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) Bullying is not a new phenomenon for any school district throughout our country. I am not sure that there is any remedy that will completely remove it from our schools; however there are some effective tactics that can be used to minimize bullying in our district. In my opinion there needs to be a unified approach between all administrators, teachers, and counselors in all of our schools. A common code of conduct that is taught to all of our children with consequences for those who do not abide by this code. I also believe that bullying needs to be addressed on multiple levels. Parents are children’s first teacher; the topic needs to be discussed at home. I support character education at all levels, elementary through high school. The safe school ambassador program is a good example of proactively addressing the bullying issues in our schools especially for students transitioning to Middle School. I am a father of two boys, one in COH and one in the Middle School, and there is nothing more important than the safety of our children. I believe that standards need to be put into place to ensure our children are safe while they are in school. I am aware that there are mandates from NYS as to what the school district can and cannot do. It is important to gain a clear understanding of what is required on both a state and district level. I also understand that the district is working with Altaris Consulting Group which is one of the leading security firms in NYS. I support one point of entry in all schools; I believe that we should have more education with regards to mental health. I also believe it goes beyond the schools, as parents we need to be continually engaged with our children.
2) My understanding is that STEM was developed because students needed a more in-depth knowledge of science, technology, engineering and math. The STEAM model adds art as a component. This addition is a broad term that includes liberal arts, language arts, social studies, physical arts, fine arts and music. I support music and art education in our schools. Both STEAM and STEM challenge children to work together, reflect and think deeper. I believe that STEM and STEAM will give our students the processes and views needed to make real life decisions as they grow and enter the workforce. Education is more than just the knowledge and understanding of content. I believe we need to be open to new ways of teaching in order to keep our children moving forward well into the future.
3) I believe that as a school district we need to be able to work together in order to ensure that the quality of education is not compromised today and implement policies to ensure this same quality of education continues well into the future. I believe that we have to be fiscally responsible on how we achieve this without compromising the quality of education or our children’s safety. I also feel that we should support and empower the superintendent, administrators, teachers, and all employees to do the jobs they were hired to do as effectively and efficiently as possible.
4) My approach to analyzing the budget would be by definition to prioritize the needs of the school district. It would entail a review of policies that are effective compared to those that are not, and make adjustments as needed without compromising the quality of education and programs offered. While analyzing the budget I think it is extremely important to make sure that the district is effective in continually improving the achievements of the students, while maximizing our investments in both teaching and learning.
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