School Board Candidate Martin Says That Greatest Problem Is Funding
To the Editor:
I moved to Princeton in 2007 with my family after living abroad in Europe for six years; my wife, Maria Sophocles, wanted to open up a medical practice in a community where we could be in striking distance of our parents, and we both needed to have access to top quality public education. Princeton was the obvious choice for us since we are from the suburbs of New York and Philadelphia respectively, and upon arrival in Princeton we enrolled our four children in Johnson Park. Today we have a sophomore in college, a senior and a sophomore at Princeton High School, and an 8th grader at the Princeton Charter School. Our children have benefited from the school system, and for nearly 10 years we have been collecting facts and opinions from friends, parents, and people in the community about what they believe are the strengths and areas for improvement in the Princeton Public Schools. While there are many great ideas, one of the greatest challenges is funding. I have decided to run for the Board of Education because I believe I can help find alternative sources of funding for the district without leaning on the existing tax base. Any community with a strong school system wrestles with how to maintain the quality without taxing its residents to death. And since Princeton has a large number of residents who send their children to private schools, and still others who are here primarily for the University, the tax question is even more difficult because not everyone is benefitting directly from the public school system. And yet, even with the current 2 percent property tax cap, taxes will double for residents in the next 35 years.
My proposal is simple: let’s raise an endowment. I have served on multiple boards in my professional life, and have raised money for the last 25 years. An endowment can tap into different donors than the Princeton Education Foundation and help provide a reliable income stream to complement other fundraising initiatives. There are many examples of great public schools that have created endowments, and there is no reason we could not do the same for Princeton Public Schools. If elected to the School Board, I will make this a priority. Since three of my children will still be graduating from PHS, I have a vested interest in improving the school system; as someone who hopes to retire here someday, I also have a strong desire to make Princeton an affordable option. An endowment is not the only answer, but most certainly could be part of the solution.
I hope on November 8 you will give me the opportunity to give back to the community and elect me to Board of Education.