Candidate for
Member, Board of Education; Byram Hills Central School District

Since July, 2000, I have had the privilege of serving the Byram Hills community as a member of the Board of Education. This year, on May 15, I will be seeking re-election. Although seven years is a relatively brief time in the life of a school district, these seven years have brought enormous changes to Byram Hills. Major construction projects have added much needed space at all four district schools, providing multiple classrooms, science and technology labs, libraries, gyms, art and music rooms, and other core facilities to address growing student enrollment. These two building projects were completed on time and under budget. Aging athletic facilities were addressed by a smaller and critically needed athletics project which has provided excellent fields, gyms, and more for both school and community use, at all district schools. Inside district facilities, these same years have produced changes that are just as striking - among them, adoption of K-12 class size guidelines, addition of a new team at HCC which reduced class sizes, a focus on K-12 differentiated instruction to meet the needs of learners across a broad spectrum, introduction of the Encore program at Wampus, provision of common planning time for teachers at Coman Hill and Wampus to allow staff to share best programs and practices, a new stringed instrument program, a district wide character education initiative, enhanced electives and AP offerings at the high school, and revamped and improved curricula across all disciplines and all schools. Additionally, successful negotiation of our administrators', teachers', and support staff contracts has enabled us to ensure that talented and dedicated staff instruct students in all district classrooms.

Throughout this period of change, I have played an active role on the Board, serving as Board President, two terms as Vice President, and on a host of Board work committees including Policy, Communications, Character Education and Curriculum, District-Wide Safety, as liaison to the PTSA and Pre-school Association, liaison to the Town of North Castle, and Board liaison to the construction projects. Before joining the Board I was also actively involved in our schools - as a member of the PTSA Executive Committee, PTSA VP for Education, class mother, parent member of district interview teams, and as a frequent volunteer in our schools - a role I still enjoy.

I think our district provides a better education for students now than it ever has, but know there is work still to do. With the construction projects behind us, we need to renew our focus on ensuring excellence of classroom and extracurricular experience - in academics, the arts, athletics - for all students, across the entire spectrum of learners, by providing support, challenge, and opportunity at every grade level. Improving our ability to meet the needs of individual students and considering long-delayed topics - such as elementary foreign language - are the kind of issues that will demand our attention. I believe all these discussions should be conducted via open dialogue that incorporates multiple perspectives, careful listening, and thoughtful analysis, as the essential elements in sound decision making. Additionally, I believe that the Board must act in a fiscally responsible manner that balances the needs of our students with the burden on district taxpayers. This is a central Board goal that has already borne fruit: while maintaining and enhancing the quality of programs, this year's proposed budget increase is the lowest since 1998.