The Activist Mom

The activist mom (this excerpt appeared in the New Paltz Times, April 29th edition)

KT Tobin Flusser, 42, grew up in Middletown and first made her way to New Paltz as a SUNY undergrad in 1989.

Since then the doctoral candidate in sociology has been an active volunteer in town, working with New Paltz GreenWorks, the village's Environmental Conservation Commission and the grassroots group Healthy Food, Healthy Kids.

Right now she works for SUNY New Paltz as the assistant director of the Center for Research, Regional Education and Outreach (CRREO).

Despite actively campaigning for the middle school reconstruction and attending about more than a year's worth of school board meetings, Tobin Flusser hadn't even run for elected office.

To her the most important issue is "staying fiscally sound while going green at the same time."

"That will be exemplified by the way we renovate the middle school," Tobin Flusser explained.

But she would also like to see the schools retain their nationally recognized level of education. In 2007, Newsweek magazine recognized New Paltz Central High School as one of the States' best.

"People move here because they know how well educated their kids will be," she said. Tobin Flusser said she would press the administration to keep up its academic excellence despite the recession and budget woes.

Tobin Flusser also wants to bring community members into the Board of Education fold by advocating for transparency of information.

"We have a $48 million budget -- that's more than the town and village combined. But our meetings aren't well attended and I'd like to figure out why," she said.

The mother of three said she'd like to see the school board and superintendent drop strict public comment requirements during the meetings, allowing for an open exchange. "There's got to be a better way to nurture more interaction with the public at our meetings."

Tobin Flusser's three kids all attend public school in New Paltz, and her oldest child attends the middle school.

"I feel that the board seriously needs more representation from young families," she added. Tobin Flusser said she hopes to provide a voice for parents with younger children in the district.

Outside of her work lobbying the schools for change, Tobin Flusser has some experience getting directly involved. She's serves as part of SUNY New Paltz's Environmental Taskforce and she's also one of the parents helping with Lenape Elementary School's climate survey action team.

Teams from each school building are due to give Superintendent Maria Rice and the Board of Education recommendations on how to improve student, parent and teacher morale in the schools.

Tobin Flusser also contributes political and social commentary as one of the bloggers on the New Paltz Gadfly. Her opinion pieces on the site have commented on the state of the New Paltz schools, but she's also tackled the Democratic establishment at Town Hall and Village Hall.

Click here for the full article

Greening Our Schools Part 2

At the start of the school year last September, my son Myles' third grade teacher Ms. Reilly was guiding the class through the process of compiling the class room rules. My son excitedly raised his hand and offered this rule to the group - "Go Green!" Since the class was unclear about how to proceed, they developed this program that is now being rolled out throughout the school:

There are many ways classrooms can go Green. In Ms. Reilly’s third grade class:
1. The morning message is written on the chalkboard instead of paper
2. Students think about what they are throwing out before they do it: Does it really need to be thrown out? Can it be recycled or reused in any way?
3. Two sides of paper are used whenever possible
4. Lights are turned out whenever they leave the room and things are turned off when not in use: for example, fans and computers
5. Parties are not super-waste creators: for example, only one napkin per student
6. They do not throw out their plastic bottles and cans from snack and lunch; since the school does not have recycling, parents chip in to bring them to the recycling center
7. Hand washing involves the minimum amount of water, soap, and paper towels
8. They have a Green Conservationist (just like a Line Leader, Paper Passer, etc) whose job it is to assist the teacher in making sure:
* Waste items go into the right place: garbage or recycling
* Two sides of paper are used
* Lights are turned out when not needed or no one is in the room
* Things are turned off when not in use: for example, fans and computers
* At parties classmates only use as many napkins, etc as they really need
* Only a small amount of water, one push of soap and one paper towel is used when classmates wash their hands
* Provide Green ideas to the teacher and classmates

Support for KT Tobin Flusser

I am voting for KT Tobin Flusser for New Paltz School Board on May 19 and I strongly urge your readers to do the same. KT has so many of the qualities we need in a school board member: she is intellectually and spiritually strong, she is focused and motivated, she is practical and progressive.

