On Tuesday, May 20, voters in school districts across the state will determine the fate of budgets for the 2025-26 school year, and will elect trustees for their board of education. Hudson Valley One sent brief questionnaire to candidates in local school districts, and this week we will profile those in the Kingston City School District (KCSD) and the New Paltz Central School District (NPCSD).Â
Kingston City School District
(Three open seats)
Marie Anderson (Incumbent)
Occupation: Retired educator
Prior school board experience:
Current school board president
Do you have children/grandchildren in the district? Adult daughters, both KHS graduates.
What made you want to run for school board?
I am running for the school board because I believe in public education and providing the best learning opportunities for all children. I also believe that willingness to serve our community is important.
What are the most pressing issues facing the school district?
Recognizing that we live in a diverse community and meeting the needs of all children is a challenge. The school districts are faced with greater needs that will require increased funding at a time when financial resources are not predictable.
Erika Bernabei (Middleton) (Challenger)
Occupation: Equity facilitator and systems builder with government agencies
Prior school board experience:
None
Do you have children/grandchildren in the district? No
What made you want to run for school board?
I have committed my 20+ year career to equity in communities, especially BIPOC and other marginalized communities. For almost ten years, I have co-led an organization, Equity & Results, that helps local, county and state governments across the country to build and measure equitable systems that go beyond intentions to real community impact.
My passion for education comes from the understanding that schools are a cornerstone of community, that they matter to us all because they dictate our present and future — how we think, what we value and our sense of belonging. I am deeply committed to connection and collaboration so that we are greater than the sum of our parts. I have a particular expertise in education systems and leadership, with an MA from Teachers College, Columbia University and Ph.D. in educational leadership from New York University.Â
What are the most pressing issues facing the school district?Â
• Community voice and transparency around decision-making
• Budgets as moral documents, and
• Ensuring all students and families, especially those who have been left out including BIPOC, immigrant, trans/queer, and neurodiverse families, are safe and thriving.
Stephanie Kearns (Challenger)
Occupation: Non-profit executive and education business specialist
Prior school board experience: While I haven’t served on a school board before, I’ve been actively engaged in our schools in Kingston and elsewhere as a parent, volunteer and partner in community initiatives that support children and families including PTO, district leadership group, shared decision making group and many more related committees.
Do you have children/grandchildren in the district? Yes, I have two children currently attending school in the district, which gives me a personal stake in the decisions that impact our students, teachers and administrators every day.
What made you want to run for school board?
I’m running because I believe in the power of public education to strengthen communities. As a parent, I’ve seen the incredible work our educators do — and I’ve also seen where more support and growth are needed. I want to be a voice that brings families, teachers and administrators together to ensure every child has the opportunity to love learning.
What are the most pressing issues facing the school district?
Some of the most urgent challenges include addressing student mental health and wellbeing, attracting and retaining excellent teachers and staff and ensuring equity and long-term strategic planning across all schools. We also need stronger communication and interpretation on key issues so families feel informed and involved. I’m committed to championing the arts, supporting academic success and making decisions that reflect the values of our community and our diverse student body.
Robyn Tiano (Challenger)
Occupation: I am a disabled single mother of five children. Prior to my accident I was a property manager for low-income housing and the local administrator for the Housing Choice Voucher Program for Ulster County.Â
Prior school board experience: I have no prior board experience. I have served on the PTA for John F Kennedy School, was a JFK representative on the district-wide parent’s council and most recently served on the district leadership team.Â
Do you have children/grandchildren in the district? I have five children who have attended Kingston City Schools, three of whom are still school age. Two are currently enrolled in the district and one I home school.Â
What made you want to run for school board?
I decided to run for school board because I think that the current board is out of touch with parents as well as teachers. I’ve been involved in community discussions and have had parents and teachers speak with me privately to express their frustration with what they perceive as a lack of communication and transparency from the board and administration. As a parent, I see that many parents and community members have given up because they feel that their opinions and comments don’t matter. Â
What are the most pressing issues facing the school district?
A few pressing issues I see the district facing is the low reading and math scores for students in grades 3-8. Safety and security of our students and staff is a very important issue. Better communication and transparency between the board and the public as well as lack of parental involvement, which I believe go hand in hand. Â
Steven Spicer (Incumbent)
Mr. Spicer did not respond to the HV1 questionnaire. The longtime school board trustee and former president currently serves on the facilities, and teaching and learning committees. Mr. Spicer also represents the KCSD on the Ulster BOCES Board of Education.Â
New Paltz Central School District
There are three open seats; with just one candidate submitting a petition. The other two seats can be filled by write-in votes, provided the winners are qualified and agree to serve. The New Paltz community has organized a forum for write-in school board candidates to introduce themselves to voters and answer questions on Thursday, May 15 at village hall. Mayor Tim Rogers and New Paltz professor Scott Minkoff will moderate the forum.
Jason Clark (incumbent)
Occupation: Contractor
Prior school board experience: Two years on the New Paltz School Board
Do you have children in the district: Yes
What made you want to run for school board:
As a New Paltz alumni, I wanted to give back to the school and the community.
What are the most pressing issues facing the school district?
1. Our demographic is changing, student enrollment has decreased substantially, as the cost of housing has increased beyond the scope of affordability for many families.
2. Operational costs are challenging with unpredictable health insurance increases, keeping up with basic infrastructure, worthwhile but expensive endeavors such as the EV bus initiative, and questions about federal funding.
3. Sound policy concerning rapid advancement of technology such as AI and a public school’s role in managing cell phone use and social media use.
4. Nationally, our lowest performing students are falling behind after making steady gains through the 2000’s. What has changed and how can we do better.
Join the family! 
