Thomas Friesema

Position Sought: Vernon Township Board of Education

Age: 58
Family: Single/Two Children

Education: Bachelors of Science (Resource Management) Slippery Rock, University of PA 1978

Occupation: Currently a security consultant but have held several executive management position’s working in the security industry in the private sector

The top three issues are: Vernon student enrollment continues to decline (2014) at 3,300 and will decline for several years. The current board has not made a sincere effort to look or try and solve the root of the problems. It can be found in the recent study we paid for. Measures need to be in place to prepare for the downturn. Fiscal responsibility has been ignored for decades and has now reached a point where Vernon Schools have the highest per pupil cost in the county and amongst the highest in the state. We already have in our possession, statistics that compare our costs and enrollment with other schools. Vernon cannot simply be a tax and spend town while thinking we will captivate new potential residents. Absenteeism has recently been reported at a recent meeting as a big problem yet the current board had held the information back to two of it’s own members on this issue for thirteen months. I would bring and demand transparency and straight forward answers.