Three BOE candidates joined together with similar goals to unify the three Lakewood Communities for the benefit of the children and the tax payers, Tracey Tift (pictured center), Larry Avrin (L) and Shui (Joshua) Schmuckler tell TLS. The following is their team’s goals and objectives, as told over to TLS.
The Lakewood School District is an integral part of our community. Your children attend the schools, receive services from the District, that are funded by the local taxpayers. Over the last year an overhaul of the District has begun to take shape. A new Assistant Superintendent, Business Administrator, and Transportation Director have been installed. New programs have begun to sprout like the 6th Grade Academy and others. Multi-vendors for non-public service have been implemented as per the repeated request of the non-public school administrators. Special education services have gotten an in depth review to ensure each child is receiving the education that is in the best interests of the child based on the professional evaluation. Most of all, a tax increase of 8 million dollars was averted last year, an increase of 2 million was averted this year, and a decrease of approximately 3 million will be realized this year as well. That is a total of 13 million dollars saved in taxpayer’s money. (Some tax bills may have risen due to the reassessment).
All this was accomplished without lay-offs but rather through attrition, without affecting core services for the children, and without jeopardizing the financial health of the District. What many have thought was an impossible feat just a year ago has now become reality.
We feel that we can continue on this course in an effort to bolster both our Public and Non Public school children. We can complement the team already on the BOE and afford them the ability to govern in a more unified manor. We will bring professionalism and courtesy to the BOE. Furthermore, we can unite the various groups in Lakewood under one banner – to help all our children grow to their fullest potential within fiscal responsible means. We are proud of where our BOE is heading today and would like to help further that goal.
If elected we pledge to do the following:
Ensure that our graduation rate continues to climb upwards.
Ensure that the Administration is attentive to the needs of ALL the children in the District.
To provide harmony within the board that will allow the board to operate in a improved fashion.
To create sub-committee’s of the Board that will be dedicated to working with representatives of the different communities to ensure that the services they receive are run professionally.
To work with and hold the Superintendent and Administration responsible for improving the failing scores in our schools.
To research and create programs through grants that will help our children succeed in school.
To implement a security policy that will ensure the safety of each and every child that attends our schools.
To have the transportation director work together with the various schools, and create a transportation policy that will benefit the children and the tax payers.
To ensure that our District is run in a professional and businesslike manner.
To create quarterly public hearings into the financial situation of the District, with public input.
To work for an improved format for board meeting that will encourage the public to attend.
Not to raise the school budget and remove waste from the budget!
We look forward to your support on Election Day – April 27th. Please feel free to contact any of us with your questions and concerns at any time.
Tracey Tift (ttift@optonline.net),
Larry Avrin (larryavrin1@aol.com)
Shui (Joshua) Schmuckler (sschmuckler@verizon.net)
where is Hobday ??
Larry and Tracey are very caring people who would do great for the children and the klal and would bring professionalism to the BOE. I think that Loigman, Hobday and Ostreicher are also great candidates.
My choice will be three of those five.
About time! These guys are going to go all the way. With all the other candidates running around, finally 3 of them made a coalition that will help ALL segments of Lakewood. Take it away guys!! I hope you are succesful when you join the BOE. Looking forward to seeing you there.
mandel rocks
TRACEY has been great for lakewood,
ABE even if u don’t agree with him, he has the most experience out of all candidates and does help lakewood and puts his heart and soul into this, defiantly no hidden agendas
Mr Mandel sounds like the most intelligent man out of all, he’s attend boe meetings constantly and is learning kollel man, defiantly has better head then rest
I’m sorry the rest of candidates you haven’t shown us anything ZERO, u can write letters and goals but at end of day u need to show something.
Shua, Ira, Logiman LFD ect never did one of you show up for a meeting not once
Lakewood needs people with courage and people who have shown themselves let’s not learn the hard way.
finally a team of candidates coming up with good ideas. The best part is that this group represents the diversity of lakewood.
very smart.
this guys have my vote.
