SAFETY
What security measures do you support to keep students and teachers safe from attacks by other students?

Does NECSD work hard enough to effectively keep class discipline under control?

ACADEMIC ACCOUNTABILITY

Considering the tens of millions of tax dollars this district has received from federal and state taxpayer funded sources to address the high poverty and poor social-economic conditions why do NECSD schools still have such a high graduation failure rate of high school students?

Many school staff blame poverty for the lack of student acheivement. Do you believe poverty is to blame for such poor acheivement entirely the fault of poverty?

Do you believe the staff, starting with the superintendant are doing enough to improve student acheivement?

Have you read the current 2008-2009 NYS report Card for the NECSD? If so -
What is your reaction regarding the high rates of unqualified teachers at NFA? According to the 2008-2009 state report card, 0-2% of classes are taught by teachers without appropriate certification in area small city high schools ( Poughk., Peekskill and M’dltwn) vs 8% at NFA.

How will you address the need to improve the very high 40-80% failure rates in math at NFA?

If you have not read the NYS school report cardx, why did you not take the time to read the report card?

For those children that do not do their homework, class work or need extra help and do not attempt to take advantage of it, how do you hold the child and the family responsible to take more of a pro-active interest and get the child to improve their behavior?

When the district spends nearly $15,000 or more a year to educate children, and the child and family fail to make an effort at education how do you make the family aware of their failure to contribute to the mission of educating their child(ren) and their misuse of public funds?

As a BOE member how would you asses that programs and staff are actually making a difference and helping with student achievement?

It is apparent that students who are economically and socially disadvantaged have consistently lower test scores. For years the district has struggled to make even small improvements here and there, but is still way behind many area schools. What would you do as a BOE member to see to it that parents, students and the staff put more effective effort and changes into accelerating educational improvement in these tough economic times?

How do you feel about the following claims regarding NECSD schools?
· When you expect very little, why are you surprised to get very little.
· Athletes in this district are given a pass regarding misbehavior and a pass to do little in class.
· Some teachers give students 50 percent even though they do not show up to school or complete the work.
· There is no effective incentives or consequences for students in this district to go to school.
· Dropouts start back in elementary school, when students miss 40-plus days of school and do not do the work but continue to be passed from grade to grade.

NECSD

Do you believe the NECSD public school system serves the children well?

The BOE is asking the taxpayers of the surrounding towns to fund more programs and expenses that are directly related to the problems of safety and governance in the city of Newburgh; additional busing, hiring police officers, more social workers, psychologists and guidance councelors and the new after school babysitting program. These costs add up to millions in additional taxes for nonmandated programs. Should the school district be responsible for the social and safety concerns of the city?

As a BOE candidate representing all residents of the school district. does the phrase, “ It takes a village to raise a child.” expect the surrounding town residents to be taxed additionally to deal with the city of Newburgh’s problems with safety on its own streets?

Each year the NYS Ed Dept issues many reports regading the educational and finacial state of the school district. Do you believe the BOE should direct the administration to provide links on the district’s website to these public documents?

BUDGET / FINANCIAL

This and next year are expected to be "lean" for the school system's budget. Large increases in state funding that were there in the past are not expected. What is the BOE’s responsibilities to hold down taxes for the struggling taxpayer?

Do you plan to support a tax increase?

Can you think of any district expenses that should be reduced or cut?

According to recent budget documents the districts is using its current cash reserves to balance this proposed budget. Considering that NYS will have even less school aid to give us next year, where will the school board find the funds needed? Raise taxes? Cut these programs? Wish for the best?

Parents and teachers say they want to maintain small class sizes, a variety of nonmandxated programs and employees and offer good salaries and benefits for teachers. How does the BOE address these wants and still listen to a much poorer taxpayers who are in need of property tax releif?

NYS requires every high schoolo graduate with 22 required credits. This district offers these credits and much more. Students take many more credits including college credits. Considering the decling state aid and the economic difficulties of taxpayers what cuts would you make to the HS budget given the current economic situation?

There is every reason to believe that NY State is broke. This year was not very good for state school aid and next year looks worse. Just about every taxpayer has less income and savings and are making cuts to their household budgets. With all of this in mind are there any specific initiatives you would pursue to save money, reduce costs and actually lower taxes?

