001[Music] good evening I'm Danielle gorevski the director of communications for East Irondequoit Central School District Welcome to the PTSA sponsored Board of Education meet the candidates night this year we have four candidates running for three seats on our Board of Education you can vote for three of the candidates at our annual District budget vote on May 16th before we get started I would like to thank the PTSA for sponsoring this event as well as the candidates for coming up tonight our Board of Education consists of nine volunteers elected to serve three-year terms the Board of Education serves an important role in ensuring the values beliefs and priorities of our community are represented as well as develops policies allocates resources and sets goals that drive student programs and operations in the district I would like to
002now introduce our four candidates running for the Board of Education they will be introduced in the order they will appear on the ballot from left to right we have Donald's Markham Daniel mcinerney Carol Watt and Jill Ritchie tonight each candidate will be given three minutes to present opening statements after opening statements each candidate will be asked five questions alternating who answers first candidates will be given two minutes per response and we will end with two-minute closing statements and any audience questions if candidate statements or answers approach our time limits I will let you know if audience members would like to ask any questions please write them down on the question cards over there and then give them to our district clerk let's begin with opening statements Don Markham you get to go first oh hi
003I'm Don and I'm christianly seeing young people that can't spell my name and uh you know it kind of makes me nervous it seems like the education levels are dropping I've talked with many college professors that I know and they verify that the education levels are dropping of the kids coming in the school so anyways uh that's one reason I'm running my background is I've worked at Harris Corporation eight years I was lead technician and a group leader and then that was at uh Channel 8 I was a manager and then I put up the cell phone system I was League technician and uh as soon as we got it up they laid me off but anyways I worked a few places and uh they they closed up and then I got into a school
004I worked in a school 17 years and just retired last year and uh I enjoyed working in the school and uh I enjoyed the kids I enjoyed teachers I I enjoy working I have a lot of energy most people can't keep up with me I started a neighborhood association I'm always doing something new I was asked to be on three boards I'm on three boards now I was at a board meeting at a town the other day and I spoke and uh I thought I was going to get things thrown at me and people come up and give me their cards and wanted me to contact them and so you know I guess it turned out okay uh I made a video for my Irondequoit Channel with Irondequoit ambulance the other day I'm always doing
005something doing something for the community I've had a Public Access TV show for 29 years uh anyways I'm always doing something and I think we got to get back to the basics with education uh I'm really worried because the kids there's a lot of jobs now but it's a tougher world for the kids they need to know more and I think our budgets are going to get Slimmer soon if we go into recession and there's going to be problems there's not enough going to be not enough money to go around and uh you know when Good Times people tend to waste things and we gotta rethink things uh thanks I'm I'm Dan mcinerney I'm running for a second term on the Eastern Board of Education uh as a board member I've seen firsthand how our
006district is striving to provide really a great educational uh system great educational opportunities for all the students through programs like Avid Project Lead the Way career Readiness opportunities or which we've had that are expanding at this point Performing Arts Athletics and a lot more so if you're you know in the schools you see a lot of the stuff happening each and every day the proposed expansion of pre-K for next year will undoubtedly make students more prepared for success in their first years of school but I think even beyond that it's truly gratifying to see the success and achievement of our students on a daily basis teachers and staff of the district go above and beyond every single day to give our students the education they need to succeed and I hope to continue to support
007the students of the staff of East irondequate and I ask for your vote as I run for a second term my name is Carol and I'm number three on the ballot I've lived in East around quite my entire life I'm a proud 1975 East Ridge grad although I don't usually tell people there not the year and I was honored to be inducted into the Eastridge Hall of Fame in 2009. my husband Robbie and I have been married 41 years and we are the proud parents of a 2000 Eastridge grad Jamie Lee I'm a self-employed part-time as a personal cook and I'm school and Community volunteer I live in the house I grew up in my husband and I chose to raise our daughter where we knew she would get a quality Educational Foundation that would
