Statement from Bill Higgins

Bill Higgins could not attend the candidates forum. He provided a statement. We have excerpted it here. I am a 62-year-old resident of the Glenwood section of Vernon and have lived in Vernon with my family for the past 32 years. All of our children attended the Vernon Schools and had excellent experiences. One of the reasons we moved to Vernon was the quality of the school system. I have a bachelor’s degree from Kent State University in Business Administration and an MBA degree from Rutgers University. In addition, I was one of the volunteers who helpe build the Vernon PAL building. We painted the building, installed security equipment and helped with fundraisers. I started the Travel Team Basketball Program as well as the Fall Ball Baseball Travel Programs for Vernon PAL. I also served on the Little League Board for six years and coached various sports programs for 14 years. I am an active member of St. Francis de Sales Church. The experiences I gained as a board member of Warwick, N.Y., Day Care Center for two years and 10 years as a board member of Lakeland-Andover School in Lafayette, will be a benefit as a member of the Vernon Board of Ed. My work experience includes three years working as a vocational evaluator for The Mount Carmel Guild in Newark for disadvantaged, emotionally disturbed and needy people. I spent the next 29 years working my way into sales and management positions with Macy’s, Litton, Quasar, Wells Fargo Alarm and Vision Systems. For the past nine years I have owned a sales and marketing firm with my partner. My goal is to offer solid decision-making skills learned from my employment experiences, apply good listening skills, to use experiences I have gained during my educational and professional careers as well as the personal experiences gained over the years. I hope to help the Vernon Board of Education through the anticipated rough economic times we all expect due to the budget problems the state is experiencing. Local school boards are going to be asked to recommend solutions to their students, taxpayers and teachers as state revenue is reduced. I believe this process can be accomplished in a manner which can be acceptable to everyone if we apply solid decision-making methods, research alternative solutions, be creative, open minded and consider the importance of our decisions and how it will affect so many others. My daily schedule now allows me the luxury of having some extra time. I have chosen to offer some of that time to our children and grandchildren as a member of the Board of Education. Golf and travel can wait. My primary goal as a board member will always be to improve the education we offer our students. They are my primary reason for the decision to run for the board.