Teachers are in negotiations for a new contract. Given the current and apparent long term economic crisis what is your position about requiring all staff to pay 20-30% toward their health insurance premiums?

Busing is a growing expenses. What ideas would you be willing to consider to reduce costs next year and thereafter?

Hi Again, We have grouped these questions together. Again some may overlap in content.

BOARDSMANSHIP

How would you as a board member request and expect accountability from the administration?

How do you measure "educational success," “financial success?”

Do you have any specific changes you want to make in school district policies, programs, or the various school curricula being offered? If so, what changes do you want to make and why?

Many in the district feel the majority of the trustees on the current board of education have let them down with tax increases, failing students and no accountability. This board has identified no clear public plan for the future of public education. What we have instead is a piece meal approach as demonstrated at many of the budget workshops. What would be your plan to improve the BOE’s vision, direction and accountability to the public and schools?

Do you believe it should be board policy and practice to have each educational program from K-12 be held accountable to report to the public and board a precise accounting of student achievement showing the state of students’ scores and levels of competency? If so, would you ask the BOE to initiate such a practice at each of its meetings? If not, why not hold all staff accountable?

Do you feel the BOE current practice of meeting once a month is sufficient to hear from each educational program?

Currently the BOE limits the public to speak at public meetings once a month. Even during the budget workshops, the public was not allowed to ask questions or make comments. Are you willing to increase input from the public regarding the issues that come before the Board at all public meetings? Should the BOE regularly meet twice a month?

The BOE frequently holds workshops and other committee meetings before 6 PM. This is a time many taxpayers are still at work or assisting with feeding their families. Would you agree this is a poor time for these meetings? Would you be willing to convince the BOE to hold all public meetings and workshops at or after 7 PM?

Should the BOE publicly advertise for members of the public to be allowed to participate on the many school board committes such as curriculum?

There have been many instances when the BOE appeared not informed at all to discuss or make adecisions regarding ideas on the agenda, especially during these past budget workshops. Items were voted in, then out, then in again. Promises of providing more information by the admistration were not kept. How would you hold the administration accountable to provide the best factual information available in a timely manner?

How can a board know if its goals are being accomplished and its policies carried out?

How would you as a BOE member handle the requests, if approached, by an individual or special interest groups?

There is a public perception that the BOE does some of its work in secret and its operations are not transparent. Is that true? And what, if anything, would you do to change that?

The phrase, “Don’t rock the boat,” implies one goes along to get along. How much has this been the case when it comes to the school district’s difficulties getting control of parent, student, teacher and administation accountability toward its educational goals and finacial responsibilites?

We have pooled our questions. Some may seem repetitive.

QUALIFICATIONS / EXPERIENCE

Considering the economic and educational challenges why are you running and what qualifies you to be a school board trustee at this time?

What specifically qualifies you to sit on the board to judge educational policy and practices?

What strengths would you bring to the many challenges of the school board? Give us one example from your experiences that demonstrates that strength?

Describe your personal experience and involvement with the public schools in the past five years that qualifies you as a school committee member.

What are your qualifications and experience with designing and implementing policy regarding urban, high-risk educational districts such as NECSD?

What do you see as the top five challenges facing our school district?

What would you do to address a specific school challenge linked to rising poverty and increased diversity?

Are you a retired school employee, NECSD or elsewhere, or have any family member currently employed by or retired by a public school system?

Do you intend to publish your qualifications and reasons for running in the local newspapers?

There is a blog, www.newburghedinfo.com, that keeps residents up to date regarding BOE meetings. Will you be willing to post your qualifications, views and reply to questions and comments on a daily basis beginning May 10th?

Please express what you know about “Race to the Top” and its impact on public education

Choose a current challanging educational (not financial) issue facing this district and then explain your ideas for improving this issue.

How many school meetings have you attended in the past year?

The date for submitting candidate petions has past, but no where have the names of the candidates been published as in other OC local papers. What is it with keeping the names secret?
This blog has been, many times, out front with providing essential information re the BOE. Please post the names of the NECSD candidates for BOE.