School Board Candidate Gary Lakritz: Teacher Contracts Need to be Settled

Gary Lakritz, 48, a Chester resident since 2002, is running against Marcia Asdal for the vacant Chester representative seat on the West Morris Regional School Board. The term length is three years. While Washington Township residents do not vote for Lakritz or any representatives from the Mendhams or Chesters, decisions by board members from those towns affect the board as a whole. For more information on the election, see . The following are Lakritz’s answers to questions asked by Long Valley Patch.

Long Valley Patch: How many of your children are going through/have gone through the district?
Gary Lakritz: Our oldest daughter is in 10th grade at Mendham High School. Our youngest daughter is in 8th grade at Black River Middle School.

LVP: What is your educational background?
GL: I received a BS in computer engineering from UCLA and an MBA in finance from Carnegie Mellon University.

LVP: What is your current occupation?
GL: I am the President of Knollwood Energy, a Chester based company that is focused on the renewable energy market.

LVP: What is your past political experience?
GL: Chester K-8 Board of Education – currently in my 7th year; 2 years as Board President; 2 years as Board Vice President; 5 years as Finance Chair; Member of board negotiations team that settled the last two teacher contracts.

LVP: What volunteer experience do you have?
GL: I have coached soccer, softball, basketball and Destination Imagination.

LVP: Why should voters feel comfortable with you representing the board of education?
GL: I am currently serving my seventh year on the Chester K-8 School Board.  During that time, I have overseen difficult and contentious issues while helping the board maintain a professional working relationship.  I am experienced with all the issues that are facing the high school board and will be able to be effective from day one.  People who work with me respect my ability to understand complex issues and come up with workable solutions.

LVP: In your opinion, what are the most important issues facing the district, and what do you intend to do to fix them?
GL: The single most important issue facing the high school board is the unsettled teacher’s contract. It is having a direct and immediate impact on the education of our children. I have been on the negotiations committee that has settled the last two teacher contracts in our district. Upon my election, I would ask to be immediately placed on the negotiations committee where I would use my experience to help negotiate a fair settlement for both taxpayers and teachers.

School finance is the second most important issue facing the board. As the finance chair of the K-8 board, I have had to craft budgets in times of scarcity. The high school must continue to find ways to deliver educational excellence while being mindful of the impact our spending has on taxpayers. I will bring the same focus on shared services and efficiencies that have saved money in the K-8 district to the high school. For example, we now share office space with Chester Borough and utilize Chester Township to maintain our school buses and provide paving services among other savings we have found. All of this has benefited the schools and the municipalities.

Finally, we must carefully examine the issues associated with the funding of our school district. Board members have a responsibility to make sure that both schools are treated fairly with the funds that are raised. Additionally, we must evaluate any potential changes in the district not just in a static environment, but also keeping in mind what the impact of any changes will have years down the road. I have evaluated the impact of many of these changes on the Chester K-8 budget and look forward to bringing my expertise on these issues to the discussion.