Black Horse Pike Regional School District Board Candidate: Joyce Ellis

Editor's Note: Gloucester Township Patch will share profiles of each candidate in the Black Horse Pike Regional School District (BHPRSD) and Gloucester Township Public Schools board elections who responded to our request for answers to a handful of queries.

The candidates' responses will be published in their original, unedited form, as they were submitted by the candidates.

A new profile will be published each day this week, through Saturday, beginning at noon.

Today, we feature BHPRSD Vice President Joyce Ellis. Board President Kevin Bucceroni's profile appeared on Monday.

School board elections will be held next Wednesday.

Name: Joyce Ellis

Residence: Sicklerville's Ashford Glen development, where she has lived since 1999

Relevant volunteer experience: Member of the Camden County Library Commission; active member of her church; helped develop the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards for English and the fine arts; parent-teacher associations

Marital status: Ellis is divorced. She is the mother of two and a grandmother to three.

PATCH: Why are you seeking re-election? How many terms have you served to this point? 
Ellis: I truly believe in the American Dream. Every child should have the opportunity to obtain an education. I believe we serve a diverse population in our free and democratic society. ... BHPRSD is like no other in that we strive to achieve perfection in our students—all of our students. We are far ahead of the game because we expect our students and staff to have extremely high aspirations. We are reaching for the brass ring on the merry-go-round. Success is based upon a positive attitude—this is my philosophy of life. That is why I am running for (a second term on the) BOE in 2011.

PATCH: As a current member of the board, how do you feel the board functions as currently constituted? Where do you see room for improvement?
Ellis: I feel this Board exemplifies a healthy community environment wherein learning is of ultimate importance.

PATCH: Do you feel federal No Child Left Behind legislation places too much emphasis on standardized testing? Please explain your response.
Ellis: Yes, it does place too much emphasis upon testing. Realistically, children must be assessed in many different ways—testing is only one. Many children do not test well—know the materials, but cannot take tests the traditional way with pen and paper. Testing is not the answer to the problems in our educational system ... teaching to the test is an abomination ... Where is the practical application of skills learned in the classroom?

PATCH: New Jersey property owners are fed up with seemingly ever-increasing taxes, already among the highest in the country. The state government has either frozen or minimally increased school aid in recent years. What do you feel school districts, particularly BHPRSD, must do to move forward and provide students with what they need under these constraints?
Ellis: Under current educational trends, with our Governor bashing educators and taking away the means to educate our students, excoriating the Core Curriculum Standards, loping off the funds by millions of dollars, and granting public education funds to charter schools, I find myself getting very discouraged at times. We must strive to stick to our guns and stand tall to help our students reach for excellence and achievement goals in our vastly technological world of this new millennium.

PATCH: How do you feel about a charter school opening in the township this fall?
Ellis: Trying to take an optimistic view, I am hopeful that Charter Schools set high standards for staff and students so that the students will find transitioning  into the more traditional public school to be seamless and smooth. I, as a Board Member, am hoping that we do not have to cut programs and teachers on the secondary level ( Triton, Highland and Timber Creek) because of lack of funding from the State ... funding that is taken from us to fund Charter Schools.

Ellis adds:

BHPRSD has 18 goals. There are six that I particularly feel are of importance:

• Develop an awareness of civil rights and responsibilities.
• Improve basic skills and develop college prep skills in math, language arts literacy, reading, writing, speaking, listening, and science—for each individual student.
• Develop a positive attitude toward lifelong learning.
• Develop both the understanding and the skills needed to function within an increasingly technological world.
• Develop a positive self-esteem to maximize individual potential.
• Provide a spectrum of individualized services for students with disabilities to assist them in achieving greater independence and fulfillment in their lives.