Sue says:
Port Washington is a highly diverse community that is characterized by the state as being a “Wealthy District.” This classification means that we are forced to rely almost entirely upon our own local resources to underwrite our public education system.

With a relatively small commercial tax base, increasing mandatory expenses, shrinking State funding, and a difficult economic climate, it seems increasingly difficult to unite the community on how to fund our schools.

However, I believe that Port Washington is in fact united in our desire to provide a high quality education to our children. Division begins with concerns about how the system is administered.

A strong planning and oversight system, operated as a partnership between the Administration on the one hand and the Board of Education on the other, is essential to restoring and ensuring the trust and support of the community.

We need to plan better, review our budgeting process and examine each part of the budget in detail.

Clear plans must encompass all aspects of the school system’s needs (curricular, staffing, physical plant, and financial) and must be communicated clearly to the community.

We need to review programs regularly so that we know how well they serve our goals.

We need a clear, long range plan so that our budgets make sense in a larger context.

We need to form a Task Force, incorporating leaders from across Port Washington, to work with our elected representatives in Albany to lead the call for Education Finance Reform in New York State.  It's time to stop complaining about this situation, and time to lead Long Island in the effort to repair our State's broken system.

As a parent leader (Daly HSA, AGATE), I have attended Board of Education meetings and BOE committee meetings (Facilities, Finance, Community Relations, Curriculum) regularly for the past 5 years. I understand, as well as any outsider can, the way the workings of the Board.

I have organized my personal and professional life to support my full participation on the Board, and bring to the work a vision, energy, goodwill, and well-established relationships with the current Board and Administration.

I have very high standards, an ability to learn quickly, and I can pay attention to detail while holding the big picture firmly in mind. Those who know me can vouch for my ability to achieve goals with great efficiency, and can also attest to my highly collaborative work ethic and style.

May 5: Opening Statement at Parent Council Debate

Our children and our students are our valuable treasures and our future. The Board of Education is the steward of their education and opportunity for success in and contribution to the world. It is an important responsibility that we must work hard to fulfill.

My personal vision for education calls for strong academics, fostering inquisitive minds, nurturing creativity, and learning how to live a life that contributes to society.

The role of the Board of Education is to set goals towards this vision and provide oversight to the Superintendent of Schools, in order to empower him or her to manage the district efficiently and effectively towards those goals. The Board makes sure the resources are available, and evaluates how well the resources are being managed.

Based on a strong partnership model, the Board and Administration must meticulously plan, and communicate those plans so that the community can understand what we are being asked to fund with our taxes, how our money will be spent, and what value our students can expect from our investment.

Education today is not simple. It’s very different from when I attended school here in Port Washington, and a world away from when my folks went to school.

School districts, regardless of their size, and despite claims to the contrary, do not operate on a corporate model. However, Boards can apply corporate best practices to improve their districts. In times like these, we have to take the time to do the hard work of balancing what is valued for education within the limits on what our citizens are willing and able to afford.

I am neither on the side of those in the community who call for funding all our wish lists regardless of the tax impact, nor on the side of those who call for a reduced tax burden regardless of the educational consequences.

The Board needs to conduct a more detailed examination of what each line item in the budget represents. This process is painstaking, is best conducted outside of the normal budget cycle, and should be transparent to the public. It should include a comprehensive, detailed review of past budgets and an evaluation of each component for its effectiveness toward our goals.

You know, at this time of year, we spend an enormous amount of time on budget talk. While this is understandable, it is the Board’s responsibility to balance the calendar with thorough discussions of curriculum initiatives, and curriculum reviews. Education’s core, after all, is curriculum, teachers teaching and students learning. Budgets and buildings are simply there to make sure the learning happens.

And speaking of buildings, the Board, as stewards of the district’s investment in its physical plant, must take care to maintain and protect that investment as they would their own homes.
There are hard choices facing us and managing a complex system like this takes time. Boards must manage their own time effectively to maximize what the district can accomplish for our children.

I am prepared to face these challenging times with energy, dedication, intelligence, an open mind, and a commitment to making a difference in the lives of our children. 
 

Fellow Port Washingtonians, I ask for your vote on May 20.