This article appeared on pages 3-4 of the Mid Hudson Times, Wednesday May 12, 2010.
Three vacancies, eight candidates for Newburgh school board
By Jessica McAleese
This year there are eight candidates running to fill three vacant seats on the Newburgh Enlarged City School District Board of Education. They are Stephen Bedetti, incumbent Grace Bowles, Mark Levinstein, Runston T. Lewis, incumbent Judith McAfee, Eric Motley, Susan Prokosch and incumbent Thomas Woodhull.
The annual school budget vote and school board election will take place on Tuesday, May 18.
Stephen A. Bedetti
Stephen Bedetti has lived in the Town of New Windsor for more than 40 years. Married with one daughter who is a junior at Newburgh Free Academy (where he himself graduated in 1987), Bedetti is currently a Communications Supervisor for the New Windsor Police Department.
"I'm one of those people that if I see something I don't like, instead of complaining about it, I want to do something about it," he said about his reason for running for a seat on the Newburgh school board. "I think there are a lot of undone construction projects and other things that need more attention in the district."
Bedetti, who is also a police officer in the Town of Cornwall, the current fire company president of the Vails Gate Fire Department and the CSEA President in New Windsor; said he is also bothered by the fact that more and more teaching positions are being cut.
"You get out of kids what you put into them," said Bedetti, who feels his work experience and community involvement would make him a valuable school board member. And while he admits to having future aspirations of one day becoming the Town of New Windsor supervisor, Bedetti promises he isn't looking to use his school board candidacy as a stepping stone. Rather, he says he has serious goals for the district.
"Two visions that I have as a board member are to improve education and school safety for all students, employees and visitors in the schools," he said. "I would also like to see an alternative to funding education other than property tax. I feel that this method is outdated."
Grace Bowles
City of Newburgh resident and Board of Education incumbent Grace Bowles is seeking re-election to the seat she has held for the past six years so that she can help the district continue to keep moving forward by focusing on the issues she feels are most important.
"I live here and I see what's happening," she said. "I know what our students need and I'm able to bring those issues to the table."
According to Bowles, who has two children and three grandchildren, something has to be done to address the growing issues of respect and violence within the district. She suggests teaching character education at all grade levels and hosting awareness workshops and assemblies to educate parents and elementary age children about the dangers and warning signs of gangs. She also believes strongly in a holistic approach to addressing the needs of at-risk students.
"We need to have everyone who is concerned with the success of the student sitting around a table and working together to develop a plan that meets their individual needs," she said, adding that parents also need to take a more active role in their child's life.
"Teachers can't teach if students are constantly missing their classes and students can't learn if they don't come to school," she said.
Bowles, who also serves as chairperson of the district's Diversity Committee, is adamant that support and collaboration--not money--is all that is needed to deal with these kinds of issues. She calls herself a visionary, a leader, a team player and someone who is committed to the school board.
"If we can't discuss the problems we can't solve the problems," she said.
Mark Levinstein
Having lived in the City of Newburgh and the Town of Newburgh for 20 years each, Mark Levinstein is certainly no stranger to the Newburgh Enlarged City School District. The married father of four (his children range from second to tenth grade) has also made it a point to attend every workshop and regular school board meeting for the past five years.
"I've been involved and I know what's going on," said Levinstein. "I think the school board is on the right track with a lot of things and I'd like to try to help continue that progress."
Levinstein, who is the owner of North Point, a local wholesale business, said a few of his concerns are inequality in the district ("Some schools seem to be treated differently than others," he said) and communication.
"I think that a lot of times parents, employees and community members don't really know what the district's plans and objectives are," he said. "The school board would have so much more support if they allowed a more open flow of communication."
Having attended so many meetings in the past, Levinstein is sure he knows the time and commitment that is involved with serving on the school board. His dedication, combined with his business experience, is what he thinks would help him make a valuable contribution to the district.
"After all," he said, "the district is a $225 million business; the business of educating children."
Runston T. Lewis
A resident of the City of Newburgh and the Town of New Windsor for the past 65 years, Runston T. Lewis spent 19 years of his life on the Newburgh Enlarged City School District Board of Education (12 of those years he was the school board president.) While he admits he was surprised that he failed to be re-elected last year, Lewis said his time away from the board has given him the opportunity to come up with new ideas for improving the district.
"I think parents need to be more involved in their kids' education," said Lewis, an active member of the community. "I also believe there should be some type of cooperation between the city, the towns and the district so that they work together to handle certain issues."
Gang violence is another major area of concern that Lewis said needs to be addressed by taking control of what goes on in the schools.
"It's not just a community problem; the school district is an extension of the community," he said. "We have to get a hold of these kids. I personally believe that if we force them to abide by the rules and regulations that we have in our schools today, they would have a better understanding of how society works."
Lewis said he is also bothered by transportation, poor attendance records and the lack of alternative programs within the district. And while he believes Newburgh has done a good job at keeping spending down over the years, if elected he said he would like to see some reorganization take place from the top down.
