Alan Henderson: County Commissioner Candidate Statement on Sussex County Tech Budget

Alan Henderson for County Commissioner: Solutions for the Sussex Vocational School problem and all our institutions.

We need leadership at Sussex County’s Vocational School that is resourceful and efficient, and lacking such capabilities is why the institution is under controversy. Sussex Vocational School is a critical institution that begins our county’s citizens on productive and fulfilling paths; hence this institution should be prioritized in our community. The disappointing meeting last Thursday demonstrated that the Vocational School is in need of leadership, structuring and resources. In the depth of my own professional experience, which constitutes two decades plus of managing the Hardyston Police Department, Mayor and Committeeman for the Township of Lafayette, Administering the Sussex County Farm & Horse Show, it is obvious why that the forum for determining the current plan to eliminate three targeted school courses of study should not be such a spectacle of public outrage, but a careful analysis from the school's leadership and staff combined with an exhaustive search for grants, cooperative agreements and streamlining options before making the decision to simply abandon the programs obviously impactful to the taxpayers who support the school.

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We see an indicator of deeper issues with this institution based on the way the public meeting was held. Beginning a board meeting at 4 pm puts a hardship on those working parents that want to voice their concerns and after many attendees had to make alternate plans to attend the Board meeting where it started promptly at 4pm, but then the board was dismissive of the public and went into executive session. I completely understand the need for executive sessions, however having an auditorium nearly full of parents, students and supporters waiting to speak and then turning their backs to them was just very poor planning. This isn't an indicator of a functioning leadership team.

The school's clients are the public. No successful organization antagonizes its clients. Sussex Vocational School did this. After approximately over an hour the Board emerged to begin public comments from the crowd. By this time the crowd was very discontented. This caused more of a negative impact than positive communication on how to resolve the pending disbanding of the three shops, parents, students, and supporters shared their discontent with the board.

First Solution: Streamline: Instead of orienting on cuts to programs, how about we first orient on the six top level administrators? Is the value of this school estimated by its administration or its product? it goes back to the saying ‘Can we do more with less”. Can any of those positions be absorbed by other administrators allowing a huge cost saving to the school? Indicative of organizations I've witnessed, in the past, to have burdensome administrations, the haphazard approach to messaging the program cuts was the awkward and contentious public session that had the reaction to these cuts. Has the school's leadership explored options to combine classes, lower class sizes, or collaborate with other schools? None of this seems to have been in the decision making cycle that led to these cuts.

Second Solution: Resourceful Leadership. After reviewing documents posted online, it leads me to ask: Are the Superintendent and Business Administrator seeking grants to support these three shops or any other source of funding for the school? As a Mayor of Lafayette, every municipality struggles with finding different sources of income to support programs and help keep taxes affordable for the residents of Sussex County. Leaders are elected and appointees are chosen to solve these problems, not gut their own institutions.

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So, If State Aid and County Funding hasn’t decreased one might ask where the funds are being allocated? Understandable that employee raises, health insurance, utilities all increase along with many other unforeseen costs increase yearly. The question to me is did this problem of lack of funding just occur, has this been a problem brewing for the lack of prior planning three-year plan, five-year plan? For a school of this multitude how is it possible there’s not a Finance Committee? How is it that the Superintendent and Business Administrator prepare the budget then present it to the board? The creation of a Planning and Finance committee is crucial, the two committees could make plans for the future. Have we given thought to reaching out to qualified parents or staff to sit on these various committees. Why are we putting all our eggs in one basket with the Superintendent and Business Administrator, where does this leave us as County taxpayers if either employee decides to relocate?

The Board last summer reopened contract negotiations with the current Superintendent to renegotiate his contract with an increase in salary for the next five years. Had a finance committee been in place possibly they could have seen the whole picture and the impact to the school budget and effect on the entire school and its programs offered to the students. Are the members of the board asking the hard questions?  Like any elected official we the residents want accountability, responsibility, and transparency. I urge all Sussex County residents to follow this issue closely the children of Sussex County are our future it’s up to us to protect and voice not only criticism but support to finding a solution to the problems this isn’t the end of cuts…who knows what’s next?

As a commissioner, I'll personally institute and manage analytical reviews of all our institutions to prevent issues like Sussex Vocational School's mishandling of scheduling from happening. Our community's institutions require steady, measured, analytical and experienced handling. It is my intent to not just orient the Vocational School, but all of Sussex county's institutions to ensure the highest caliber leadership is in place, and that they answer to our county's leadership at progressive stages in order to avoid disappointing surprises like we saw last night.

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