Moorestown BOE Candidate 'Committed' to District's Future

Moorestown School District has weathered some significant storms over the last several years—Gov. Christie slashing state aid; two arduous contract negotiations; the overall economic downtown turn—with relative aplomb.

“We’ve got a very strong record as a board,” said School Board Member Matt Simeone.

But he also understands that “the fiscal issues we face as a district are not going anywhere,” said Simeone, pointing to the ever-increasing cost of health insurance and other expenses.

Simeone, who is seeking a second term on the Moorestown Board of Education, said he continues to be driven by a desire to serve the school district, and the greater community.

“I feel obligated, in a positive sense,” he said. “And I feel committed, in a positive sense.”

Simeone, the president of an executive recruiting firm, outlined a series of goals he has for the district—should he be reelected—starting with creating a “culture of accountability” for measuring and assessing the outcomes of programs, of curriculum, of everything.

“We’ve done some pretty amazing things in that regard in the last three years,” he said.

He also mentioned the need for efficiency in spending, so that not a single taxpayer dollar is wasted, and made references to shared services and outsourcing as potential ways to accomplish that.

On the educational side, Simeone noted the curriculum redesign the district is undergoing—a “five- to six-year project,” which he referred to as “pretty revolutionary—and mentioned technology as being a big part of that.

And lastly, Simeone said it’s his personal goal to keep politics out of the board’s business as much as possible.

“We’re very fortunate in Moorestown to have an apolitical board,” he said. “The move to a November election has changed that … This is not a stepping stone to a greater role in politics (for me).”

Simeone is seeking one of three open school board seats, alongside candidates Al Panzarella, Kimberly Kersey and Joe Ruccolo, as well as vice president Kathy Goldenberg.

Polls open at 6 a.m. Nov. 5. Don’t know where to vote? Check our handy election primer to find out (check the bottom of the article for voting districts and corresponding polling places).