Politics & Government

Candidate Questionnaire: Eric Zajac

The Radnor School Board candidate answers our questions.

Name: Eric Zajac

Party affiliation: Democrat

Previous political experience (elective and appointed positions): Elected to the School Board in 2005 in a Special Election; re-elected to a 4-year term in 2007.  Held elected positions previously with the Philadelphia Bar Association, including its Board of Governors and its Young Lawyers Division, Executive Committee.

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Education: B.S.  Psychology – University of Pennsylvania, 1988

J.D., Villanova School of Law, 1993

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Career: Has been a practicing litigation attorney since 1993, partner in own firm since 2006.  Has lived in Radnor Township since 2000, married with 3 children.

What are the most critical issues in the school district and how would you address them?

On the short term, we need to resolve the grounds maintenance issues with the Township.  I would do this by forming a subcommittee of the School Board to work with a subcommittee of the Board of Commissioners.  I would not rule out the possibility of some kind of non-binding mediation. 

We need to impress upon our legislators the importance of fixing the broken retirement system known as PSERS.  Band-aids are not enough.  PSERS has unfunded liabilities, and it is inequitable to pass the buck onto School Boards who must then pass the buck on to the taxpayers to make up for the shortfalls. 

In general, we need stronger relationships with our elected officials in Harrisburg.  I would schedule regular meetings with our state senator and our three state representatives.  I would invite them to our meetings.  They need to know how concerned we are with the PSERS problem and the urgency attached to solving it. And while we’re at it, we can dialogue with them on other state-wide educational policy issues, like vouchers, Act 1, and formal assessments like the Keystone exams, to name just a few.

We need to multi-task as a Board.  We need to act, not just react.  This may mean enlisting some of the tremendous talent in our community to serve in an advisory position or in advisory task forces. 

Our teachers are important to us, and they deserve fair compensation, but the compensation has to be consistent with economic realities.  We need to both reward excellent teachers and hold accountable those who are not meeting expectations.  Hard work and success should be celebrated, but at the same time, nobody should get a free pass, either.  Our Superintend needs the full support of the Board in this regard.

What skills do you have that you think would be an asset to the board?

I have striven to be an accessible, responsive School Board Director who has not been afraid to ask the tough questions but who also has made informed, thoughtful decisions.   My approach is one of mutual respect and inclusiveness.  I hope to have earned the respect of administrators and fellow Directors alike.

What do you think the school district is doing right and what does it need to improve? How would you improve it?

We are operating well financially within the constraints of an Act 1 environment.  Still, PSERS hangs over our budgeting like a dark cloud.  Revenues are at best flat. We need to explore appropriate sources of alternative revenue.  Limited naming rights and restrictive corporate sponsorships need to be part of the discussion whether they are popular or not.

As regards public comment, the so-called 3-minute rule has not been enforced for years.  That’s a good thing.  We need to make folks more comfortable in approaching us.  We need to relax the public comment atmosphere of the meetings.  A genuine, good faith question deserves a genuine, good faith response.  We should permit those who can’t come to the meeting but who watch it live to submit questions by e-mail.

Speaking of committee meetings, the taping of the meetings with the ability to replay them through the District’s website has been a positive development.  What is left is to give the meetings the time and structure they need to not be rushed.  I favor spreading the committee meetings over two dates rather than trying to hold them all in one day.

Curriculum in the schools has had to be altered because of budgetary reasons over the past few years. What do you think the shape of the “Radnor education” is right now and how would you improve it?

As I have said publicly before, we must presume that any reduction in teaching force is going to impact our students.  While we did furlough approximately a dozen positions a couple years ago (many of which were not classroom teachers), we were able to recall some of them.  I have nevertheless supported an assessment of the impact.  The process of that assessment has to be one that the teachers, administrators and Board all respect. 

Also, we must serve to protect class size.  Our approach to class size might technically be a “guideline,” but that’s not how I see it.  We have to think of what limited class size is meant to represent.  Providing a thriving learning environment is not a guideline. 

We must complete the curriculum audit presently underway.  We cannot become complacent.  It’s time to be progressive.  We need to offer high school students more ways to meet their physical education requirements during the summer so they can have more electives or more AP course offerings.  We need to improve guidance services at the high school so that our students are best equipped for the college application process.  We need to take a top to bottom look at our world languages program.

Do you support implementing full day kindergarten? If so, what would you do to make that happen?

Unambiguously, yes!

Anyone who knows me knows that I have consistently and persistently supported it.

The social science firmly confirms its value.  Our children and their dual-income parents would clearly benefit.

I would promptly reconstitute the all-day Kindergarten task force that was initially formed almost ten years ago, have them update their work, and have them collaborate with existing kindergarten teachers, building administrators, and facilities employees to come up with a proposed plan for implementation.  This will include at least one member of the Finance Committee, one member of the Facilities Committee, and one member of the Curriculum Committee. 

This is not an issue of finances.  The finances are there.  It is the will of a majority of the Board that has been lacking.

How would you represent the interest of tax payers who do not have children in the school district?

We are elected to represent everyone in the Township.  About 25% of our families have children enrolled in our public schools.  Some of us are empty-nesters.  Others send their children to private or parochial schools.  We represent everyone’s interests by keeping property values high with strong public schools.  It is a false choice to say this can only be done by regularly imposing 5% or more in annual tax increases.  The record shows I have challenged this notion.  I have opposed seeking or taking Act 1 exceptions and have pushed for lower tax increases. 

Tell us something about yourself that would surprise us.

I have personally met and secured the autographs of all the original cast members of Star Trek (except for DeForest Kelly).

Okay, so maybe that doesn’t surprise anyone.


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