What Should Ocean City Parents Expect From Their School Board?
The Ocean City School Board election caught my attention after I read through the Ocean City Sentinel’s recent profiles of the seven candidates running for three seats on the Board of Education.
One name in particular stood out: Michael Allegretto.
Allegretto graduated from Ocean City High School in 1989, just two years before I did.
As I continued reading through the candidates’ qualifications, something occurred to me. What exactly makes someone qualified to serve on a school board?
Is it having lived in Ocean City your entire life? Running a successful business? Having a collection of college degrees? Working in education? Raising eight children? Or perhaps simply being a parent who has experienced the school system firsthand?
Every one of those experiences has value. But which matters most to the parents and students these elected officials are supposed to represent?
Growing Up in Ocean City Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story
I graduated from the original Ocean City High School building in 1991, when I was just 17 years old. I went on to raise my children in town and watched the community change considerably over my 40 years in Ocean City.
I place a lot of value on someone who understands Ocean City’s history and character. There is something to be said for growing up in a community, attending its schools, working in its businesses, and watching generations of families come and go.
But even that qualification deserves a closer look.
Ocean City isn’t the same town it was when I was growing up. Remaining here has become increasingly difficult for ordinary families.
If you inherited property, purchased a home before real estate prices took off, became established in the construction or real estate business, or owned a successful local business, you may have been in a better position to remain.
Of course, there are exceptions. There always are.
But I sometimes wonder whether being a lifelong resident of Ocean City says as much about someone’s financial circumstances as it does about their commitment to the community.
I eventually left Ocean City myself.
Does that mean someone who moved here five years ago is less qualified to represent today’s parents than someone whose family has been here for generations? I don’t necessarily think so.
Knowing Ocean City’s history matters to me. Understanding the families living here today matters just as much.
Seven Candidates, Seven Different Backgrounds
The Sentinel’s candidate profiles, written by David Nahan, offer an interesting comparison.
Three incumbents, Michael Allegretto, Jocelyn Palaganas, and Corey Niemiec, are seeking re-election. Their backgrounds include local government, business, financial management, parent organizations, and school board service.
Three challengers, Kelly Anne Hudak, Steve Flogaus, and Catherine Panico, are running together under the name Parents Paying Attention. Their experiences include raising children, working in education, business, and previous school board service.
The seventh candidate, Matthew Maas, is running independently under the heading Ordinary Average Guy. He has spent more than 20 years working as a school librarian.
The candidates offer different perspectives on what the school district needs.
The incumbents emphasize experience, responsible budgets, cooperation with administrators, educational opportunities, and continuing the work already underway.
The Parents Paying Attention candidates place considerable emphasis on transparency, accountability, parental involvement, and questioning established practices.
Maas discusses the importance of students and staff, future enrollment, and preserving opportunities in the arts. He also acknowledges that he would have much to learn about serving on the board.
I find something worthwhile in each of those perspectives.
But reading through their statements left me with another question.
What happens when a parent has a problem that the school system doesn’t seem to be addressing?
That’s where campaign promises about transparency and parental involvement become much more than campaign language.
My Experience as a Parent
I attended Ocean City’s schools myself, but I also experienced the district from another perspective when my children were growing up.
My son Brian has a disability and attended Ocean City schools throughout his education. His experience wasn’t always pleasant.
There were problems involving other students, and my wife and I didn’t always feel that the school was responding appropriately.
We reported incidents to the school numerous times. There were occasions when we questioned whether his counselor had his best interests in mind, and communication with his mother wasn’t always what we expected.
My wife remembers one particularly frustrating situation involving bullying allegations. The school determined that the reported conduct did not meet the criteria for bullying. From our perspective, the problems weren’t receiving the attention they deserved.
It wasn’t until another student was caught on camera spitting into Brian’s water bottle that we felt the situation was finally being taken seriously.
That’s our recollection of those events, and I understand that the school may have viewed the circumstances differently.
We never took our concerns directly to the Board of Education.
