Hoboken411.com
Ken Howitt is a 55 year old father of three, who moved to Hoboken in 1987. Involved in many community activities, for over a decade, hehas served as a member of the board of HOPES CAP Inc. He is also a committee member for Hoboken's Boy Scouts of America Troop 146. All three of his children attended the Hoboken Public Schools. His eldest is a junior at Rutgers University, the middle is a first year student at Columbia University and his third is a sophomore at Hoboken High School. Why are you running for only the one year term on the Hoboken Board of Education? When I considered this race, I had just continued my printing career with a new company and with two children in college at the same time, I am not sure that I could afford to commit more than one year at this time. Now, I have another reason. I want to give my all for one year to a fresh approach. If I feel it is not working, I will not run again and if the voters feel that it is not working, they will have their vote as well. I think that is a very fair arrangement and very unusual in elective politics. What is the single most important issue in this race? The lack of community partnership in Hoboken should be an overriding theme for all elections. Everyone has challenges – City Hall, the hospital, Stevens, the charter schools . . . the list goes on and on. The Hoboken Public Schools should be a leader in the community by teaching skills that will shape the future and training our children to reach for creative solutions. The school system needs to find courses of study that reward group achievement and inventiveness, while still recognizing individual achievement. These goals are not created by taxpayers’ dollars, but rather by the teaching dynamic. By making the public education invaluable, the costs will become more acceptable. Does that mean that you will increase the budget? No. That means that the secondary schools must model itself after the university system. We must find alternate streams of revenue through both public funds and private foundations and donations. In addition, we should encourage public involvement in non‐monetary ways. Create a system of participation with booster clubs and tutoring organizations, which would create a positive synergy among the young and old, the B&R’s and the Newcomers, the many different cultures and the staff of the district. A key to this dynamic would be the formation of a not for profit 501 (c) 3, which could accept tax deductible donations for specific long term projects and scholarships. How can these new initiatives be paid for under the tight fiscal times in which we now live? I feel that will be a great challenge. The answer may be found in pooling the entirety of the intellectual abilities on the board and demonstrating how individual minds working together towards a goal can find a commonality of purpose. If that type of dynamic should exist
Hoboken411.com
anywhere, it should be in support of our children’s future. Through our individual networking, we should be able to identify opportunities. I also believe that we need to set in place an administrative staff capable of empowering the teachers and creating this kind of challenge. Everyone would need to pool resources to devise a strategic plan with time tables and stepped goals, so we can adequately measure our successes. I also hope that there are community members who would volunteer to help in blueprinting this kind of future. Personal agendas would have to be checked at the door of any meeting room. Being Hoboken, all participants could pick those agendas up on their way out. Do you see the unions as a problem in this future? I work in the printing industry which has been challenged by union issues for many years. This industry has changed drastically with the computer technology and the unions have tried to adjust their positions to reflect a new reality of equipment that needs far less human operators. I think that it is disastrous to make the unions into an enemy and then expect them to willingly and selflessly educate our children. From the beginning of planning a new future, we need to partner with everyone who can contribute. The unions understand the challenges of education and we should seek out their insights and find a common ground to create a foundation for the future. It will not be easy, but it will be rewarding. If we are successful in creating a new approach, everyone will benefit and everyone will share in the rewards. What classroom issues do you see as paramount? I have watched my three children go through the public schools and have had a wide variety of experiences. When I look back on my public school education, I remember all the activities that we did as a group back in the 1960s. There were group academic projects, clubs, pep rallies, extra‐curricular activities, guest speakers, etc. Those days were about the school community and we were supported by a very active parent group. In the last decade, the test‐score and academic achievement craze has undercut what I feel is a very important part of the community building function of the public schools. In my opinion, tax dollars are used for public education, so that we can build a stronger community. Then, our taxes make sense. When the emphasis is on the individual student achievement, there is little rationale for the expense. It is up to the Board of Education to clearly state objectives in their policies, so the staff and the public can better understand the process and clearly help define the group objectives. Where do you see the Board of Education’s role in this future? Through our collective community activism and our volunteer spirit, we should build bridges throughout the community – to businesses, organizations, parents, children and the school staff. Most importantly, the manner with which we conduct business sets the tone for our future plans. We have to set a high standard of public behavior that removes the politics and emphasizes intellectual debate. If we can conduct ourselves intelligently and reach agreements
Hoboken411.com
through spirited debate, then the whole community benefits. Hopefully, we can set a standard in our public meetings that can be emulated throughout the community. That is a very high goal. It is getting late, so the last question: What is your hope for the immediate future, meaning the last weekend of next spring’s campaign? Do you have a crystal ball? I know a number of the remaining board members and candidates personally and also know that they share similar hopes. From a practical perspective, I expect to have a new superintendent in place, who will steer a new course with precision. I hope to use every resource to involve the community and better use the district’s facilities for community benefit. If we are successful in creating a new future, I believe that it can be done with a greater sense of fiscal responsibility. Hoboken is a city of boundless possibilities and inventiveness. We have attracted a young and capable new population who I hope will be more involved in community service and inspired by a school district of the future. If we get there in a year, it will indeed be a very good year.