"We need to do more with less because people are hurting," he said. "They can't survive if we keep raising taxes."
Judith A. McAfee
Judith McAfee has been a Town of Newburgh resident for 36 years. Married with two grown sons, she is currently finishing up her first term on the Newburgh school board.
"I felt that I had a voice that could be added to the perspective on the Board of Education," said McAfee about her reasoning for running three years ago. "I was particularly interested in what I saw going on in literacy."
Among her other concerns, McAfee--a retired Newburgh Enlarged City School District teacher--names school safety:
"The problems of society are coming in from the outside and presenting new challenges that makes teaching that much more difficult," she said. "I'd like to focus on things we can do to make schools safe since every parent wants to feel that when they send their child to school they're not only learning but they're going to come home safe."
McAfee, who is currently an instructor at Mount Saint Mary College, is also involved in organizations such as Literacy Orange and Friends of the Library. And while she admits the current economic situation has presented a unique set of challenges to the district, McAfee said her time on the school board has been incredibly fulfilling and she looks forward to continuing her work as conditions improve in the future.
"I understand the classroom very well," she said. "I can bring that voice to the board and together we can look at a problem from a bunch of different perspectives. I really hope I get a chance to continue my work on the board. I would be disappointed if I had to walk away when the work is unfinished."
Eric Motley
Eric Motley has been a resident of the City of Newburgh for 20 years. Married, with five children ranging in age from six to 16 years old, Motley said his reason for seeing election to the Newburgh school board is simple.
"I think we need some changes," said the Harlem native. "More policies need to be in place to help our kids receive a better education."
Motley, who for the past year has run an after-school program called the Lighthouse out of South Junior High School, said he sees firsthand what students need to be successful. Parents need to take a more active role in their children's education, school principals need to become instructional leaders rather than building managers and a zero tolerance policy needs to be maintained when it comes to violence and discipline, he said.
"We also need to make sure quality teachers are in place," he said. "We can't afford to lose our teachers or teachers' aids."
If elected to the school board, Motley said he would also look into other avenues for raising funds for the district, compare with other districts in the area to see what they're doing to be successful and make sure students are passing their classes if they are involved in athletics.
"Educating our children safely and effectively are the two most important issues for me," he said. "Even though the economy is bad, we can't afford to lose teachers or security."
Susan Prokosch
Although she moved to the Town of Newburgh eight months ago, Susan Prokosch lived in the City for a total of 62 years. The retired teacher (she taught at North Junior High School for 33 years) said she is running for a seat on the Newburgh school board because she feels she still has more to give.
"I worked in the school system for so long," she said. "It was my entire life. When I retired, I stepped away completely but I feel I would be an attribute to the board."
While she says she has no major issues with the way the district is being run now, Prokosch admits she would like to see the school board continue to use common sense when it comes to making decisions and facilitate more collaboration with teachers, administrators and community members so as not to make unilateral decisions.
"I'm not looking to step in and change anything," she said. "I feel a board's job is not to run the district but to make sure the district is being run well. I don't like micromanaging."
Among her educational priorities, Prokosch names early intervention when it comes to reading. As a teacher, she says she wrote and co-wrote many programs (some of which are still in place at NJH) including a reading program, a student assistance program and a peer leadership program. It's her background in education and ability to think outside of the box that Prokosch says would make her an asset to the Newburgh school system.
"It's a learning experience when you first get in, for sure," she said. "But I'm willing to study the research as much as I can to make sure what the board is doing is acceptable. I'll give one hundred percent."
Thomas C. Woodhull
Born and raised in the City of Newburgh, Thomas Woodhull has spent the last nine years on the Board of Education. A Newburgh Free Academy graduate and a retired IBM employee, Woodhull is married (his wife is a teacher in the district) with two grown children. He says he ran for his first term on the school board after being asked by some friends who thought he would bring a new perspective.
"Being a Newburgh native, I thought I might be able to understand some things that were going on that other people couldn't," he said. "Also, since I was retired I thought it was time to give back."
Although he admits it hasn't always been easy, Woodhull said he is proud of all the board has accomplished in recent years, including keeping budget increases low while maintaining high academic standards, working with community partners to make sure schools are safe and fostering the district's pre-kindergarten program.
"We're striving in Newburgh to keep our budgets at zero and that's one of the hardest things we've had to do," he said. "When you know you've gone as far as you can and have to lay people off, that's the most unpleasant part of the job and it's not something I take lightly."
Over the years Woodhull has also been heavily involved in the New Windsor--Cornwall Rotary Club, the district's Health and Safety Committee and the Small City School District's Association. If re-elected, he promises to continue this kind of hard work and dedication.
"We're heading towards the end of our construction projects and realignment and want to see that through," he said. "After nine years a lot of this becomes second nature and that's something that an outsider wouldn't necessarily understand. I have that advantage."