EF candidates outline positions at public forum

By Sarah Pellis
spellis@yourmvi.com

Elizabeth Forward school board candidates gathered Tuesday to answer questions from community members at a Meet the Candidates event.
Held at Elizabeth Township Community Center, it attracted more than 60 community members in person and more than 100 online.
The forum, organized by community members Bobbi Bauer and Eric Piper, extended invitations to all the candidates, aiming to provide residents with a clear, accessible way to learn more about the individuals seeking to guide the district in the coming years.
The district is in the midst of a major renovation project due to the 2023 fire at the high school and are consolidating some schools, which may have prompted a field of 10 candidates to run for a seat.
At EF, voters had to choose candidates for four, four-year seats, and many were successful in May’s primary. Out of six expected candidates, five came to the event and answered questions.
Winning the nominations in May were current board members Dorothy A. Wycoff, Richard Cummings and Jamie Evans, who was unable to attend Tuesday’s meeting but had a video to present.
Newcomers on the ballot are Kenneth D. Honick Jr., Daniel J. Novacek and former school board member Margaret Morgan. Honick and Wycoff are running together and the other four candidates are running as a unit.
Cummings
A school board member since 2017 and an Elizabeth Township resident for 17 years, Cummings said he has tried to abide by what the definition of a school board director is and to get the information for the public and himself to make the best informed decision.
If reelected, Cummings said he will do the best he can for students, teachers and the community while addressing issues such as updating facilities, safety officers in schools, continuing educating students and more.
“This is a very selfless position,” he said. “I have invested a lot of time into this district, it’s very important to me and I appreciate what the schools have done for us. The teachers are there to help, to educate and they are one of our greatest assets here. Our district has been through a lot in the last few years.”
Evans
Evans talked about his time on the board in a video — addressing the changing of the EF mascot, too much money being spent on high school construction and more.
Evans also said taxes need to go up, but they don’t have to be raised to index every year. He added that he wants to keep the current EF mascot, that the board has to be careful on spending and that he hopes to have conversations with board and community members.
“Our campaign has been very straight from the beginning,” he said. “We are differing, we are not always going to be voting alongside each other and people should be in a room with differing opinions and walk out of the room with a solution.”
Honick
The current chief of police in Elizabeth Township, a resident for over 40 years, an EF graduate and a member of the Rotary Club of Elizabeth, Honick said he would address issues with trust, safety/security and teacher advocacy if elected.
Honick hopes for more communication with the community about the current construction going on by informing PTO moms or making an advisory board of what’s going on because he said there is a disconnect. He also said the right teachers need to be in the classrooms.
“I am a candidate for school board, but I am not going to go house to house and say we are going to lower taxes and stop the consolidation because I feel like that is just misinformation, and it’s really not true,” he said. “It is a very challenging time in the law enforcement community, and it’s a very challenging time in the education community and we need to be in touch with that.”
Morgan
An EF graduate, Morgan is the president of the Women’s Club of Elizabeth, was senior region leader of the Women of the Moose and a former school board member.
Morgan said she’s a believer in community service and plans on making the public feel more welcome at board meetings by answering reasonable questions, ensuring the high school renovation is financially stable while making a successful project, balancing a budget, working together with the board/community and more.
“I believe we need leaders that can be creative, transparent and strategic with every hard earned tax payer dollar,” she said. “Our district is facing real financial pressure. We must analyze the budget and eliminate any unnecessary spending. The answer can not always be raising taxes every year. We need to try to control spending and that is our true option. We need to work together for the children of the community.”
Novacek
An Elizabeth Township resident for 16 years, Novacek has been employed by the township police department and he was the handler of K-9 Officer Eli, who passed away in May 2024. He has also been a school resource officer.
Novacek said he is running for the students. He plans to address giving quality education to EF students, putting money into arts and sports, protecting kids and their voices, teacher retention, safety and more if elected.
“It is a hard job, and I do want to make a difference in the community,” Novacek said. “I have been in the schools continuously and trying to make a positive impact inside our community and with the students.”
Wycoff
Serving in politics for 35 years, Wycoff said she has been in the district for a long time, with her family being here for more than 60 years. Her husband’s family farm, Wycoff Farm and Stables, has been around for more than 200 years.
Similar to Cummings, Wycoff wants to continue to update facilities, emphasize safety and to keep educating students to the best of their abilities. She advocated for people to come sit on her porch and she will talk with them one on one about what she will continue to do in office.
“The board we have now, it’s the best board I’ve been on, and I have been on the longest,” Wycoff said. “I would be proud to serve with anybody. Most of us want what’s right for this district.”
Construction lingers
High school construction and elementary school consolidation have been prevalent issues in the EF community for the past few years, and the candidate event did not shy away from that.
According to Cummings, the next steps for the school district are on the horizon with the conclusion of Phase 1 happening soon and the RFP and the decision to continue with Phase 2 next month. He said he supports the completion of Phase 1 and Phase 2.
“I have not wavered from the very beginning, and the information provided to me showed that this is a good, financially responsible, educationally responsible decision,” Cummings said. “To get these kids into a concise school district has allowed us to get three schools off of our books. We’re thinking long term.”
Novacek wants transparency with the board about what is going on with construction, and to make sure people are educated enough about what is going on with the schools.
Evans also agreed that the schools need a lot of work done to them and that the project needs to move forward, even though he is not sure where he stands with the project at the moment. He said he does believe there needs to be a consolidation.
Honick said they have been consolidating schools for more than 40 years, and that there are more athletic fields that are surrounding the new high school. He hopes to see better classrooms and more money put into the education of the students, and he wants more discussions.
“The consolidation has been happening for a long time,” Honick said. “Forty-one years this community has been paying taxes, operating schools, paying educators and here we are now still consolidating. We have probably spent $1.5 billion in 41 years educating our kids and maintaining the same buildings. What’s the difference if we have spent that much and I walk into Mt. Vernon Elementary like I did in 1984? Not much.”
Morgan addressed her concerns with construction as well, saying the district’s debt is $167 million with repayment taking 32 years until 2057. She added that the school district does not want to close the schools, but they have to act responsibly for the financial future of the district.
“Obviously the project was needed. The fire destroyed our auditorium and caused damage to other areas of the school,” Morgan said. “The school board moved forward with what they felt was their best option for the district. Our students deserve safe, modern, accessible buildings and our teachers deserve classrooms that support their work, but there needs to be a balance with what the taxpayers can afford.”