MADHU PAI QUESTIONNAIRE



Name: Madhu Pai

Town: South Orange

Years living in district: 9 (7 in Maplewood, 2 in South Orange)

Children in district: 2 (Rohan, 3rd grade and Priya, 6th grade)

Occupation: Communications (Advertising)



Why do you want to be on the school board?


Our schools are going to determine the success of two things that matter greatly to me: our children and our community. 

With the hiring of Dr. Ramos as our Superintendent, we have filled a leadership gap that, frankly, started before I was elected on the Board of Education in 2012.  We are already behind in the work that needs to get done to move our school district from good to great – and we have a lot to do.  

With the Equity and Access Policy finally in front of the board, we have the opportunity to redefine how teaching and learning happens in this district.  We are on the cusp of great things!

Over the last three years, I have learned to be an effective board member who can lead, collaborate, inspire and motivate. Over the last few months, I’ve built a relationship of mutual trust with our Superintendent.  We have defined goals that include improving on our district’s operations, with a focus on communication and responsiveness.

Now, more than ever - when we are playing catch up –

ü  Experience matters

ü  Expertise in how to achieve great teaching and learning matters

ü  Having the background knowledge to quickly align with our Superintendent on district priorities matters

These are the qualifications that I along with my running mates, Mr. Wayne Eastman and Ms. Peggy Freedson, will bring to the Board of Education.



What is your top priority for the district?


My top priority for the district is to have the BOE pass, and the Administration implement with excellence, the new Access and Equity policy. This policy is truly visionary because it will redefine the way the school district operates by providing choice and open access for all students to take more rigorous classes.  The policy will ensure that rigor is a fundamental part of the K-12 curriculum. It will empower and enable students to take on challenging coursework.  It will also hopefully provide teachers with a voice in driving how teaching and learning will happen in this district.

The creation of this policy is particularly rewarding for me because it was based on the platform for choice that Wayne and I ran on in 2012. Once it is voted on by the BOE, and hopefully passed, the Superintendent will be responsible for bringing forth a plan to implement the Access and Equity policy, including the specifics of how. And we’ll be responsible for holding him accountable for good implementation. 



How would you cut costs without cutting education?


Every BOE candidate is asked questions about how they will approach the budget. In truth, the BOE doesn’t create the budget. Nor does the BOE redline or vote on individual items on the budget. The BOE’s role is to oversee an effective budget development process, and set a tax cap on the Operating Budget intended to prevent tax increases that would hurt taxpayers.

While prioritizing the delivery of a first-rate education for our students, my running mates and I will seek to curtail our community’s rising local property tax burden by carrying on Jeff Bennett’s work to secure our fair share of State Aid.  During our time in office, Mr. Eastman and I have voted and fought for a 2% tax cap for the Operating Budget. We pressed the Administration to find more innovative solutions to bridge the school district’s $20 million budget deficit – one that cannot be addressed by simply cutting programs, or solved by increasing taxes. 

We will also provide the Superintendent with clearly focused budget objectives and advocate aggressively for pragmatic cost solutions like better, lower-cost healthcare plans. The board recently passed a resolution to enter into a new Healthcare plan that will reduce the district’s premium payments by $600,000 while providing the same healthcare benefits to our staff.  Given that 95% of the school budget is fixed costs like salary and healthcare, this savings is substantial. It will allow the district more dollars to allocate toward supporting our teachers and supporting sound educational programs.



What is your opinion of Dr. John Ramos and did you support his hiring?


I believe Dr. John Ramos is the right administrative leader our district needs to take it from good to great.  This past summer, in a unanimous 8-0 vote (among all voting members), the BOE hired Dr. Ramos to be our Superintendent, filling a multi-year leadership gap.  Dr. Ramos comes to this district with many years experience in teaching, district administration and prior service as a Superintendent. 

He is a rare find given his balanced focus on getting the basics of our district’s operations right, and pushing forward well thought out and properly paced innovation. This balance is something we’ve been lacking in our district.  Through a comprehensive process that gathered extensive input from the community, we were able to bring someone of Dr. Ramos’ caliber to our district despite the terrible disadvantage of the Governor’s salary cap. 



How will you improve district communications with residents and parents?


As someone who works in an executive position in the Communications industry, improving communications was among the first priorities that I discussed with Dr. Ramos. There are three prongs to communication that should be addressed: 1. Responsiveness, 2. Transparency and 3. BOE Communication with the community. 

As it relates to responsiveness, the Board recently approved a three-month pilot of the “Let’s Talk” program to help improve communication. “Let’s Talk” is a portal for the community to reach the Superintendent, key Administrators and the BOE.  It tracks and provides analytics around response rates and timing to ensure we are all delivering on timely and meaningful communication.  I am hopeful that it will bring systematic operational excellence, powered by tracking and analytics, in the area of district communication. 

The new Access and Equity policy will enable and require the district to be more transparent in proactively communicating out critical information that students and parents need to make decisions about class choices and academic placement.  It will require that expectations of each class and placement level is defined by teachers and clearly communicated so students, caregivers so that all have the same understanding of expectations. Timeliness in communication will also need to be re-evaluated. One can’t enable choice with late-breaking communication like, for example, the timing of the current middle school math placement letters.

