School Board Profiles: Matthew Burns

Editor's note: Due to the large number of candidates in this year's school board election, we ran a pair of candidate profiles each day this week, ending today. Each candidate was asked to provide a biography and answer a set of questions.

On Monday, we'll provide a final wrap-up of the school budget and provide links to all candidate profiles.

Matthew Burns is home grown from West Deptford, having attended Red Bank Elementary, West Deptford Middle and High Schools, graduating in 2002. Matthew currently resides at home with his family in Riverwinds. Serving an enlistment in the United States Navy, Matthew quickly advanced within the intelligence community due to a strong work ethic, a can-do attitude and relying strongly on his instilled patriotism.

What you get with me is a blank slate and an open mind. I hold an allegiance to no one but the children, teachers and taxpayers of West Deptford. It is hard to believe that while growing up all I wanted to do was get out of this town, but I have now come full circle and want nothing more than to raise my family here.

I remember how incredible our education system was while experiencing it for myself, and just because budgets are being slashed at alarming rates and we are experiencing ‘tough medicine’ to bring us back to more prosperous times, doesn’t mean that the children of our town should not be able to experience the same quality educational experience that I was privileged to receive.

My three top priorities as a member of the Board will be:

1. Develop more robust evaluation of our teaching staff; caring and effective educators are essential for student success.

2. Continue to expand the technology initiative for staff and students alike, preparing students to thrive in a 21st-century world and giving teachers the tools to effectively do so.

3. Foster an atmosphere of being fiscally responsible and keeping the families in the loop when it comes to the decisions being made about our children’s education.