Meet RTM Candidate: Gargi Parikh

Name:  Gargi Parikh

Municipality:  Middletown Township

Party:  Non-partisan (Independent)

Running For (include district/ward if applicable):  Rose Tree Media School Director

Positions Held Previously/Years in Office:  None

What are the larger issues facing the district and how would you like to see them resolved?

Quality education

RTM is considered a good school district but there is room to be so much better.  Core curriculum can be boosted using innovative teaching techniques, empowering teachers with resources to educate and providing an opportunity to the students by preparing them to compete in a global environment.

On my walk through the districts and the number of questions from parents to retirees on the state of RTM education tells me that input from parents, teachers and the RTM community at large is very essential to quality education.

Transparency in the decision making process

RTM School Board is given the responsibility of managing taxpayer money and the public should be made aware and should be provided with incentive to remain engaged in the decision-making process at all times.

Mounting debt incurred by the school district

Fiscal responsibility can and should be achieved, without sacrificing quality education and educators. The school board has the ultimate responsibility of taking steps to repay debt without targeting education and enrichment programs for RTM students.

How would you create a balance between spending taxpayer dollars and quality education? Are you satisfied with the cost/quality balance in an $84M plus budget?

Area schools districts have consistently maintained higher ranking in the state at a much lower cost of education per child annually compared to RTM School District, according to recent reports in local newspapers.

The focus of the budget should be on providing quality education while maintaining low administrative costs. Parents, teachers and the RTM community are equal partners in maintaining open communication and providing important feedback to the RTM School Board.

Again, I have been asked questions by RTM School District residents with adult children how the curriculum is developed to prepare students to further their education beyond RTM, to seek admission in top colleges or trade schools.  Taxpayers who do not have school-age children are interested in the community and want to see new residents and neighbors move into the community based on the reputation of the school district. We need to involve them in the decisions.

In some districts, it was pointed out to me that neighborhood children were sent to private schools. Such attrition, which may seem minimal to some, needs to be addressed.

How can you improve school district and board transparency with residents? Would you support direct email communication with board members or a live broadcast of board meetings online or on public access television?

Board members, ELECTED by the district residents and taxpayers, are accountable to them for their decisions and actions. In a technology driven environment where RTM residents have access to websites, and with the availability of school district television channel, transparency in decision-making process can be easily achieved by broadcasting meetings and seeking public feedback.

Residents ARE interested, yet availability of time between work and family commitments may limit in-person participation. It is in the interest of the school board to use technology to keep the public informed and be active participants.

Email communication with the school board is another way of keeping the residents engaged.

Why should residents give you their vote?

I am registered as a non-partisan voter, always seeking a middle ground in decision-making. I believe that different ideologies can be brought together to make decisions that achieve the best results, in this instance for the future of our children and our community.

Additionally, I am a parent of a daughter who graduated from RTM School District. She has since received undergraduate and graduate degrees from top schools in the country, thanks to a good foundation from caring educators in the school district.

Education is very important in our families. I was raised in a family of educators and married into a family of engineers and doctors. I believe decisions we made as parents for our daughter gave her the advantage of embarking on a successful career path of her choice.

If I can extrapolate my experience as a parent and resident in the school district to help the community by working with the RTM School Board, I would give back to my adoptive hometown and the school district what our family has so generously received from each.

Children are our future and working to create an enriching environment for our children is the ultimate responsibility of a parent. I want to join the school board as a parent, making responsible decisions to give the students quality education and preparing them for a bright future ahead of them.