Are there any candidate forums scheduled? Will resumes be made available to the public? Thanks for any information on these questions.

First I would like to congratulate Robin!

I would like to see Wall Patch have a set list of questions for all candidate to answer and post them so we can all read them (a nice chart of response to questions so we could compare easily with an X word limit on responses). Among the questions I think are critical are these :

1) How many board meetings have you attended in the last year? last two years?
2) What is the most important issue facing the board?
3) what is the biggest challenge to improving education in Wall Township?

I do think though that perhaps it would have been wise though to have put Ms.Cross on the board so she could understand the restrictions and constraints on board members. Seeing the role from the other side of the microphone might have been an eye opening experience.

My first comment is I’d like to point out that Jeffrey Kniffen is the ONLY one of the 7 candidates running for the 1 year term that even bothered to apply for the interim appointment. If that doesn’t show commitment and dedication to our kids, I don’t know what does! Where are the other candidates? Not willing to step up to the plate and help whenever it is needed, even on an interim basis. Hey voters, “food for thought” right? I know I will remember that come Election Day. That being said, my second comment is on appointing Robin Zawodniak to the interim position, which makes good sense being that she is running for a full 3 year term unopposed in Nov, so ultimately will end up on the board as well, and might as well get started now. I am a very concerned parent and appreciate the commitment to those who serve on the board.
Erin Mitchell
1810 South M Street

So much of what happens in public education is controlled by Trenton & DC. Therefore, a major challenge is recognizing what is really under "local" control. Also, the work of the DEAC will produce an Educator Evaluation model that could have major financial and behavioral impacts on the district, teachers, students and parents/guardians. Candidate forums must go beyond "what you have done in the past" and emphasize what can be improved in the future as noted by Michael Ferrell.
It was interesting to hear that Mr. Simon is planning to conduct open community forums. That is a long awaited commitment to engaging issues with the community which is very difficult to accomplish at current BOE meetings.

Indeed, hearty congratulations to Robin Zawodniak! Equally, congratulations to the BOE for making a logical and wise choice. Mrs. Zawodniak is assured of a spot on the board come January as she is running unopposed. Appointing her to the interim position is the sensible thing to do, as this will give her three months to get her feel wet and it will create a smooth transition in January when she takes her three year position. No point in sending myself or Mrs. Cross to the NJSBA conference this month if they can send someone who will assuredly be sitting next to them come January 1.
As far as forums go, I do believe that the WTEA and perhaps the Wall Boosters are working on something. As a candidate amongst seven, I welcome this, as it will be difficult and even unwise to make a decision based on little or no information on the candidates. Some of the candidates, although very well intentioned are not up on current goings on or even who the leadership of the board is currently or whose position they are running for. I think that many of them may not realize that they will need to run AGAIN next year.
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My resume was submitted to the BOE office to Mr. Brian Smyth, so it is open to public access through an OPRA request, but I am also willing to provide it to anyone who wishes to see it through email format and I will take any questions that one may wish to pose at: jeffrey.kniffin@gmail.com.
Regarding the questions that have been posed here already:
1) How many board meetings have you attended in the last year? 10 (I missed May as it was my anniversary and July because the entire family was out of state) last two years? 20 or more. Maybe 21 or 22, but I make it a point to make everyone that I possibly can along with my wife.
2) What is the most important issue facing the board? Has been and always will be educating our children the best that they possibly can be to prepare them for a 21st century world AND taking custodianship of and safeguarding the taxpayers dollars.
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3) What is the biggest challenge to improving education in Wall Township? To borrow from Mr. Grygiel, Trenton & D.C control so much of it, that there is little that can be done in many areas because the board's hands are tied with mandates, etc. But, to answer the question from my perspective, it all boils down to funding. In a town such as Wall, with the administration in place and the excellent and ever improving staff that we have in the classrooms, we can deliver the moon with unlimited funding. Unfortunately, that's neither likely nor realistic. A - The taxpayers in Wall are strained to the max with regards to taxes, and B - we'll not see additional funding out of Trenton or D.C. anytime soon until the economy improves. That being said, the real challenge is doing the best we can with what we have. We already know what the budget will be next year, and the year after that, etc...Hopefully, after a few years of improving where improvements can be made within budget constraints, if needed for capital improvements and facility maintenance, we can improve the schools themselves. But that would require a referendum, and a referendum approval requires the trust of the taxpayers. That trust is going to take time to rebuild as it and faith in the BOE has been lost in recent years. The addition of new members, fresh ideas and perspectives and a visionary superintendent will all aid in restoring that trust.
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"It was interesting to hear that Mr. Simon is planning to conduct open community forums. That is a long awaited commitment to engaging issues with the community which is very difficult to accomplish at current BOE meetings." - Fred Grygiel...this concept is awesome, is it not? The superintendent is reaching out to the community to instill trust and openness with and to the taxpayers, parents and citizens of Wall?!?! This is something we would have never seen in a million years under James Habel. I love it! These are the kind of things that will draw a community in to actually SUPPORT education instead of pushing the people away. This is why I want to sit on the BOE and participate with Mr. Simon and the other board members on initiatives like these.
Lastly, thank you Mrs. Mitchell for pointing this out. I too though it odd that none of the others for the one year unexpired term submitted a letter of interest to the BOE office.