008help her be successful no matter the life path she chose and I believe that since Jamie graduated the quality of Education available to our students is even better with added programs not to be repetitive I be Project Lead the Way and Avid I'm proud of what we've accomplished and our advocacy in getting our fair share of funding to support those programs and more I would like to thank the PTSA East irondequate School District and Danielle for holding this form as well as the viewers and other candidates for all they do for the community hello I'm Richie and I'm grateful for this opportunity to share with you my thoughts about service on the eastern white school board I'm a lifelong resident of eastern white attended our district schools I'm a special education teacher I began my
009teaching career at Grand Eastman and continued at East irondequate Middle School I currently teach sixth grade special education in North Roseville School District in Wayne County as an educator I'm committed to making sure our students receive the highest quality education my focus is closing academic and social emotional gaps as well as continuing to offer rigorous relevant curriculum and to provide our students with a well-rounded high quality education preparing them for their future as a board member I firmly believe that we have an obligation to our students and cannot waiver from our mission to provide them with the education they deserve I want to continue our initiatives and programs to serve the economic mental health and emotional needs of our students in modern and safe facilities it is important to evaluate current programming to ensure resources
010are being allocated to sport effective initiatives that benefit our children we also need to collaborate with our partners in government to ensure we receive the funds and resources to help our students I think my background is an educator my experience as a board member my creativity and commitment to Eastern equipment makes me uniquely qualified sorry to continue to serve on the school board I look forward to earning your vote please vote Yes on May 16th again I'm Jill Ritchie number four on the ballot thank you thank you thank you thank you so for our first question we're going to start with Dan so serving on the board of education is a significant time commitment what motivated you to run for a seat on the board of education you know East irondequate has a dedicated and
011passionate staff like I said that work hard every day to give our students the best education I think the opportunities that the reporter are incredible and I was really motivated to run uh for a seat on the school board because I wanted to support the work of the students of the staff of the superintendent in a more Hands-On way Eastern has achieved a lot in the last well 20 years that we've lived in this District 25 years and I hope that I can work with the Board of Education to further that growth in the years to come and honestly it was also a way for me I felt like it was a way for me to give back you know for all the opportunities that my kids received when they were going through the system
012this was a time and an opportunity for me to give back to the to the district as a member of the school board Carol would you like me to repeat the question no I'm good thanks okay I'm motivated to rerun for a board of education seat because I we board members tend to think of themselves as a team still feel I have more to give to the district I brought the idea of advocating for full funding of foundation Aid to the board table three years ago and we've done that as a team we need to do more though we need to make sure full funding continues and that the funding formula gets changed ensuring equity and during a recent trip to Washington with a few fellow board members I found out that we only get
0137.4 percent of 40 percent of idea funding that's individuals with disabilities educational Acts the residents of EI deserve full funding so the board formed a subcommittee that I am on along with my friend Joe and we have a plan to move forward with advocating for that I also believe passionately in the PTA and the vital role parents playing public education covid not only had a negative effect on students but on parents being in our buildings as well to encourage participation I'm the recording secretary for the Ivan green PTA attempting to bring ideas that will motivate more parents to get involved and help rebuild our ptas I would like to continue to work on behalf of our students and Community a strong school system is a strong community supporting Student Success my passion for education and
014the positive experiences I had in the district motivate me to run for school board I love seeing and celebrating student successes I enjoy attending student and District events to support our students as a student I had teachers that went above and beyond to build positive relationships with me and went the extra mile to help me learn I want to give back to a district in the community that's given so much to me I currently and will continue to advocate for the students in the district I'm invested in the work of ensuring every child's experience at a positive one in our district together we can continue to improve and celebrate student achievement and ensure our students have what they need to be successful uh I've been going to meetings for 50 years since I was a
015teenager school board meetings Town board meetings State Assembly meetings uh you name it non-profit meetings and uh monthly boards now but anyways I've always been interested in this stuff in um I've been around you know people who are on the school boards uh superintendents of schools uh relative of my Workforce superintendent and uh anyways I've worked in a school 17 years and uh I got along with all the teachers and I did coach for a while and I just been around the schools and the kids all these years and um I have a lot of knowledge of what goes on and I think I think that's very important to have that knowledge of what goes on thanks our second question we're going to start with Carol how would you define the roles and responsibilities of
