FLBOE Candidates: Craig Urciuoli

Craig Urciuoli is a father of two boys — Anthony, 6, a first grader at Colonial Road School and Nicholas, 4, will be attending Kindergarten at Colonial Road School in September. Craig and his wife, Elizabeth, moved to Franklin Lakes in 2006 and live on Bayberry Lane.  

Experience: Currently, I am volunteering on the districts efficiency committee.  Professionally, for the past 11 years, I have worked as a Managing Director at a boutique investment advisory firm, founded by legendary investor Marty Whitman.  Outside of my professional career, my wife & I founded and operate a private family charitable foundation (www.urciuoli.org), whose mission is to enhance the quality of education by financially assisting organizations that promote, support, and encourage the improvement of children's educational needs. 

Why do you want to serve on the school board? 

Craig: Having two young children in our schools, I have a vested interest in the quality and direction of the Franklin Lakes School District.  My father was the first member of his family to graduate from college and my mother was a special education teacher for over 35 years.  Education has always been, and remains, a cornerstone of my family’s values.   

My wife and I founded and operate a private family charitable foundation (www.urciuoli.org) to support and enhance the quality of education nationwide.  We have issued grants to fund scholarships for deserving children, and financially support a number of organizations.  This gratifying experience has motivated me to do more locally within our own school district.  As a first step, I am serving on the district’s efficiency committee, but I am excited to contribute more as a member of the Board of Education.

It is my passion for education that inspires me to volunteer my time, energy, and ideas to our community, our education system, and most of all our children.  It is an honor to participate in this process.

What challenges do you see in the next three years on the board? 

Craig: The biggest challenge that our district will face will be from the state and/or county, when they ask our town, along with Wyckoff and Oakland to consider collapsing our school districts.  This will change the landscape of our school district, as we know it.  As a parent and a Franklin Lakes resident, I am not in favor of this and I know from my work in the community that other parents agree.  But even if we vote this down, we may be mandated to do so by larger governments with budgetary constraints and concerns. 

I propose that we act before the state or county by exploring working with those towns in cost saving joint ventures that serve all of our interests, and safeguard our independence.  Rather than a standoff with the state or county, we could remove the impetus for their interference while improving the efficiency of our own school system in the process. 

I am open to change, but I want to change on our terms to foster the evolution of our school system and our community.

What do you see as the district's greatest assets and liabilities?

Craig: The residents of Franklin Lakes are passionate about our school district and our community.  This is evidenced by their generosity, not just with donations (through FLEF), but in the time that they invest in school programs and the PTA.  This passion is our greatest asset, but can also be a liability if we let emotions or personal agendas dictate decisions.  As long as we work together, we can improve our education system.  This is true in all aspects of our school district, from the upcoming teacher contract negotiations, redistricting, to curriculums and special programs.  We are all on the same team, and want the same outcome, a better education system for our children – we need to work together to achieve this. 

What problems would you like to see corrected in the district and how would you go about doing them? 

Resources need to be better allocated.  Through my experience on the efficiency committee, I have learned, first hand, that with better use of resources, we can improve our children’s educational experiences.  This has nothing to do with redistricting; I’m talking about the things that affect every school, and every grade.  Things that we all can agree on, like best practices, process, consistency, scheduling, curriculums, and communication.  The work of the efficiency committee is a good first step in identifying and prioritizing issues.  The group is broadly diversified, with representation from the BOE, teachers, administrators, and parents.  Working together, we will recommend solutions to the community that will enhance the educational experience of our children.  We are only halfway through this process, so it would be irresponsible of me to make specific recommendations, but I believe that, together, we will correct many inefficiencies throughout the district. 

What personal/professional strengths do you bring to the table that you feel will help to make the district better? 

Craig: My greatest strength is that I solve problems with logic and critical thinking.  I am very analytical and strategic in how I approach issues.  At the same time, I work extremely well with all people, allowing me to become a good leader within my professional career.  I am well organized and hard-working, and these traits, paired with my finance background, have enabled me to be an asset on any committee or team that I have participated on.  From a personal standpoint I have a passion for education, which has governed my philanthropic life (www.urciuoli.org). I know that my personal and professional strengths will translate well as a member of the Board of Education. 

 How do you feel about the governor's proposal to end teacher tenure and institute pay raises based on merit? 

In general, I support the Governor’s proposal, but it must occur at a broad level, i.e. the state, not district by district.  If this was instituted and implemented prudently, it would benefit the entire education system, better educating our children.  Instituting pay raises based on merit, would properly reward the best teachers, while at the same time incentivizing all teachers.

Prudent implementation is the extremely important when instituting change, especially one of this magnitude.  Accountability and oversight would be vital for this to work successfully.  Also vital, is having measurable data and an appropriate process to determine who should be rewarded (and how much).  On the surface, I support the Governor here, but many more details need to be worked out.

***

Yesterday, we heard from board candidate Carolyn Reitz. Check back tomorrow to hear from another FLBOE candidate "In Their Own Words."