I disagree with the prior comment made by Mrs Mitchell. The board choose a candidate they felt was the best candidate at this time. If Mr Kniffin was the best candidate for Wall Twp then he would have been the choice of the Board. The Board was unanimous in choosing Robin. And yes Robin is running unapposed for another 3 year position on the Board. However, if there was a candidate running for the Temporary position that was qualified I trust the board would have chosen that person. As since Mr Kniffin was the only candidate who ran for the Temp position who is running for the 1 year term position and he was not chosen by the Board, as a Wall Twp parent I do not have any confidence in him. I saw the résumés of the other candidates in the local paper today and there were other candidates who appear to be more qualified and are in the educational field.

Also Mr. Kniffin isn't Mrs Mitchell your neighbor?

Or, Rosanna, it is more likely that the BOE did not want to appear to endorse any challenged candidate so as to avoid charges of favortism (something that had historically been true of prior boards) so they chose someone who was not challenged and who was equally qualified. Also, as to your statement that other candidates were more qualified than Mr. Kniffin, the fact that they did not even care enough to seek out the remainder of the term speaks volumes about how much they really desire the position. Mr. Kniffin has shown himself as someone who will fight for what he believes in and does not shy away from adversity or a challenge. He obviously desires to serve in the position and understands what the position entails. Clearly, these other, anonymous, candidates cannot say the same. Someone who is not afraid of stepping up to the plate is someone I want on the board of ed.
Where are the other candidates' responses to the questions posed above? If they are afraid of stepping forward now, how can we have faith in them on the board of ed for another year (and maybe longer)? Will they be another D. Herbert or will they be someone of substance? Thus far, they have shown themselves to be the former. Mr. Kniffin is a person of substance and character and he should be congratulated for seeking out the seat, not chastised.
And I am not a neighbor of Mr. Kniffin, just someone who believes he is the best choice for the position.

Stonewalled you are stonewalling us. First you say others have not answered....then you Mr. Kniffin is the best choice. The logic escapes me. Mr. Kniffin while this isn't meant as an accusation, seeing your picture in the paper today I and some others who regularly attend board meetings don't recall seeing you. Have you made any public comments that might be in the minutes?

Rosanna K., good observation. From her address, I see that we do indeed live on the same street (sort of), we are not neighbors. I believe Mrs. Mitchell lives on the southern end of South M St, while I live about a half mile further north than she does.
Mr. Farrell, I take no insult to the question. I see many faces there and cannot associate names with all of them, but I do recognize quite a few people. In answer to your question, indeed I have. I have been going regularly for years, and I will let others speak as eye witnesses, but here is the link to the BOE section of the Wall Schools website: http://www.wall.k12.nj.us/site/events/boardmeetings.asp ...check the minutes starting back as far as December 2010 for comments made by myself.
If I may, I think that what Stonewalled is referring to is that none of the other 6 candidates have answered the questions that you posed in your first post on this thread. Maybe they do not subscibe to the Wall Patch, I am not sure. I felt compelled to answer the 3 questions that you presented, however.