By DON STINE
The newly-formed Neptune Education Leadership Political Action Committee (NELPAC) hopes to further education excellence in the township through citizen involvement.
Committee Chairman Warren Lapp said the group is being formed by area citizens who are committed to educational excellence for every child in the district.
He said recent decisions by the school board to not renew the contracts of long-time and respected coaches, to move away from vendors that the district has used for years, and change long-time insurance carriers are a concern.
“People are upset about it and they want to know what’s going on. There is not enough transparency and these are issues of concern,” he said.
“(The school board) needs to know it is being watched and that things not going unnoticed around the township. Seniors pay taxes but they want to better understand how things done and that there are not personal agendas that are not in the best interest of school children, ” he said.
Lapp said membership for NELPAC is now being organized and that he urges people to get involved.
“NELPAC vows to become a constructive and positive force to that end,” he said. “We want to set the educational bar high. Whether it’s in the classroom or on the school board, we believe that excellence must be the only acceptable standard of performance – our community’s kids and their families deserve no less.”
Lapp, who has run for office on the Republican ticket in the past, said the committee pledges to remain strictly non-partisan and hopes to remove “agenda-driven political gamesmanship” on the school board.
“I have no interest in politics and am now an independent voter. I am doing this because we all pay taxes and the bulk of that goes to the schools,” he said.
He said the committee is looking for “open, honest and transparent” forums involving the expenditure of tax dollars and the education of students.
School board elections scheduled for the spring of 2015 will also see NELPAC involvement, Lapp said, but the group will not be running candidates.
“We will endorse and offer, where we can, financial support to candidates of any political stripe who share our vision and educational goals,” he said.
Still in its organizational stage, NELPAC is developing a website, www.NELPAC.org, which will be online early this month. People can also contact Lapp at 732-440-7945.
