Letter to Voters

By Joseph A. "Joe" Ferraro

Who is Joe Ferraro

I was raised in the Bronx and moved to Yorktown Heights while I was in the 4th grade. I attended Ben Franklin, Copper Beech and Lakeland High School. After that I became the first in my family to attend college and earned a BS in Marketing and Computer Information Systems from Manhattan College in Riverdale (the Bronx). While at Manhattan I met my then to be future wife, Christine Ferrara + that's right her last name was Ferrara (just one letter off from my own) and we'll be married for 20 years this coming September. In the early 1990s I also earned my Masters Degree in Non-Profit Management from New School University.

After getting married, Christine and I lived in Riverdale for a few years before I "came back home" to the area and bought our first house in Mohegan Lake, where we started a family. With the impending birth of our second daughter in 2003, we moved to Putnam Valley with the promise of good schools, a bigger house and comparably lower taxes...well, two out of three isn't too bad.

In 2007 I launched my own fund raising and marketing consulting firm + PULSE Marketing, Development & Communications [PULSE-MDC]. At PULSE-MDC, I work with nonprofit organizations to improve their fundraising programs through the implementation of integrated marketing strategies. In short, I help charities raise money by identifying individuals and asking them to fund the important work of a charity.

My entire professional career has revolved around serving others. As a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), I've worked with organizations with local and international scope ranging from Manhattan College as Director of Development to American Bible Society as Director of Annual Programs and as a consultant to children's and education based organizations like St. Joseph's Indian School, Make-A-Wish Foundation, UNICEF, along with over 100 other health, domestic and international relief and education causes and charities.

Throughout my career I've connected people who have a desire to make a difference in the world with charities/missions that channel that passion and put it into action by feeding the hungry, sheltering the lost, educating children and empowering them to change the world -- person by person, community by community and so on. It is this passion and desire to improve the world my family and I live in that also drives me to run for the school board and make a difference in our community today.

The joy of my life is my family: my wife of nearly 20 years, and my daughters Jacey Faith, 9 and Kyrie Grace, 7 -- both of whom attend the Putnam Valley Elementary School. I've seen the impact their teachers have had in their lives so far. While they are NOT fans of homework, they love learning, love their teachers and love their school. I would like for my children and the entire Putnam Valley community's children to continue to receive a student-focused education that prepares them well for their future.

Education and the welfare of children have been a priority and focus not only throughout my career but my wife's as well. She has touched the lives of countless children through her Emmy Award-winning writing for the educational program "Sesame Street", as well as her volunteer work with Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Girl Scouts. Together we believe in the immeasurable value of children and the importance of a high quality education that engages students, teachers, parents, the local community and society at large.

This brings me to today and why I am running for the open position on the school board. I've seen progress within the district over the past few years: test scores are improving, and the laptop initiative and education technology is serving as a model of success. But with a number of newly hired administrators in the school district and an economically challenged environment, I want to be sure, as we work through these critical years, that today's generation of Putnam Valley Tigers are afforded the opportunity to continue receiving an education that moves forward with a program dedicated to excellence.

Especially during difficult times like these some of the most important issues that our district faces revolve around balancing needs vs. wants, academic achievement vs. investment, whole-person learning vs. teaching to the test.

I don't pretend to have all the answers, but I do feel that, as a community, we should empower our children with opportunities to achieve excellence through effective teaching and with facilities and educational tools that are conducive to learning.

If elected to the school board, I will be a dedicated servant to our district balancing costs and student achievement.

I will be a strong advocate for our community and our kids.

I will work with the goal to ensure that the district's work is focused on educating the entire child to shape them into well rounded individuals.

By supporting a comprehensive educational program/system that embodies excellence and high performance standards, we as a community are doing our part to set the stage for the success of our children to be better prepared for life after high school or college to secure better jobs and improve our Putnam Valley community. And beyond that, research studies show that by improving education, we will be helping our entire community and society to help reduce crime, improve life expectancy, and increase civic participation and lower unemployment. In short by becoming an active community in creating a culture of educational excellence we make our world a better place for us and future generations.

While I know the upcoming school budgets will be tough to pass and nobody should expect to receive a blank check, I do believe that successful programs and curricula that are core to our children's education serve as a promise to future generations. And I will advocate and advance responsible funding choices as part of keeping that promise.

I am running for the school board to do my part in giving my children and our community's children the best chance at an education that is superior in academics, encourages service and builds character for these future leaders.

I hope you'll vote for me on May 18, 2010.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Joseph Ferraro Putnam Valley Resident, Tax Payer, Business Owner, Parent and School Board Candidate