Three incumbents will try to keep their seats in the May 17 Board of Education vote for the Kingston Consolidated School District. Suzanne Jordan, James Michael, and Steven Spicer are all seeking to stay on the KCSD School Board, but in recent weeks Malia Cordel, Jennifer Fitzgerald, Marie Anderson, and Jim McCasland announced their respective candidacies as challengers. All seven will be running to win the three seats up for election to three-year terms (July 1, 2022-June 30, 2025).
Here are profiles of the candidates based on our questionaire:Â
Suzanne Friedman Jordan
Education: Rondout Valley HS; BS State University College at Buffalo; Graduate work State University College at New Paltz, (Special Education Certification, & College of New Rochelle, (Montessori Certificate)
Occupation: Teacher in Kingston City Schools (hired 1973; retired from 2012) Taught Special Education & Elementary Education students in K-12.
Time on the Board of Education: Served six years on the BOE in Kingston City Schools.Â
Board Committees: member of the Facilities Committee, Teaching and Learning Committee, Jefferson Committee, Advocacy Committee, and currently chair the Policy Committee.
Why did you want to run for School Board?
I am running for another term on the BOE because it is a time when advocates for children and public education must ensure our students continue to thrive in an inclusive, nurturing, safe, and educationally sound environment.
What do you see as the most pressing issue faced by the district today?Â
I believe there are several pressing issues faced by school districts today. One is the need to provide the resources necessary to support the educational opportunities required to make up for the learning loss, both academic and social, created as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic. Another is to critically evaluate current policies and practices so we provide an equitable and inclusive system that can reflect our community and create an environment where all children thrive and achieve their potential. Continued vigilance around the health and safety of our school community is also an ongoing issue.
What would you like your impact to be should you win a seat on the School Board?Â
If I am able to have the continued support of the community and am re-elected to the BOE, I would do my best to continue to be a voice for students, teachers and parents in raising expectations and delivering the best possible education to our students.I have tried to be positive, cooperative and reasonable when working to support solutions to those problems faced by our District, and would continue to do so.
Marie Anderson
Education: New Paltz High School; College of New Rochelle — BA in Chemistry; SUNY New Paltz — Masters in Education Administration
Occupation: Retired Teacher/Principal
Why did you want to run for School Board?
I chose to run for the BOE because I have knowledge and skills that school districts need. It is a way to give back to my community.
How do you see the role of the School Board?
School board members represent the voices of the community. They are advisory to the district administrators and the make policy for the district.
What do you see as the most pressing issue faced by the district today?Â
Addressing the learning gaps that have been created due to the pandemic are the most pressing issues at this time.
What would you like your impact to be should you win a seat on the School Board?Â
My impact will be to listen, learn, and apply my skills to support the children of the district.
Jennifer Fitzgerald
Education:Â BSN from SUNY New Paltz 2007; MBA in progress, Marist College
Occupation:Â Registered Nurse
Why did you want to run for School Board?
It has become clear, especially since the pandemic, that cross-sector collaboration is needed. There are currently no Healthcare Workers serving on the BOE in KCSD. As Health — physical, mental, social and emotional — have come to the forefront in all sectors, including education settings, it is crucial for healthcare advocates to have a voice at the table. This adds needed diversity to the Board. DEI are clearly goals of the KSCD, and so should be made visible through its Leadership and Governance teams. As a Nurse Leader, and as a School Nurse, equity, access and quality have always been at the forefront for me. Serving on the KCSD BOE provides a natural extension of previously held Leadership roles and core values.
How do you see the role of the School Board?
To facilitate and help the District set meaningful goals on behalf of students and staff and to provide assistance, resources, guidance, oversight and accountability in meeting those goals. Communication (effective) with ALL stakeholders is a key role of the Board.
What do you see as the most pressing issue faced by the district today?
Health and Safety particularly as they relate to equity of access. I could go on forever here, but as a one-line statement, it is just that — Health, Safety and Equity intertwined.
What would you like your impact to be should you win a seat on the School Board?
I understand acutely that a team is only as strong as its weakest member, so it is important to ensure that as a Board we continue to function highly effectively and efficiently. This can be demonstrated as an outcome of difference made when the goals of each school in the District are met or exceeded. So, progress and/or success and higher achievement.
James Demetrios Michael
Education: Studied at Ulster Community College.
Occupation: I’m retired.
Time on Board of Education: This is my tenth year on the Kingston BOE
Committees Served: Served on the Audit on Finance committee for ten years, served seven years on the Dietz Stadium Committee and the Health and Wellness for three years..
Why did you want to run for School Board?
I have served the educational needs of our community’s children for ten years now. My knowledge and experience will help me to provide leadership and build a vision and create a mission for a better education of our children for the next three years.
How do you see the role of the School Board?
