School board hopefuls introduce themselves
WARWICK — Candidates running for the Warwick Valley School Board – six challengers and one incumbent – formally introduced themselves to about 50 members of the public at a special meeting at the Dorothy C. Wilson Education Center on Wednesday evening.
Town Supervisor Michael Sweeton was the moderator, giving each hopeful a chance to answer seven questions prepared in advance, as well as five questions drawn from the audience. Candidates each had a minute to respond.
The candidates are: challengers Shannon Hockswender; Theresa Warren; Paula Cornine; Eilleen Gagliano; Sophia Georges; Keith Parsons; and incumbent Bob Howe.
After giving a brief introduction, each candidate answered the following questions:
Looking forward to the next three years, what are three things you would want to change or improve upon at WVCSD?
PC: Although she has no children who attend school there, she said she was concerned about closing Kings: her focus “is to keep Kings and Park strong.” Also, she wants to change the notion of “tweaking” fiscal issues, so the district isn’t perpetually “in desperate straits.”
EG: She wants to see more parents involved; better communication between district and community; more enrichment opportunities for students.
SG: She echoed support of improved communication – “Not everyone is on Facebook.” Also, she wants greater transparency, as she felt that “some of the information on the district website is not granular enough.” Finally, she hopes to restore faith in the board of education.
BH stressed the need to change the funding process: “Albany is killing public education,” adding that some districts in New York state will go bankrupt in the next two years. “We must get away from property tax funding” as the basis of funding public education.
He added the district needs more innovative programs, highlighting his involvement with technology. Also, he stressed that there needs to be more community involvement.
KP: “We need more transparency and consistency; we need to be fiscally responsible – no more $2 million gaps.” He added that he wants to be part of the search for a new superintendent in June.
SH: “Better communication; alternative funding to save programs; more volunteers to cut costs, such as hall monitors, caféteria aides.”
TW: “Bring more people together; (focus on) more long-term planning; improve the district’s public image.” On the last point, she recounted the story of a friend who was considering moving to Warwick, until she read some of the budget issues and potential school closings, and changed her mind: “There’s too much drama.”
Because of declining state aid, $2.5 million in reductions were made in the proposed budget for next year – including the closing of a second school. Looking ahead, any potential increases in state or federal aid are not expected to keep pace with the rising costs of mandated and contractual expenses, all existing under a tax levy cap. Given this, future budget proposals may include even deeper budget reductions. In your opinion, what should the district’s priorities be next year when looking for additional ways to trim the budget?
EG: She would seek alternative funding, and “hit up” elected officials.
SG: She would look for more revenue from commercial interests, as well as analyze district financial statements and look for budget savings.
BH: “It’s not fun being aboard member…Albany is killing us.” He added that the district has contracts coming due, and that the board “do(es) not cut programs to give raises…the burden of the district has to be shared.”
“We saw this crisis five years ago.”
He noted that some students from Greenwood Lake will be coming to WVCSD.
He added that the district has to be more open with the community.
KP: The district needs “more rateables, more grants, and a one-year, five-year, 10-year financial plan.”
Also, the district should re-examine transportation, and whether “someone else can do it cheaper.” And: The district should look at under-used programs in the middle school and high school and re-invest those resources elsewhere in the district.
SH: She suggested the idea of “pension smoothing,” where unusually high returns in a given year are spread over a multi-year period, in hopes of minimizing volatility of profit and loss credit from pension fund returns.
This would be in line with Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to let local governments “smooth out” their pension costs.
She added that she would look at what items can be reasonably cut from the budget as redundant services, noting that “tough choices” would need to be made.
TW: She agreed with combining services with other districts. She also said she would look for grant money, donations and district alumni support, as well as seeking a way to widen the tax base.
PC: “Don’t be too quick to blame Albany,” though she noted that she was certain there was some waste to be trimmed. She cited a previous school budget that was initially voted down, until it was re-voted enough times for eventual passage.
She added that, while it was originally slated to close a school, Newburgh managed to close their budget gap by working with the teachers’ union, without closing the school.
She also wants to eliminate “waste” (in terms of supplies) in the classroom.
Q: If this year’s budget is NOT approved, it may have to go to contingency, which would require about $1.8 million in additional cuts from non-mandated areas. These non-mandated areas include Kindergarten (full-day or half-day), nurses at each school, Elementary media specialists, Elementary counselors, Elementary band and strings, middle school band and orchestra, all extra-curricular stipends K-12, athletics – varsity, JV and modified.
If the budget is not approved and the district has to go to contingency, where would you look to cut spending? Why?
SG: “We need to look at resources and how we use them.”
BH: Contingency would be “devastating.” However, he added, “We’re pretty confident the budget will pass,” otherwise, full-time Kindergarten and other programs would be cut, class sizes increased.
KP: If the budget fails, he would “look at busing.” Also: “We’d have to cut program, yeah.” But he added that the district should “look at the reserve fund – we have almost $9 million; maybe we can legally tap into” it, to mitigate against the more serious impacts of contingency.
SH: She would try to save programs though foundation grants, parents’ support, but added that she wouldn’t cut Kindergarten.
TW agreed with both Parsons and Hockswender.
PC suggested increasing parental contributions to sports programs. She added that the school board should “probably cut a little from everything, so we can keep most things.”
EG suggested finding out what’s happening in other school districts, noting that, “New York is all in the same boat.” She added that she would “get creative” to look for alternative funding.
If elected to the board, you would be a member of a team that would select our district’s next superintendent. What qualities and characteristics would you be looking for in this new leader?
