Fulcomer Hopes to Eventually Merge Two School Districts

Jim Fulcomer is running for one of the three seats on the Berkeley Township Board of Education. But his biggest goal if elected would be to eliminate the board entirely.

"My goal is to save money for the taxpayers," Fulcomer said. "They have been cheated every single year with two school boards."

Fulcomer, 67,  is running on a slate with and Salvatore P. Ferlise. The three have pledged to work toward merging the Berkeley Township and Central Regional boards of education into a single, K-12 school district.

Fulcomer taught history and government at Elizabeth High School for many years before he retired. He served one term on the Union County Board of Freeholders and four terms on the Rahway council. He has a bachelor's degree from Kean University and a master's degree from New York University. He and his wife Cathy have lived in the South Seaside Park section of the township for 13 years. They have three children and three grandchildren.

"I have spent most of my adult life in education," he said. "I've always been interested and I'm still interested. I've seen what works and I've seen what doesn't work. I've also seen an enormous amount of money wasted. I know what to look for."

Fulcomer says the "most obvious" waste in Berkeley Township is two separate school districts - Berkeley Township and Central Regional - with double the administrative staff that is needed.

"We have two management teams, two support teams," he said. "You have two people doing the work one person should be doing."

Fulcomer said he realizes that combining the Berkeley and Central Regional school districts isn't going to happen overnight. But until that happens, the Berkeley board should push for more interlocal agreements with Central Regional, he said.

"I'm extremely anxious to share services with Central Regional and so are the people I am running with," he said.

A single K-12 district would almost mean a more streamlined curriculum for students. Pupils who move from the current K-6 Berkeley school district into the Central Regional Middle School curriculum sometimes have problems making the transition, Fulcomer said.

"I really would love to be elected to a position that can be eliminated," said Fulcomer, who lives on Roberts Avenue.  "My greatest goal would be to eliminate the school board I was elected to."