Vineland School Board Issues
InformTheVoteNJ Interview with Robert Buono
⏳ Click to view timestamps, topics, and takeaways ⏳
Interview Summary – Rob Buono (Vineland School Board)
This table highlights the key topics covered in the interview, summarizing major takeaways per section.
| Timestamp | Topic | Key Takeaways |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00 | Introduction & InformTheVoteNJ Origin Story | Steven explains the motivation behind launching InformTheVoteNJ.com. Rob expresses shared frustration about the lack of accessible local election information. |
| 3:20 | Personal Background & Community Ties | Rob shares his path from the restaurant industry to public service and reflects on two decades of listening to community concerns. |
| 13:20 | Standards, Truancy, and Low Expectations | Discussion on declining standards and absenteeism. Rob emphasizes the need to raise expectations to help lift the region out of poverty. |
| 20:35 | School Visit Policies & Over-Compartmentalization | Clarifies Policy No. 9010 and board ethics regarding school visits. Steven raises concerns about board members lacking firsthand insight. |
| 25:30 | Communication Boundaries & Confidentiality | Rob explains what board members can and cannot publicly share. Discussion about transparency vs. executive session confidentiality. |
| 31:30 | Policy 5756 and Values in Decision-Making | Rob critiques the policy as vague and misleading regarding student records. The conversation weighs student privacy against parental rights. |
| 39:45 | Superintendent Visibility & Public Communication | Steven questions superintendent outreach. Rob says the superintendent is active, but constrained by other responsibilities. |
| 45:35 | Student Behavior, Discipline, and Accountability | Rob explains restorative justice practices and calls for more consistent discipline and parental accountability. |
| 55:10 | Donaldson Hearings Explained | Overview of the process for dismissing non-tenured teachers. Rob notes the board often defers to administrative recommendations. |
| 1:01:30 | Local Civics and Public Awareness | Both advocate for reintroducing civics education. Rob supports it as an elective and acknowledges low public understanding. |
| 1:11:00 | County-Facilitated Candidate Information | Steven proposes a county-run election info site. Rob agrees but says state-level changes would be necessary. |
| 1:12:15 | Rebuilding Local Press & Cutting Red Tape | Rob vents about legal obstacles and bureaucracy that hinder transparency and problem-solving at the board level. |
| 1:16:15 | Closing Thoughts & Election Cycles | Clarifies school board terms and upcoming elections. Rob encourages residents to stay engaged and informed. |
An organized list of issues of contention this election cycle.
Vineland School Board Issues
Lack of Press Coverage
With the shutting down of newspapers all across the country, information regarding elections is scattered all over the
internet and oftentimes appears biased because it is coming from the candidates themselves and their parties. The local paper,
The Daily Journal,
was absorbed by a parent company and the last reporter in the county retired last year. Without a trusted
3rd party entity providing objective oversight regarding issues facing the county, the public is left
woefully uninformed about what is going on, especially in regards to local elections where biased political
messaging could be running rampant. While most of the candidates agree we need press coverage, none of them
seem to be particularly interested engaging in an action plan to fix the problem for a variety of reasons.
One candidate said "With the lack of press coverage, candidates are left to be their own press on social media."
While we appreciate the pro-active approach to do something to get information out to the public, this approach could easily lead
to the appearance of overwhelming bias and scattered sources of information... who has the time to
scour all the candidates social media pages, verify the facts, send follow-up questions that oftentimes go unanswered, attend various events that
have entrance fees, etc etc etc? The press, that's who. Another candidate said "If I get involved in forming the
local press, it could be viewed as a bias for my party." Understandable, but we are still ultimately left uninformed. The public needs reasonable
access to comprehensive, consolidated information regarding election choices. "We'll let the public know what we want
them to know", this did not come from a candidate, but rather from a campaign organizer. It's pretty clear that we have a
problem, but not necessarily anyone willing to solve it.
Disciplinary Methods
It has been rumored for years that behvarioral issues in the school system has been growing. Some say that current
restorative practices have been insufficient and that perhaps a return
to traditional disciplinary systems may be better. How would our candidates approach disciplining behavioral problems?
Parents Rights vs Students Privacy
Policy 5756, a guideline for how to address transitioning students, was a
big topic last year.
While some argue that students shouldn't be outed to their parents in fear of potentially unfair judgement from the parents, others argue that it is the parents
right to know what is going on with their children and ultimately have the right to raise their children how they see fit, not the state. Similarly, many issues
regarding sexually related material being present in schools has raised the issue of what type of material is appropriate in schools. How would the candidates
approach issues regarding the parents right to know what's going on, be involved in how curriculum's are set up, and what might be off-limit material?
Student Performance
Student output and test scores have been an issue for many years. How would the candidates help ensure that students and schools will reach appropriate
benchmarks in the coming years?