of any presentations, awards, important announcements or appointments. There is audio recording of each and every meeting. (Would be nice to work on having them available in other languages also). I would not be in support of turning the cameras back. It has proven to be a much calmer atmosphere. I would possibly consider some type of live steaming to be broadcast at time of the meetings. I am not aware of any other public meetings being videotaped; I know council and fire commissioner meetings are not taped.
Sherry Morency: The cameras should come back. I wish they were never removed. Many elderly residents were accustomed to watching and enjoyed the awareness available. While many families were not aware they could review the meetings online, they caught the TV broadcast. I would ask the board to consider returning this opportunity to the community.
Gary Schuck II: The cameras should be turned on to increase transparency on board proceedings, and give parents the opportunity to become more actively engaged in their children’s education. Meetings should be posted on the BOE website, YouTube Channel and shared through social media. This would allow everyone access to our decision-making process.
Spencer Sydorko: As a firm believer in transparency, I would push to not only bring the cameras back, but rather increase communication from the board to our community. If someone in the district goes out of their way to come to a BOE meeting to bring up a question or concern, it should be accessible to everyone.
Last school year, the district spent more than $1.6 million to send 134 district students to charter schools. The tuition money for charter school students, unlike those who go to private schools, comes out of the public school budget. Though not controlled by the school board, charter schools clearly affect the board and the district as a whole. So, do you support charter schools? And what should the board do to cope with the funds lost to charter schools?
Cameron J. Cardinale: I do not support adding more charter schools, but we need to find out why parents want to take their children out of our public schools. To cope with lost funds, we need to lobby the state with our legislators to get more funding redirected back to our school district.
Michael J. Donnelly: The amount quoted is about $12,000 per student. Private and charter schools represent serious reasons parents, children and citizens are willing to promote and invest in the costs of those schools. They have their issues and problems, just as do all schools, but that does not justify suppressing them, does it? I support private and charter schools which fulfill the needs and hopes of their students and those who make it possible for them to attend these schools. If Hamilton provides excellent education to its students, we need not fear non-public schools in our midst.
Susan Formica: No, I do not support charter schools. I believe that the Hamilton School District offers a quality education. I would like to find out the reasons why the 134 students left our public schools. Let’s address those issues so we won’t lose any more students and additional money.
Albert Gayzik: I am not in favor of using public funding for charter schools that operate as a private entity and ignore educational mandates. The board needs to identify the attraction or niche the charter(s) advocates then promote the benefits of Hamilton’s public schools.
Joseph J. Golding: I support charter schools when they support themselves. I do NOT support sending millions of dollars to charter schools when our schools are literally falling down. Also, if taxpayers were shareholders in any major company, millions of dollars invested would equate into at least having a say in how that money is spent. As a result, with a combined effort from other districts, the board could lobby legislators to require charters to have board representation in how charter money is spent.
Angelo Hall: I am not in favor of charter schools in the Hamilton School District. They take vitally needed funding resources out of the control of the school board. In an effort to stem the need for charter schools and to prevent further loss of funds, the school board should examine the best practices of charter schools and begin offering similar school choices in our public schools.
Manuel Jimenez: I am a strong believer in public education. That being said, I do not support charter schools. The board should be doing everything in its power to find out why some parents would prefer to send their children to charter schools. We should look into funding of more programs and activities to offer at our schools to show that a public education is a valuable thing.
Joy Kerlin: I do not support the expansion of charter schools in Hamilton. We need to address whatever programs and features parents feel we are lacking in our public schools and work on a way to provide them, without taking away from our budget for charter schools. Charter schools do not have to follow the same standards of our public schools regarding staffing and curriculum choices, which is a risk when they are using our budget in our community and we have no real way of evaluating effectiveness.
Susan Lombardo: There is not much I can do to stop charter schools from being built, or stop parents from sending their children to charter schools. We need to find out why these parents/children are choosing to go to charter schools. Then we need to do our best to make the district schools better so that these students want to attend the our schools.
Sherry Morency: Eight out of the 12 homes closest to my house do not send their children to the Hamilton school district. My children started elementary school in private district and later transferred to the Hamilton district. I spoke with my neighbors, and four pulled their kids out of Hamilton school district and sent them to private school. The concerns were with the administration. The nepotism seems to be out of control. There are programs that were put in place in the Hamilton district and not every student seemed to have equal opportunity.
Gary Schuck II: I do not support charter schools, there is no data that suggests they are a better educational alternative. They’re businesses which can close its doors at any time and have higher teacher turnover. The board should review why students and parents seek this alternative and improve our own educational system.