In our own outreach with the community, the BOE has held multiple public forums including a joint session with Township officials on school safety and a forum to discuss the future of Seth Boyden. I also led the pilot of BOE Office Hours, intended to provide the community with opportunities for face-to-face interaction with BOE members outside of the monthly board meetings. Although we discontinued Office Hours due to low community attendance, it was an important step in making the BOE more accessible to the community.  I welcome the opportunity to bring it back!



Should the board increase to two meetings per month to avoid late actions?


The Board has not discussed going to two meetings a month.  From what I understand, when this was practice years ago, meetings still went late into the night – two times a month.  I personally don’t believe two meetings is a solve to meetings that go late.

Under the current leadership (of which I count myself, as 1st Vice President), we are getting better at running more efficient meetings.  However, when there are polarizing issues on for vote or contentious issues in our schools, there is often a long list of Public Speaks.  A long list of speakers can often drive the BOE meeting long into the night.  Public Speaks is a requirement of public meetings but it’s not entirely meaningful. The Board listens but does not respond to keep efficient meetings running on time, and because it must answer as one body vs. 9 individuals.  This can often, understandably, frustrate members of the public or give the impression that we are emotionless robots.  That could not be further from the truth. 

I believe separate, monthly Board Office Hours, which I piloted, can deliver on the need for more meaningful engagement with Board Members.   It offers the public an alternative to only being able to speak at Board of Education meetings.  It could be a win-win initiative for both the BOE and the public.



What would you do to reduce the number of standardized tests for our students such as NJ ASK and PARCC?


We’ve been through an era of massive expansion of high-stakes standardized testing that may have been right for the accountability needs of the time.  We are in a different time now.  While I strongly believe in accountability given the high taxes we pay in these towns (with nearly 60% of our tax dollars going toward the schools), I do not believe it can be achieved without a measured and thoughtful approach to testing. 

The governing board of the PARCC exam has already decided that the English and math tests will be reduced by about 90 minutes in each grade beginning in 2015-16. There will also be a consolidation of the two Spring testing windows into one at the end of the school year.

Education in our district must be organized around a rich, engaging and multifaceted curriculum - not dominated by test preparation or “teaching to the test.” Most importantly, we must ensure that the test data we collect is used for its true purpose:  to identify student strengths and needs, and to improve classroom instruction.



How would you change math placement in the upper grades?


The Access and Equity policy will change placement criteria across all subjects in all grades, across the district.  It will ensure all students are empowered to pursue their own greatest academic challenges by increasing access to higher-level classes and promoting clear expectations of personal responsibility and achievement.  To be successful, we will need energetic and committed support from educators at all grade levels K-12, and will encourage the development of strategies that encourage and support student success with exposure to rich and rigorous content.



There have been many complaints about team coaches being dismissed, how would you make sure fairness is exercised in such hirings and firings?


South Orange-Maplewood must be a destination for top-notch educators—in the classroom and out on the field.  We must do a better job of retaining and recognizing the great talent we already have. We must also ensure that the same expectations we have of our teachers in the classroom are carried through to those who coach sports teams on a field or court.

The Board has nearly 50 policies that outline both the rights and expectations of staff.  We also have a clearly laid out code of conduct, which is tied to our anti-bullying efforts.  We hold the Superintendent accountable for implementing these policies and the code of conduct, ensuring fair hiring practices and ensuring there is a clear process in place, and which is followed for non-renewals.  This expectation of accountability is both a part of our Board goals and built into the evaluation criteria for the Superintendent. 



Anything else you want to say?


Being a Board of Education member is a complex role that requires a fundamental understanding of “policy governance.”  It takes work and time to learn, which is why I feel a whole-scale turn over of the Board this year would not be good for the district. This is why I am running again.  We have a lot to do, and we must move quickly.

The lines between policy governance (BOE work) and district management (Administration work) can get blurred on the campaign trail with promises made or ideas presented about specific programs or budget items.  It’s important to note that management is not the role of a school board. The Superintendent manages running the district, focusing on details like developing curriculum, managing staff, creating the budget and deciding on specific educational programs. 


A good BOE doesn’t interfere with the Superintendent’s operation with the district, or with the day-to-day work of principals or teachers. To do so would demoralize district Administration and also prevent the BOE from doing it’s own work to move our schools forward.


A good BOE member understands that what matters most isn’t simply supporting or punishing the Superintendent and Administration. Rather, our role is to find thoughtful ways to motivate the Administration while demanding accountability and providing constructive feedback.  Over the past few months, the BOE has built a relationship of mutual respect and understanding with Dr. Ramos. We are already working in partnership to drive the district forward in ways that will positively impact on our students and staff. 


To learn more about why Madhu Pai, Wayne Eastman and Margaret (Peggy) Freedson are the right choice for Board of Education, please visit our website at http://www.boe2015.com/ and make sure to view our comprehensive platform!

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