On Tuesday, May 16, voters across New York State will head to the polls in their respective school districts to cast votes for 2023-24 budgets, and in some cases other ballot initiatives. They will also vote for candidates to fill opens seats on Boards of Education.
There are two open seats on the NPCSD School Board. There are four candidates, with no incumbents running for re-election.
Heather Kort
Occupation:
Self-employed artist
Why did you decide to run for School Board?
I have a well-rounded vision with three young children in district (ages 3, 5, 7), local family business owner, property owner, former teacher and certified school district administrator. My goal is to bring an informed, balanced approach.
How do you see the role of the School Board?
Board members should stay educated on district, local and state issues and make data-informed decisions. Talking to all district stakeholders and keeping communication open is a critical component.
What are the most pressing issues facing the school district today?
Smaller cohorts, an aging Hudson Valley population, high local property taxes and real estate prices.
Jason Clark
Occupation:
Building contractor/carpenter
Why did you decide to run for School Board?
I was involved in a lot of volunteer work when I was younger. It is an opportunity to serve my community. I actually graduated from New Paltz High School and have a child in the school district currently. I am looking forward to learning about and participating in all the work a school board does.
How do you see the role of the School Board?
A team that is representative of the community that works in partnership with all interests to help provide a supportive, robust and rewarding education for its youth.
What are the most pressing issues facing the school district today?
Like many school districts, the integration of digital learning is a challenging process. Also, with the normalizing of digital consumption in our lives, and it’s easy access for many children, it is clear that social media can have a negative impact. Schools have had to step up to support the health and well being of it’s students. Specific to New Paltz, our student population is shrinking. It is a worrying trend that is worth researching to see if there are any collective steps we can take to increase enrollment.
Liz Bonhag
Occupation:
Homemaker, substitute teacher at New Paltz Play School
Why did you decide to run for School Board?
As a lifelong resident of New Paltz, I am very interested in the trajectory of our district and the impact it has on the wider New Paltz community. I have a kindergartener and a third grader currently enrolled in the district and it’s a joy and a privilege to send them off every day to the same buildings where I spent my formative years. Looking back, I realize the impact that community members who volunteered their time and talents to public service in the 80›s and 90›s had on my life. I have read many obituaries of beloved New Paltzians over the past few years in which I see myself as a direct beneficiary of their efforts, and inspired me to take up the mantle for today’s generation of kids growing up in New Paltz. Although I have never worked full time as a teacher, I am currently NYS certified to teach English Language Arts 7-12 and hold a Masters of Arts in Teaching. With my background in Education and my familiarity with the district, I feel I would be an asset to the board.
How do you see the role of the School Board?
The School Board sets the tone and direction of the district through policy and allocation of resources. The Board must be flexible and respond to the needs of the community that it serves while maintaining focus on the stated mission of the district. In New Paltz that means a commitment to measured excellence and continuous growth and development for all.
What are the most pressing issues facing the school district today?
The district is facing the challenge of maintaining high-quality programs and opportunities for students within the framework of a sustainable budget. This budget season has been difficult and unfortunately it appears that very hard choices will be put before the board next year as well. Careful attention to the needs of students will be essential in striking the balance. We also have a lot of work to do in the wake of the pandemic. We exerted considerable effort over the past few years toward social distancing and now we need to exert that same level of effort toward social strengthening. My goal is for every student to feel that they are a valued member of a strong school community.
Joseph Londa
Occupation:
Retired from a 40-year career in the technology industry at IBM and HCL Software, as vice president of Solutions Development with extensive experience in creating and operating complex systems (including the people who are part of the system).
Why did you decide to run for School Board?
I retired after achieving several milestones in life and wanted to use my energy and intellectual capabilities to give back to the communities I live in. Initially, this was by serving on the New Paltz Climate Smart Communities Task Force to inventory our greenhouse gas emissions to combat climate change. I have greatly benefited from 20 years of education and believe, next to parenting, that education is the best way to create adults who have compassion and insight while they pursue their goals in life. Thus, the intersection of environmentalism and the development of our children in the New Paltz School District is my motivation behind running for the School Board.
How do you see the role of the School Board?
I believe that School Boards should not be passive and should have a role in understanding how well the administrators, teaching staff and students are all doing in an operational sense. The board must also understand what the barriers are they are encountering now, and what the barriers are that they will encounter in the future that we need to have foresight for and develop a strategic investment plan around. Our reality, however, is that the school district has a long list of items we need, or want, to make investments in. My experience in Product and project management gives me capabilities to analyze all these many demands and build consensus among the many stakeholders to make the difficult decisions that are balanced and serve the current and future students of the community. Finally, I would bring a system thinking perspective to the School Board that allows me to understand the interdependence between transportation, buildings, curriculum, extra curriculum and student wellbeing in all its forms.
What are the most pressing issues facing the school district today?
The most pressing issues tend to be related to security, safety and health because all three can result in harm to teaching staff or students. The Facilities Committee is in the process of creating an inventory of these items for the entire school district, along with needs to deliver curriculum and extra curriculum. Closing known security gaps and mandates for serving special needs and the general student population must be top of the list and they must all be clearly identified. Safety and health items must be understood in the context of the risk and the impact they each have. A good example is the old district office. It is clearly in distress and could cause harm if a student wandered into it. Yet the sizing to demolish it is $400K and so we must be more creative in how we can sell it to a developer, create a quality neighbor to the middle school in the process, getting it back on the tax role and avoid the demolition cost which could now be repurposed for staffing and enriching curriculum.
Having a process that supports the ongoing capturing of the operational barriers, problems and needs of the school district, with regular reviews and prioritization of that list, that informs the annual budget and capital planning is where I can contribute in the short and long term for the New Paltz School District and our community.
New Paltz Central School District budget
The New Paltz Central School District’s (NPCSD) proposed budget for the 2023-24 school year is $71,428,660, an increase of $2,429,567, or 3.5 percent, over the 2022-23 spending plan. The district was dealt one of the lowest tax levy increases in the area by the state, just 1.23 percent, or $579,214, roughly one-third of what districts like Kingston, Saugerties and Onteora were allowed through the state’s complex calculations.
Two months ahead of the budget vote, some members of the NPCSD Board of Education favored going over the tax increase cap in order to avoid significant cuts, a move which would have required support by a supermajority of 60 percent or higher at the polls rather than just a simple majority.
“I have no fear of going over the tax cap: Zero fear,” said trustee Teresa Thompson during a presentation before the School Board held on Wednesday, March 15. “I will gamble on the New Paltz community 100 percent.”
The School Board ultimately decided to lessen its gamble, and the district will seek a tax levy of $47,620,238, at the tax cap of 1.23 percent. To balance the budget, school officials added $1.9 million in fund balance reserves, as well as reductions of $2,535,073, some of which was achieved by cutting staff. Four elementary school teachers, four special education teachers, one administrative position, and two teaching aides were cut from the original budget plan. An additional $200,000 was found by not filling various vacant positions, and two retiring high school teaching positions with a combined salary of $308,000 will also remain unfilled.
Voters in the district will determine the fate of the budget on Tuesday, May 16 with polls open in the high school gymnasium from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m.
For further budget information, visit: newpaltz.k12.ny.us/Page/13685.
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