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)
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