Only one question. you guys are running for elected office, how about putting on some suit and tie.
It’s about time we have 3 more candidates who truely put the children before special interest groups. The BOE for the first time in ten years have a real interest rather then raising the budget and taxes. I hope the addition of the new team will reinforce the current BOE.
Congrats for stepping to the plate.
is this like a political party? dont get it
Whats the emphasis always on “ALL” the children in the district? Who is it coming to be merabeh? us or “them”? Who are “they” Who is “ALL”?
This is a great lineup
A copy of the last three we put in!!!!
mandel is the best
My vote goes to these three, tift has always been good, shui keep up the pressure, and larry is a good senior leader
ss is best out there.he thinks out of the box and is not scared of reform.
Tift scares me. But we do need rep. From each comunity and anyone is better thay thomas. So maybe I’ll vote for him. I’m gona vote for mandel, he is a brilliant man, I know him personaly and he will come up with smart normal ways to fix things, he also is not stubborn and he will listen to criticizm and perfect ideas based on input. We need some brains on the board. Rah! Rah! Slogans are nice but we need brains on the board.
I THINK BURUCH CHAIM MANDEL IS THE BEST CANDITATE THAT LKWD HAD IN A LONG TIME. HE IS A BRILLIANT GAI AND VERY PRACTICAL.
mandel has my vote.
These comments look like a real setup. All glowing, I just don’t buy it.
This is a strong team. It will be an uphill battle, but each individual needs to be examined individually. I hope that you consider voting for me for one of the seats on the BOE.
I’m not comfortable with a “team” approach. I prefer a Board of 9 independent thinkers, hopefully each with a different background of solid experience, and with a disposition to work together to solve problems. Thus far all candidate statements on TLS have (characteristically) been full of ideals and no specifics. As specifics develop, it is possible that I might vote for these three candidates, but if I do it will have nothing to do with their preference to run as a team.
Accomplished without layoffs? How about a contract for those teachers? They didn’t get to move up a step and got no increases, plus 60 plus 30 year teachers retired…
to #18, speak to the students. See what they have to say about the teachers. Once the district has passing schools and the teachers show the district they want to teach maybe they will have the increases your talking about. The last ten years the teachers had increases and what happened. NOTHING, 6 failing schools.
if a tie and coat make you professional what about a clean shirt. The only time I wear a tie is at a wedding or funeral. An election is neither.
#16, Morris. Why does Tift scare you?
if we needs brains on the board why don’t you run. Your comments sound like you have real brains.
Do your research and you will find out how much damage has been done throughout the last year. Promises went unfulfilled. They ran on a basis of doing away with exorbirant legal fees to the hired counsel and in the end kept the legal team on board. Yes they didn’t increase taxes, but at who’s expense? Dozens of children who suffer from disabilities such as hairing impairment, PDD NOS and other disabilities on the autism spectrum. many (yes many) parents were left without a option but to keep their children home or in inappropriate settings. For these children this may have been their only chance to get mainstreamed into normal society and educational systems. I”m not telling you for whom to vote. Just due your due diligence and decide on your own
is shmukler allowed on if he is on the planning board can one hold two offices
Enough with the “team”, every candidate should stand on their own merit. Period.
Let’s set things straight here, honest and open, Yoni,Chesky,Zlatkin and fink our one team they always vote together and always will, you give them one more member which is SHUA they decide what they want when they want, Shua isn’t sharing the same goals as the rest but this is the only way he’s going to win, (moderated) Mandel Tracey Abe our are answers for lakewood, let’s stop dreaming about our taxes going down cause without cutting services taxes don’t go down.
Looks like some political thing-not an attempt to do what’s right by the people.
Which one is Shui in the picture?
I agree with 28.
There’s a president and vice that’s when u team up, but the vice is 2nd in command and listens to president
You all want to be up there for different reasons so how about you all try to win alone.
