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.

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