Candidate for
Member, Board of Education; Dobbs Ferry Union Free School District

Health insurance and retirement costs continue to make up significant percentages of our budget. While it is difficult to impact these due to legal constraints, we need to be diligent in looking for ways to provide equal coverage (required) at a lower cost.

The current Board has been very proactive in approving and beginning implementation of an energy performance contract that will significantly reduce our energy costs at NO cost to the taxpayer -- inefficient boilers and HVAC units will be replaced, lighting will be replaced with systems that improve the quality of the lighting while reducing costs, the building "envelope" will be better sealed to prevent energy loss, and many other improvements. Solar and geothermal as alternatives or supplements were looked at, but the payback on the investment approached 100 years.

We need to look at ways to provide better food for our children at a lower cost. The District has subsidized the food program for years. We hope to eliminate that subsidy and maybe even bring in some revenue, while maintaining or improving the quality of food served. It is a challenging problem as the Board considers policies that could affect local eateries that have come to expect the lunch business from our students.