Attending a BOE Candidate Forum, and wanted to share my responses to the questions posed. Please reach out with any follow-up questions to my responses.
1. How will you address the bullying problems in our schools, especially our middle school?
Response: First, let me commend the community for publicly raising this important issue. The school district’s response in establishing a strict code of conduct that explicitly calls out bullying and in providing various anti-bullying training and events throughout the school year has been good, in my view. Enforcement is an area that would benefit from further transparency. Also, I am encouraged by the work of the Cornwall Cares Committee and by the publicly available data suggesting that student conflict throughout the district is down year over year. As we foster a culture of high character and consideration of others that we desire in our district, we must remain vigilant. School safety is a paramount concern, and more work is needed towards establishing and maintaining a responsible, respectful and caring environment for all. To that end, I will partner with the administration to ensure our district’s accountability in responding to incidents with involved parties. When bullying cases occur, those who perpetrate bullying in our schools should face severe consequences for their actions. We should also identify and address the issues that drive the perpetrators to bully in the first place. It is equally important to provide compassionate support and to encourage resilience training for those targeted. My position is that more detailed reporting, including but not limited to tracking compliance with existing resolution protocols, will provide additional measurements to ensure we are proceeding in a positive direction. Finally, the CCSD Code of Conduct compels students and staff to report bullying to the appropriate school administrator. An online form already exists, and I will ensure wider dissemination of this anonymous reporting mechanism and ensure that we monitor its usage, so that bullying is eradicated from school life and each student develops dignity and self-respect.
2. What are the next steps with regard to school safety?
Response: I understand that the district is hardening the physical security of all schools and currently is exploring the posting of school resource officers. These are important actions indeed. While intended as preventative measures, these tend to act as detective controls, especially during an actual incident. Accordingly, I would like to see a proactive approach with greater emphasis placed on early detection and intervention. I am confident that the review of social media and reporting analytics, as discussed in the previous question, would allow us to identify at-risk conditions and to develop timely and accurate threat assessments. This will further our ability to create effective and efficient response strategies.
3. What is your long-term plan for music and art education? How does this integrate with the current trend for STEAM and STEM programming?
Response: I like the direction of the district’s music and art program, and I appreciate the smooth transition after recent notable retirements in this area. The use of exhibitions and ensemble competitions provides students with fantastic opportunities to develop and showcase their talents. The Fourth of July art exhibit at Town Hall is a wonderful forum to connect the students to the community. I encourage more exhibits throughout the school year at locations frequented by the community. Also, the recent Technology Expo at the high school showed the synergistic potential involving STEAM disciplines as students exercise creativity and critical thinking by working as an “expert” on a team with a common goal. In this regard, the district’s initial steps have been encouraging with room for continued growth.
4. What are your 2 or 3 biggest areas of concern at CCSD, and what would you like to see changed to address these concerns?
Response: 1 – Financial Health/ Fiscal Accountability– I applaud the current administration for its effort in reestablishing a solid foundation, but there remains room for improvement. Given the district’s continued success in this complex environment, we must now shift our mindset from one of austerity towards a vision with more efficient allocation of available resources. The initiative underway to establish a capital reserve is a good first step in my view. Other activities that would benefit our district is the development of a long-term strategy that is supported by a threeyear financial forecast, as well as the exploration of alternative and innovative revenue sources to augment the tax-levy. 2 – Failing Infrastructure - Between past “value engineered” projects and deferred routine maintenance, the district’s facilities are in poor shape. A capital bond issuance to finance repairs and improvements during such historically low interest rates seems a very prudent and fiscally responsible action. 3 – Stakeholder Communication – One of the BOE’s 2017-2018 stated goals is to continue to communicate with the community using a variety of public relations efforts, including public outreach and technology. Having attended a majority of the board working sessions and meetings and having navigated its website, I believe there has been progress, but more can be done. There are still opportunities to improve two-way communication between the BOE and stakeholders in our community. Feedback can take many forms, and the district’s sharing of its long-term vision and strategy might facilitate a more enlightened dialogue in our community that discovers practical solutions to the issues we face. What is your approach to analyzing the annual school budget and how would you apply that approach in budgetary decisions? Response: I use a comparative approach, starting with sources of funding. I review the bottom line figures for long term trends, year-over-year changes and variances (actual to budgeted), then drill down and perform a similar analysis of the component parts. When I move onto uses of funds, I repeat the process above. Comparing these figures with the underlying inflation gauge, I assess the reasonableness of the numbers. I then assess the number of students against the number of projected teachers, as well as the total budget, to assess the average size of a classroom, average cost per student and scalability of the district’s operations. Finally, I compare these figures and metrics above with those of higher-rated districts in the area to determine the district’s value proposition and project (albeit crudely) possible costs associated with improving student education opportunity and experience.
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