At the time, we understood that discussions involving students would take place behind closed doors, with confidentiality restrictions that would limit our participation.
Looking into the subject now, I’ve learned that New Jersey provides procedures for parents to request a closed board hearing concerning certain bullying determinations. I can’t say whether we fully understood those procedures at the time.
What I remember is the frustration of repeatedly bringing concerns to the school without feeling confident that the situation was being resolved.
And that experience affects how I look at school board elections.
What Does Transparency Actually Mean?
Several candidates mention transparency in their responses to the Sentinel.
I agree that transparency is important. In fact, it’s probably one of the most important qualities I would want from someone representing parents.
But what exactly does it mean?
I understand that teachers, counselors, and administrators have legal obligations. Federal and state laws protect confidential student information, and school employees cannot simply reveal everything that happens during a disciplinary investigation.
Those protections exist for good reasons.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, commonly known as FERPA, generally protects the privacy of student education records. New Jersey also has procedures governing investigations of harassment, intimidation, and bullying.
I’m not suggesting that parents should be entitled to another student’s private disciplinary information.
But I do believe there’s a difference between protecting confidential information and failing to communicate.
Suppose your child has been repeatedly mistreated by another student. You’ve reported the problem, the school has investigated, and some action may or may not have been taken.
You might not be entitled to know the disciplinary consequences for the other student.
But shouldn’t you and your child know what to expect next?
Who should your child contact if another incident occurs? Will someone follow up? What support is available? What can the school explain about how it intends to address your child’s concerns?
And if the school cannot answer a particular question because of a confidentiality requirement, why not explain that limitation?
An administrator who says that a specific law prevents them from sharing certain information is still communicating.
I would much rather receive that explanation than be left wondering whether anyone is listening.
There are many possible circumstances, and no single procedure can anticipate every situation involving students, parents, and school employees.
That’s why honest communication is so important.
And I don’t believe transparency should apply only to parents. Students and school employees also deserve clear explanations of the procedures and expectations that affect them, while respecting legitimate confidentiality requirements.
What Should We Expect From Elected School Board Members?
I don’t expect an individual school board member to resolve every disagreement between a parent and a teacher, or to involve themselves personally in every student disciplinary matter.
That’s not the board’s role.
The administration has responsibilities, teachers have responsibilities, and the Board of Education has its own responsibilities for governance and oversight.
But elected board members should care whether parents understand the district’s policies, whether there are meaningful ways to raise concerns, and whether those procedures are being followed.
A board can respect student privacy while still asking whether parents are receiving appropriate information.
A board can support its superintendent while still questioning decisions.
And a board can recognize the experience of teachers and administrators without assuming that every parent who challenges a decision is mistaken.
None of this requires an advanced degree, a successful business, or a lifetime spent in Ocean City.
Those experiences may help someone perform the job, but they don’t automatically demonstrate how that person will respond when a family needs answers.
Qualifications Are Only the Beginning
There are seven candidates seeking three full-term seats on the Ocean City Board of Education this November.
I don’t know all seven personally, and I’m not attempting to tell anyone how to vote.
What interests me is what happens after the election, when the campaign statements are over and the board returns to its regular business.
Will parents understand how to raise concerns? Will the district explain what information can and cannot be shared? Will students know where to turn when something goes wrong?
And will board members ask whether those systems are actually working?
I still believe there is considerable value in knowing Ocean City, understanding its history, and having a personal connection to the community.
But having deep roots in Ocean City doesn’t automatically mean someone understands every family living here today.
The same goes for educational credentials, professional accomplishments, or the number of children someone has raised.
Those are qualifications worth considering. They aren’t guarantees.
When I look back at my own experience as a parent, I don’t expect that every problem could have been prevented or that every disagreement would have been resolved in our favor.
I would have appreciated knowing what to expect, what options were available, and whether our concerns were being heard.
Perhaps those are some of the questions Ocean City parents should be asking the candidates before November 3.
