A Time for Change

By Linda Graffitti

I am writing to you to ask for your support in the upcoming school board election on May 17th at Somers Middle School.

I believe there should be term limits for Board of Education Trustees. The current incumbents have been in a total of 30 years between them, 6 terms for 1 and 4 terms for the other. I appreciate their years of service but it is time to step down and let new people with new ideas and new perspectives sit on the board.

I will work to restore the "checks and balances" of the school board in front of the camera. I have heard many people complain that they don't know what position each school board member has on a particular school issue because all the discussion seems to be done offline. While I don't believe the board should be arguing on camera I do believe it is important that the public feel confident that all avenues were explored before consensus was reach.

I will also work , with your help, to pressure our representatives in Albany to find funding for unfunded mandates or make them voluntary. There are important unfunded mandates that we would not want to abandon as they are important to our children but there are many that seem unnecessary in a school district like Somers. Please remember Albany is watching, they will listen more attentively to our future lobbying efforts if they know we are a town of voters. I urge each of you to come out and vote Tuesday.

A little biographical information:

I am a CPA. Currently I am the controller for an Educational Technology company. I read extensively about technology trends in education and have seen many innovative ideas used in school districts across the country. I have lived in Somers for 20 years with my husband Robert. Both our children started school in Somers and our oldest Laura will graduate in June from the High School and our youngest Michael will start in Somers High School in the fall. I am currently the President of the Somers Middle School PTA, past Co-President of the Somers Intermediate School PTA, and I have served as Treasurer for three of the Somers PTA Units. I have coached Soccer, Basketball and Softball. I have been a team leader for Destination Imagination and class parent several times. I currently sit on the School District Audit Committee and I was one of the founding members of the Citizens Finance Committee. I enjoy the time I spend giving back to the community. Please pass this along to your friends and neighbors. Please do come out and VOTE on May 17th. Best regards, Linda