I believe that a school board must be responsive and receptive to parents, students, staff and the community at large. I had always stated that education has three components, the students, teachers and the taxpayers at large. The teachers speak trough their union. The taxpayers speak loud for themselves and the parents speak louder for their children
What do you see as the most pressing issue faced by the district today?Â
I had fiercely opposed the Kingstonian because I believe educational tax dollars should not be given to big companies and corporations.
The implementation of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has lost its intent and the purpose in our curriculum and has more to do with race and teaching our kids that the color of their skin is white, is inherently white you are privilege and racist. We cannot fight racism with more racism.
What would you like your impact to be should you win a seat on the School Board?Â
Clarity, transparency and responsibility is my main concern. If I am elected again I will be introducing a resolution to have the 21st Century Project of the KHS audited by a reputable company to examine the construction, the labor and the financing whether any mistakes were made. We owe it to the taxpayers and the community at large.
I will also oppose the new changes of the Advance Placement and the Honor Society new requirements and bring that issue to the Board for discussion and debate. Evidently this issue has a lot to do with race than academics.
Malia Cordel
Education: BA cum laude, University of Colorado at Boulder
Occupation: Freelance assistant food stylist, full-time parent
Why did you want to run for School Board?
I’m a KCSD parent of two Chambers Elementary students. I’ve been on the PTA for five years and served as Secretary for three years. I do volunteer educational advocacy work with the Kingston-based Coalition for Equity in Education, follow Board meetings, and regularly attend Town Halls. I want to be more involved in policy making and in guiding the district over the next few years as we move out of the pandemic and recalibrate what school and education can be. As part of that process, I intend to ask questions that will help the Board grapple with the many different things that should be taken into consideration when discussing district initiatives and policies.
It’s important to me that the district improve its outreach to our non-English speaking school community. In addition, I would like to become the first Asian-American to be elected to the Board of Education.
How do you see the role of the School Board?
The Board approves budgets, teacher hires, and district policies. Its role is also to keep the superintendent accountable and to represent the questions and concerns of the school community.
What do you see as the most pressing issue faced by the district today?
It’s really difficult to narrow it down, but I think student mental and emotional health. To me this encompasses a number of other issues exacerbated during the pandemic, such as bullying and violence, kids not making it back to the classroom due to difficulties faced during the pandemic, absenteeism, depression and anxiety, and the ability to focus in an in-person setting. Right now, the ratio of counselors to students is very low. If we can provide more mental health support, it will make a big impact across all these areas and relieve some of the burden for faculty who have had to fill in the gap.
What would you like your impact to be should you win a seat on the School Board?
I would love to see the Board increase its engagement among all members of the community, including those who traditionally have not been involved or who have felt unable to be involved for whatever reason. This might include low-income families, those without a caretaker, proficient in English, or simply those who feel they are too busy with work and other obligations. I’ve started to do some of this outreach work with the Coalition for Equity in Education and I think I can have an even greater impact as a member of the Board.
I want to see that the district has clearer communication with teachers and parents. For example, planned changes to the Honors Program have been postponed because of confusion about what exactly they are and how they would be implemented. Notice for public events is often last-minute, which leads to lower turnout and community involvement.
In the end, it is the students we are here to look out for. Sports, performing and visual arts, and enrichment programs should be integral to our district. Above all, I want our students to have all the resources they need for their academic success, mental and emotional well-being, and the ability to pursue a wide variety of interests both in and out of the classroom.
Jim McCasland
Education: BA Mathematics w/ minor in Business, Marist College 1975
Occupation: retired financier 20+ years…presently an instructional substitute with Highland and Rondout Valley School Districts and an employee of Lowe’s Companies.
Why did you want to run for School Board?
The Kingston School District has been good to my family. It’s time for me to give back. I believe the role of school board members is to listen to parents, students, teachers and administrators; and then to make decisions affecting all stakeholders.
What do you see as the most pressing issue faced by the district today?
I believe the most pressing issue facing the district is the safety of everyone within the system. Without safety for our children, there is no learning.
Should I win, I want my impact to:
1. strengthen parents’ rights
2. enhance fiscal responsibility of the BOE by insisting on the best value for the average cost per student of approx. $23,000.
3. maintain and enhance educational standards for all students
4. foster transparency whenever possible
Steven Spicer (bio taken from KCSD website)
Steven believes the top priority of every school board should be the students and providing them with a safe, productive learning environment. Furthermore, he believes recruiting and supporting the finest teaching and Administrative talent for the district will maintain our role as the center of our community’s cultural and educational hub to encourage our students to become life-long learners and assets to the future of our nation.
“As a teacher of Special and Regular Education for 20 years and as a High School and Primary School Principal for 12 years, I have learned the greatest thing leaders can do is build solid connections between the school and community. I would make it my highest priority to make sure the district’s goals are in complete alignment with the goals of the community we serve,” stated Mr. Spicer.
Current Board Committee involvement includes the Legislative Action Committee, Facilities Committee, Teaching and Learning Committee, and Kingston Parent Group.
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