I dont have children in school and I am struggling to pay my taxes.If we want our taxes to go down we NEED Shuie in the board of ed. Enough with all the special services-let the Mosdos fend for themselves and not from our tax dollars.- Vote Shuie for the people not for the mosdos
Why hasn’t Greenspan and Friedman came out with any sort of statement? We need more people like them straight thinkers who are concerned about the KIDS of this entire town. Anyone that has actively followed the BOE this past year is well aware what has happened to the children in this town. Taxes staying where they are is very important dont get me wrong but education costs money! we live in the USA and they say educate each and every child not just whoever three boe members decide. We are talking about the future of this town and country education is very important no kid left behind doesn’t meen at the bus stop!!!! Being firends with both Friedman and Greenspan an Schmuckler I, have to go with Zechariah and Yisroel. But the people of Lakewood should remember the last person that said CHANG CHANGE CHANGE was President Obama and boy did he make changes…….
This is the first positive sign in this whole election. Boruch Hashem there is a team that can win and still promote the goals of most of this town. As opposed to the other candidates which either are just a pipe dream (even if the person is a great guy) or the one that’s not such a far shot, sure is very dangerous to the largest community in this town. So please don’t get fooled by what each candidate says in order to either have you thinking he can win or try to white wash his agenda.
The bottom line is; this team can win and can represent the whole town of Lakewood.
Raboisai : Please don’t be foolish and just squander you vote just to prove a
point. Vote in a smart way that your vote really counts
I am a frum person working in the Board of Ed. I also have many years of experience working in other districts, so I have a clear understanding of board politics. I just want to make something very clear to Lakewood residents, since I am both a parent and an employee in Lakewood. The LAC board members are NOT popular. I have heard many “grumblings”, both from parents and employees, living and working here in our town. People are appalled at how far things have gone, and how much LAC will do to get their way. I am also afraid of the LAC getting the board majority. No matter how open-minded or representative they say they are: power corrupts. One group having the majority on our town’s board is NOT good news. I hope that any citizen of Lakewood reading this will think into the issues. Putting the power in the hands of the LAC is a disaster. Is it not okay for them to vote as a four-person block? Do you think they need more power? Go look through the board agendas and see how many services were cut. See how this is affecting your children your neighbors and your families. I am okay with them having a few votes, and trying to cut taxes. I am not okay with them taking over the budget for our entire school system. If ONLY ONE of their candidates gets voted in- they already have a majority! Scary thought.. so do your research and think long and hard before giving them another seat. It is your town- don’t give it away.
So that’s Joshua Schmuckler and Larry Avrin! Joshua has been to a few BOE meetings within the last year. (Not many, but a few). Mr. Avrin, we do see at township & planning board meetings. Good luck.
BTW, would love to have seen the three mates be Tift, Hobday and Mandel. The 3 who have cared enough to be in attendance to most if not all of the board of education meetings. But it’s Lakewood politics at it’s best. May the BEST candidates who care about ALL OF LAKEWOOD CHILDREN win!
Interesting that there are so many promises…….But where are their credentials! This article tells the voters nothing about the candidates! This is a campaign promise piece, not a news article!
if you haven’t seen changes this past year your blind or have your own agenda. I would think the latter.
It’s ok, your probably one of the people asking candidates to fill out surverys to see ifthey meet your goals.If youwant puppets you have enough in town
They say “complement” the current board. Pretty much what that means is to rubber stamp all their decisions! To have 9 board members with almost no difference of opinion is unhealthy and dangerous. I say definitely keep Ostreicher in. there’s no question he has the communitys best interests at heart
why did u not post my post
Over the last decade, in fact until last year, how much difference of opinion was heard on the Board? There were 9 members who did whatever the attorney told them to do. Was that so terrible for lakewood? Ostreicher was one of them! Taxes went from 35 million in 2022 to 79 million in 2010! If you want to split the votes on the BOE that is fine but please dont give it to special interests. get someone else.