The candidates – Michelle Liscio, Cruger Gallaudet and Jim Lombardi – are running in the election being held tomorrow, May 17, to win the seats currently held by Board of Education Trustees Pat Gallo and Sheree Raho, neither of whom is running for re-election.
The candidates responded to questions submitted by audience members on topics ranging from academics to infrastructure to finance.
The three addressed ways to improve the educational experience of the district, particularly at the high school, which many feel has a poor reputation compared to the earlier grade levels.
Gallaudet argued that the school would benefit from a more concerted effort at discipline and also stated the need for continued growth in the area of English and language arts. “To hear kids misspeaking the English language makes me sad and a little angry,” he said.
Lombardi said that the district needed to find more creative ways to challenge kids, particularly in the upper levels, that would help them develop professional skills and explore career possibilities.
“We might actually have to spend some money in the high school,” said Liscio, arguing that the district needs to make sure to invest appropriately in all of its grade levels. She also said that the district needed to enable the high school guidance department to do more in terms of individual academic evaluation in addition to that department’s responsibilities related to college admissions.
The candidates also were asked about the proposal to put up a new building on the Cottle School property to house the district’s administrative offices.
Lombardi said he was satisfied with the decision the district has made in the short term to put the offices in unused space in the middle school. “I’d be very cautious about building a separate facility that may be more space than we need,” he said.
Michelle Liscio said that she wants more information about the costs of such a project, as well as the potential for grant revenue that could be applied to it. However, she also said she feels it is important for the superintendent to be in the school.
Gallaudet questioned how such a building might fit into the aesthetics of the neighborhood. “It’s going to look like Osama bin Laden’s place in Pakistan,” he said. “It’s going to be two to three times the size of the other houses.” He said he would prefer to build another story on the Cottle building itself to house the offices.
Labor negotiations were another area discussed, as contract negotiations are underway with the district’s teachers. Gallaudet, who previously served on the board from 1995-1996 and again from 1999 to 2002, noted that he had been involved in the district’s teacher contract negotiations when he was a trustee, the only one of the three with experience in labor negotiations.
However, Lombardi argued that past contracts should not be charted as successes for the district. “We seem to have gotten ourselves into a really bad deal,” said Lombardi. “I don’t think we’re looking back on any previous contracts with a sense we did a [great] job.”
Liscio, who opened the debate saying that the district will need to look closely at teacher contracts in order to provide long-term financial sustainability, said she felt the board’s decision to hire an attorney for the current negotiations was a good idea. “It really needed that type of scrutiny,” she said.
Another topic of discussion was the proposed expansion of a Main Street residential construction project that has raised fears among many Tuckahoe School District residents about possible classroom crowding and increased financial burdens on the district. All three candidates said they oppose the project’s expansion.
The Board of Education election will take place tomorrow in conjunction with the public vote on the district’s $28.9 million proposed 2011-2012 budget. Polls are open tomorrow from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m.
Polling places for the election are as follows:
District A – Tuckahoe Community Center, 71 Columbus Ave., Tuckahoe
District B – William Cottle School Auditorium Foyer,2 Siwanoy Blvd., Eastchester
District C – Chester Heights Firehouse,10 Oregon Ave., Bronxville
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