KT's commitment to family and friends and to improving our town is demonstrated on many levels. She has a strong academic background, as a doctoral candidate who already holds a Masters in Social Research and Bachelors in Sociology. Further, her current work as Assistant Director at the SUNY New Paltz Center for Research, Regional Education and Outreach, puts her on the cutting edge of social, educational and political policy issues that our school board must address. KT brings more than just academics and administrative skills to the table, however. While she and her husband Matt raise three wonderful children, KT still finds the time to participate in a long list of core community boards, projects and causes (such as New Paltz GreenWorks, Save The Middle School and the Village EnCC, just to name a few). A visit to KT's website, www.KTforSchoolBoard.blogspot.com, will give you a better look at this great lady and what she has in mind for the future of our schools.

New Paltz is a community favored with an abundance of talented and civic-minded people. If KT is willing to give us her time and effort to serve on our school board, we should seize this opportunity and elect her to the post.

Thank you for permitting me to articulate my support for KT Tobin Flusser.

Jonathan R. Sennett
New Paltz
(this letter appeared in the New Paltz Times, April 22nd edition)

Elect KT to the school board this May

I am writing in support of KT Tobin Flusser's candidacy for the New Paltz Board of Education, as I feel she would be an invaluable addition to the board.

I came to know KT as a result of her involvement with a number of community organizations and after-school activities and have always known her to be intelligent, direct and incredibly compassionate. Her commitment to the community is exemplary; fueled by her energy, intelligence and patience, KT is exactly the type of person I want looking out for the best interest of the children in the district. As the mother of young children herself, KT understands the challenges that families and communities face as they seek to nurture and educate.

Dedicated, intelligent and always fair-minded KT would bring to the board great energy and drive, attributes that are all the more important in today's challenging economic environment.

Please help elect KT Tobin Flusser to the New Paltz Board of Education this May.

AW Sullivan
New Paltz
(this letter appeared in the New Paltz Times, April 22nd edition)

Join me in voting for KT Tobin Flusser

I am writing in support of KT Tobin Flusser for New Paltz Central School District Board of Education. I cannot imagine a more dedicated and enthusiastic member of my children's school board.

KT is tireless and driven. She has competently balanced her commitment to her children, husband and friends, her profession and her doctoral education for many years. Now, as completion of her advanced degree nears, she has decided to devote her personal and professional talents to the New Paltz School Board. KT is passionate about her children's education and about the larger community in which her children grow. Through her work in New Paltz GreenWorks, the SUNY New Paltz Environmental Task Force and the Village of New Paltz Environmental Conservation Commission, KT has devoted a great deal of her time to making New Paltz a healthier, responsible and responsive environment for all of us.

I know that decisions concerning my children's education and their well being at school are in competent hands with KT and I urge you to join me in my vote for KT Tobin Flusser for New Paltz School Board.

Amy Silvestro
New Paltz
(this letter appeared in the New Paltz Times, April 22nd edition)

Support for KT for New Paltz School Board

I think that the Board of Education has got to be the most thankless elected position out there. An unpaid position for which there really isn't any decent training, you're responsible for a very large budget that impacts your neighbors in lots of ways, while being hemmed in by unfunded mandates and unforgiving union contracts. Before I even think about a candidate's qualifications I have to ask myself why someone would run for such a tough job!

With KT Tobin Flusser, I get why she's running. She's got three kids in New Paltz schools and she decided quite some time ago to pay close attention to the top-level decisions that affect her tax bill and her children's education.

KT is running despite knowing that she will likely be a target for criticism if she wins (maybe even from me), and in my opinion she's doing it for the right reasons. KT is concerned about making sure the middle school renovation leads to a better learning center for our kids while not bankrupting the taxpayers. She wants our kids to learn healthy food habits in the school cafeteria. Most importantly, she wants the people that are responsible for spending $45 million of our money each year to do so in a manner that encourages the rest of us to understand what's going on and become involved in the process.

One of my votes for school board this May 19 will be for KT Tobin Flusser.

Terence P. Ward
New Paltz
(this letter appeared in the New Paltz Times, April 15th edition)

KT and Torres Deserve Your Vote

I don't know whose seats are up or who the other candidates for school board are, but I do know that I will be voting for KT Tobin Flusser and Dan Torres.

