BOE Candidate Profile: Al Miller

One week from Wednesday the Board of Education Elections will be held throughout the state of New Jersey, including right here in Howell. Six Candidates are running for three available seats on the board, with only two incumbents looking to hold onto their seats. This is the second article in a series of profiles Howell Patch is doing on the candidates.

• Candidate Name: Al Miller
• Address: 34 Standish Drive
• Occupation: Retired New York City Fire Department Emergency Medical Services Technician

Al Miller has only lived in Howell for a little over five years, but in that time he has already become heavily involved in school activities in his new hometown. Miller is a past president of the Southard Elementary School PTA, as well as a past vice president of the Aldrich Elementary School PTO.

Currently he serves as the president of the Howell Middle School North PTA, while also teaching as part of the St. Veronica's Church Religious Education Program. 

As he runs for a seat on the board, Miller said he is familiar with the way the organization works having served on a number of committees associated with their efforts. That includes the Community Relations and Facilities committees over the past few years. 

Now Miller said he is ready to take what he has learned from those experiences and apply them to the board. "Over the past five years I have witnessed services to the students of this district cut, while the taxes are increased tremendously," he said. "We can no longer balance the budget on the backs of the students and taxpayers of this district. We need to start putting "students and taxpayers first."

Miller said he believes he can bring "fresh thinking," to the board by taking a variety of steps. "The board of education and administration must scrutinize the budget and identify and eliminate duplicate measures through shared services with local, county and state entities as well as the Freehold Regional School District."

With his experience on the committees and with the parent organizations, Miller said he feels prepared to help the residents of Howell in this new capacity. "It is while doing this that I became very aware how services to the students were being cut year after year while the district was putting out budgets that went to the cap or exceeded it with waivers. This to me was not acceptable. 

The proposed budget for this year has a flat tax levy from last year and does not utilize the state offered two percent cap, and Miller said he wants to continue with a solid economic plan. "I am committed to providing the best educational opportunities possible for our children within the financial limitations set up by the taxpayers," he noted. 

In addition to his work in the community, Miller said he believes his professional experience could prove helpful to the board and the township. "I think this would be very beneficial to the district in the safety aspect of the Board of Education," he said. "By having someone in this field it would make for a more rounded board of education to serve the students, staff and taxpayers."

The elections for the board and the vote on the budget are scheduled for Wednesday, April 27 at locations around the district.

Editor's note: Like many news outlets, Patch is not enabling commenting on election-related stories as voting day approaches to avoid anonymous last-minute attacks.