BH: “We want an education leader…we can’t keep doing things the old ways.” Also: “Consolidation is coming…Greenwood Lake and Florida don’t want to be absorbed but three superintendents, three business administrators make no sense.”
KP: The district “needs someone with a proven track record to solve problems.” Also, “someone who’s good with technology…someone who will be here in 5, 10 years and wants their contract renewed.”
SH: She would like someone with “business or public policy experience,” in addition to an education background, plus good references, “excellent communication skills, and a good match for families” in the community.
TW: She wants someone with an education background, plus “the courage of their convictions, who can think outside the box; and experienced superintendent who’s solved problems” similar to Warwick’s, and “has vision.”
PC: She agreed with the previous candidates plus would want “someone with common sense, (who is) invested in the community.”
EG: She wants someone with a “strong track record, references,” and is “excited about the future of Warwick.’
SG: As someone seeking an MBA, she feels the next superintendent should have a business background, since “the school board is (essentially) a business.” Also, the right candidate would “not be too involved in the politics of the community,” as well as be fiscally responsible.
Looking to the future, how do you feel regarding:
• School district consolidation within Town of Warwick
• Locally shared services for the district?
KP, TW, PC, and SG were all opposed to consolidation – Parsons mainly because of increased student travel time – but in favor of sharing services.
SH: “Open” to sharing services.
EG: “Kids’ education should be first priority.”
BH: ‘Consolidation’ is merely a matter of nomenclature: “It is possible to consolidate central offices and services, and still keep the (individual) identities of the schools.”
Questions from the audience
If enrollment is low, how do you envision the future of the district?
SH: Working with other board members, she would recommend two K-8 schools, with perhaps remaining students moved to middle school.
TW: “What happens if enrollment increases – do we build another school?” She opposes closing Kings.
PC: “I know we’re stuck on small class size,” but would parents be willing to trade that for keeping a school open?
EG: She said it’s hard to answer that question, but “hard work must be done now to minimize impact.”
SG: She said she would be “more proactive, not reactive,” and would need to see more data.
BH: “Our focus should be on education excellence.” Educational quality, he said, should be more important than keeping three elementary schools: “It’s a terrible decision (to have to make), but this is where we are.”
“We’ll pressure legislators; we don’t want to close schools.”
KP: “I can’t say what we’ll see in two years, because everything’s changing.” He said that enrollment is expected to pick up in 2017. He added that the next big change is to be in the middle school and high school.
What about contracting out transportation?
EG: “I would have to see the numbers.”
SG: Agrees.
BH: Warwick is on the other end of Orange County; it might be worth re-opening the contract.
KP: He agreed with Howe, and added, “We have large overhead maintaining buses. Liquidating busing (contracts) may be short-term solution.”
Role of class size?
PC: “Teachers should be able to rise to the occasion and deal with it.” “If a class has 25-30 kids,” a teacher should be able to handle it.
EG: “Small classes are better, but it’s all about making choices.”
SG: “Coming from Brooklyn, large classes are not helpful to learning,” and the district should keep the classes small.
BH: “The district has spoken: (they) want small class size.”
KP: He’s behind small class size, in that it’s better for kids.
SH: In favor of small class sizes, because, she said, teachers are more effective and can give more attention to students.
TW: She cited a study that found that kids do better academically in smaller class settings, and that larger classes are a “bad idea.”
Charter schools
EG: “There are areas where they’re needed; Warwick is not one of them.”
SH: She agreed with the above sentiment.
SG and BH: A charter school would take funding out of the district. Howe added: “It’s almost like shooting yourself in the foot,” because it would take both money and elementary school kids, thereby ‘watering down’ the middle school.
KP: He considers himself ‘neutral’ on the issue: “What are we not offering” that those kids need? Address that, and that would resolve the issue.
TW: “They may become part of our reality,” so it’s vital to work on Warwick’s image.
PC: “I’m for freedom – for whatever parents think is in their kids’ best interest,” but generally agreed with Parsons.
Common Core standards
SG and KP were not familiar with the term that pertains to the No Child Left Behind Law, that mandates a uniform curriculum throughout the US, as well as standardized tests in subjects such as math and English Language Arts.
BH: “It’s not different from what we’ve had in the past. The main problem is that there are more tests, which takes away from educational time.”
SH: She is familiar with them, as she has to design lessons. “If you’re a good teacher, you’re doing it anyway, but it takes away from teaching time.”
PC: She believes this to be an example of “federal overreach – the states can handle (education) without the Federal government getting into our business.”
What about closing Kings Elementary verses using reserve?
All panelists opposed closing the school, to varying degrees, but Howe, Hockswender and Gagliano all maintaining that every other option was exhausted, and that it would be “fiscally irresponsible” (Hockswender) to keep the school open.
As to using the reserve fund, Howe said that it’s “complicated”: “We’ve dipped into reserves so the tax levy’s not too onerous,” but the district is “between a rock and a hard place – anyone who gets on the board will feel pain.”
Unfunded mandates
SH: She has been working with Parents For Change, and said that citizens can petition their elected officials against unfunded mandates. She added that those concerned should reach out to other districts in similar positions.
TW: “She (Hockswender) had a great answer.”
All other candidate agreed with Warren’s assessment of Hockswender’s answer, and Cornine added that “Albany’s out of touch.”
Next
Budget hearing and regular monthly meeting, Monday, May 13, 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Dorothy C. Wilson Education Center
Budget vote: Tuesday, May 21, various polling centers
BY Abby Wolf