Candidate for
Member, Board of Education; Rye City School District

My three main concerns were voiced by many people in our community over the past few weeks. First, there is a lack of communication between the Board and the community members. If elected I would like to head up this committee and make some changes. For example, sending a thank you note to any speaker who addresses the Board during a meeting. Why not use the smart-board to show the agenda during the meetings showing how we use computer technology in our classrooms? What about a survey monkey a couple of times a year inviting the community to rate the Board meetings?

Second, many concerned citizens, feel there are present Board members micromanaging. There are some people using "personal agendas" to get what they want. For example, the Board denied tenure to a kindergarten teacher after the principal recommended her for tenure. The assistant superintendent recommended her for tenure too as well as the superintendent himself. In this case the hired administrators had no voice. This has to stop.

Third, the children are being effected by the lack of a "teacher's contract". The teacher's in Rye have been without a contract for 2 years. Somehow this item needs to settle, before our quality of education in Rye is diminished.