KT Flusser is an active, engaged community resident who regularly attends GreenWorks, town, village, school board and a myriad of other meetings. And she doesn't just sit there -- she always contributes thoughtful, reasoned data.

Good data leads to good decisions and KT's professional training in research and personal passion for education will help our school board deal with the challenges ahead.

And as for Dan Torres -- what better testament to its effectiveness could a school district hope for than to have educated such an outstanding young man? I like his enthusiasm and his practical ideas on how to "green" the district.

Let's give both Torres and Flusser a chance to serve on our school board.

Kitty Brown
New Paltz
(this letter appeared in the New Paltz Times, April 15th edition)

KT Deserves Your Votes

KT Tobin Flusser is an outstanding candidate for our New Paltz Central School District board. Please join me in supporting KT at the polls, when we vote on Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at the high school from noon to 9 p.m.

Committed, passionate and articulate, she has been attending board meetings regularly, keeping the board on task regarding the renovation of the middle school. She has a keen understanding of the numbers surrounding not only the budget process, but also the proposals for renovation and an amazing ability to process the data and statistics thrown out into real world, applicable implications.

As a mother of three children in the district and an alumnus of and current employee at SUNY New Paltz, KT will provide a key connection to the university, one of the biggest and yet most underutilized assets in our community. Her position at the Center for Research, Regional Education and Outreach affords her the big-picture perspective of policy issues that impact upon and compete with our school district for funding. This understanding creates a substantial advantage in strategizing to build the strongest and most competitive program possible.

An integral part of New Paltz GreenWorks (A town and village committee charged with reducing our carbon footprint), KT has taken initiative on many carbon-footprint reducing activities. Her involvement with other community committees has helped us collaborate on projects served many times as a valuable connection to being more effective and efficient.

Mark your calendars to vote for KT for New Paltz school board!

Nikki Koenig Nielson
New Paltz
(this letter appeared in the New Paltz Times, April 15th edition)

Meet KT Tobin Flusser on April 13

For those of you who do not know who KT Tobin Flusser is (there can't be that many of you), I can tell you that you couldn't ask for a better qualified candidate for school board. This woman, my friend and partner in fighting carbon emissions, organized, took a lead and effectively gathered some 1,000 signatures on a petition to save the New Paltz Middle School.

The heightened awareness of the middle school's future brought in numerous concerned citizens to school board meetings, and brought about a sense of community cohesiveness that only comes around now and again.

What most of you might not know about KT is that long after the votes were taken and it appeared as though the middle school would stay put and be renovated, she stayed on task and has attended nearly every school board meeting since then. As chair of the committee to save the middle school, she updates us monthly on where the board stands on the how and when all the details of the renovation will take place. I for one take comfort in the fact that she is there to represent what seems to be the vast majority of the community's concerns.

During my time as chair of New Paltz GreenWorks (a joint town and village commission charged with educating the public on who to lower their carbon footprint), I have gotten to know KT, a member of our steering committee and can honestly say I have never known a more involved and community minded individual. She is an asset to any committee.

I can turn to her on any given project and know that she will not only follow through, she'll take the lead and run with it. Her background in statistics and research give her an advantage to most when planning any sort of effect strategy.

Aside from all of these invaluable traits she possesses, KT is also a mother of three young children in the district. She truly has a vested interest having a child in each of three out of four schools. What other board member or candidate can say this? There's no doubt she encompasses all the qualities this community needs on our school board.

I'm sure you have more question or concerns. Please come to The Mudd Puddle in the Water Street Market on Monday, April 13 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. to get those answers. KT will be there to hear your voice.

Theresa Fall
New Paltz
(this letter appeared in the New Paltz Times, April 9th edition)

Campaign Kick-off Party

I've been an observer of the School Board since the Middle School renovation debate began, and I have spoken out about the need to have a mom on the School Board. After careful consideration I have announced my candidacy, and I look forward to your support.

Please join me to talk about the upcoming election, my candidacy, and the challenges our district will be facing in the next few years at a campaign kick-off on Monday, April 13th, 6pm to 8pm at the Mudd Puddle at the Water Street Market.

You can RSVP on Facebook here.