Spencer Sydorko: I do not support charter schools in Hamilton at this current time. We cannot afford to send district funds to charter schools, as our budget has already led to unfortunate district cuts. Coping with a $1.6 million shortfall is not easy but can be done by re-examining the budget and lobbying the state for additional funding.
The district is exploring way to ease overcrowding in some district schools, namely Nottingham High School. Already some students who are in the Nottingham sending district can opt to go instead to Steinert High, which has the room to accommodate those students. Do you agree with redistricting to ease crowding?
Cameron J. Cardinale: Redistricting our schools is not something to just jump into. We need to seriously look at the benefits of it before we go ahead with any plan. How will it affect bussing, supplies, etc.? These are all questions that need to be looked at carefully before making any moves.
Michael J. Donnelly: Rightly or wrongly, the costs (financial and other) to maintain and utilize 24 schools all over Hamilton is pretty obvious and “America’s Hometown” has certainly attracted a lot of people and their children needing schools over lots of years. The histories of each of these schools is fascinating, not to mention the non-public schools. Any kind of consolidation or expansion of the existing schools seems to be a daunting task, well worth a lot of consideration and prayer.
Susan Formica: I am open to discussions, community input, and looking at other options to address overcrowding in the schools. These decisions must benefit the educational, social, and emotional needs of the students. I’d be in favor of making changes starting with students in kindergarten, not uprooting students in upper grades.
Albert Gayzik: The boards goal should be to provide an equal opportunity to every student, therefore, in the short term I would consider a change to balance the numbers. That said, as a long-term solution I would encourage investigating the creation of magnet high schools for student choice.
Joseph J. Golding: Yes, I agree with redistricting at this time. If there is space available, it is only common sense to use it as other schools are overcrowded.
Angelo Hall: I am not in favor of simply redistricting the Hamilton School District without a fuller and more complete study of the trending and projected outcomes of such a move. However, I am in favor of the district exploring magnet schools, as well as specialized focus schools, such as vo-tech schools, college prep schools, fine arts schools, and the like.
Manuel Jimenez: Redistricting is an option that must remain on the table at this time. Overcrowding is an issue for quality education. If we have too many students in one building, and space for more in another, it only seems simple and fair to address it. We must look into where the problems start. Pursuing the push for unity in our district is a wonderful idea that started relatively recently with a group called Hamilton N.E.W.S. A true goal of mine is to help push this initiative.
Joy Kerlin: I do not feel that redistricting would have the most impact. Enrollment at the elementary level fluctuates based on birthrate, so redistricting could work for a few years, but is not guaranteed to stay equal over time. I would like to see different magnet programs added to the schools that would allow students to join a program that they want to focus on and have the ability to attend a school that is not their home district school. Many other districts in NJ have implemented magnet or choice schools and have been very successful.
Susan Lombardo: A decision was made due to the extreme overcrowding at Nottingham High School that students from the Kuser Elementary School community can opt to go to Steinert rather than Nottingham if they so choose. Kuser was chosen because it is the only school that students are together from K-5, then go to Reynolds from 6-8, then are separated after 8th grade from the Reynolds students and sent to NHS. So in keeping with the “Neighborhood School” idea, it was decided that Kuser students have the choice for this year and last. We need to look at ascending schools and do our best to make some changes in order to make room in the schools that have overcrowding issues, especially Nottingham. We need to look at the district as a whole and make changes so we can have that “Neighborhood School” feeling but have equity and space in all schools.
Sherry Morency: I would like to see more diversity throughout the district. l removed my boys from Steinert and into Nottingham. They enjoyed the experience at Nottingham. Both of my sons were honor students, and when they transferred to Nottingham, they saw that they were more academically challenged. They had great relationships with all the teachers and often talked about how it was the best opportunity for them.
Gary Schuck II: I would consider redistricting. We need a plan that ensures a fair outcome for all. It’s unfair to students when schools have to accommodate for overcrowded classrooms. We should look into the current population of Hamilton and work with the communities to develop a plan to provide equal educational opportunities.
Spencer Sydorko: I support exploring the idea of redistricting to ease crowding. We are all Hamilton residents and I believe that every school in the district should have the same quality education regardless of the school lines. With 24 schools in the district, we need to explore all options to maximize the space we currently have without overburdening certain schools.
Michael J. Donnelly,
Joseph J. Golding,
Joy Kerlin,
Gary Schuck II,
