Lakewood officials meet to discuss school issues. From the left are School Superintendent Lydia Silva, Board of Education Vice President Chesky Seitler, Board Attorney Stephen Edelstein, Board President Carl Fink, Smith, State Sen. Bob Singer and Lakewood Committeeman Steven Langert.
Local elected officials in Lakewood today said that they had a productive and encouraging meeting discussing plans on how to jointly move forward to assist the struggling school district and improve educational opportunities for all Lakewood students.
“Our working partnership shares one, overarching goal: improving educational opportunities for all Lakewood school children,” said Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) “I am encouraged by the valuable, useful exchange of ideas and look forward to assisting the new school board, which has already made great strides.”
“We are working together for the good of all the children,” said School Board President Carl Fink. “It was a good meeting and I am looking forward to making progress. We are bridging the gaps between all the communities.”
Also attending the meeting at the Lakewood Board of Education office on Madison Avenue were State Sen. Bob Singer (30th Legislative District), Lakewood Committeeman Steven Langert, Lakewood Board of Education Vice President Chesky Seitler, School Superintendent Lydia Silva and Board Attorney Stephen Edelstein.
Smith told the group he had spoken directly to the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education Chris Cerf, who agreed to come to Lakewood with a presentation of the department’s newly forming Regional Achievement Centers (RAC) educational program. The Commissioner told Smith he would bring top RAC staff to work with the board to find ways to help Lakewood with resources and tools, even prior to the official kick-off of RAC expected this summer.
They also discussed ways the district could better identify and appropriately apply for federal and state grants.
“The fact that all of us are on the same page working in the same direction is what this is all about,” Singer said. “This cooperation works to the benefit of all the students.”
Smith and Fink said they would all work together to coordinate the meeting with the Commissioner, school board members and district officials to ensure that Lakewood receives as much benefit as possible out of the RAC program.