016a board member the role of an individual board member is to be part of a team usually of five seven or nine people we have no individual power a board member balances the fiscal needs of the community while supporting the educational needs of students we hire the superintendent and we adapt policies for the district we're ultimately responsible for the safety and educational needs of District students and staff we work with the superintendent to formulate and adopt District goals and after many presentations and input the board adopts the budget and we engage in advocacy if the opportunity arises broadly the roles and responsibilities of a board member to listen be informed have a shared Vision help determine goals to promote student achievement diversity equity and inclusion and contribute towards reaching those goals to that end a
017board member works with a superintendent to ensure policies programs and processes are aligned with District goals a board member also carefully reads data to assess progress towards our goals and to evaluate current programs in addition a board member helps adopt the budget and considers capital projects that modernize and increase Safety and Security in our facilities finally a board member advocates for funding and Community Resources as well as be visible at events and communicate and collaborate with community members and support students teachers District employees and community members uh as a board member we have to hire the superintendent we've got to make the vision and goals which is very important we have to check the performance of the school the kids the superintendent and then we got to make a budget which is again is very
018important and then we got okay contracts with the Union which sometimes can be tough uh and then you have to talk to the people which I like and I find easy but you said but the school board functions as a whole that not as individual members who work collaborative collaboratively with the superintendent and the administrative staff to set District goals and draft policy and the board develops a student-focused budget that aligns strategies and goals with available resources the board conducts performance evaluations to the superintendent to continuously set standards of improvement and the board leaves the district accentuating and reinforcing the positive while strategically addressing areas that need Improvement as an individual board member I also represent the residents and families of the district and as such can bring their comments and concerns to board discussions
019so next we're going to begin with Jill how would you support our superintendent in your role as a board member generally I would support superintendent grow by supporting the Implement implementation and continuation of initiatives that best serve our students more specifically I would support superintendent grow by having open and clear communication with her and fellow board members by being informed attending board meetings attending professional development serving on committees and communicating with stakeholders and community members through PTA committees open houses family events and more I want to reiterate the importance of clear consistent communication between the superintendent fellow board members and community members to ensure all voices and perspectives are being represented when making decisions for what is best for students thank you Don um when I was working I still worked for the principal and
020the vice principal all the time in uh so I guess I'm used to this you know working in the school and seeing you know how a school runs and uh so it's kind of a reverse position now but I'm a Solutions guy I'm very creative and I'm very confident that uh maybe sometimes you might get along but I think in the long run things will turn out very positive I'm just a little different in the way I look at things but I'm very creative thanks my role as an individual board member is to fully support the superintendent and the initiatives that are put forth and to work as a team as the board I mean for me that could mean advocating for resources within the local state or federal levels or just simply advocating for
021support within the district itself it's really you know success happens when we all work together to achieve a common goal and that's the main main job of that's my main role as a board member I think the best ways to support the superintendent is to know what your respective roles are so that the superintendent is able to do her job without interference to be willing to listen to be unafraid to ask questions to better understand a topic or program and to have an open and honest relationship knowing you can share issues and or concerns and or good things what knowledge and experience do you possess that makes you a good candidate for the Board of Education well as I just said I work with the principal the vice principal the PTA the coaches the people
022putting the play on uh parents etc etc I've worked in school 17 years it was custodial in charge of two schools and uh I got along pretty good with them and a lot of people sought me out versus some other people and uh I really enjoyed it it was it was tough at first it was uh a lot of things going on but I think over time you kind of learn and uh well things work out better but I have a lot of experience in what I know how to run a school I know what goes on in the schools and I do enjoy working with parents and kids in PTA thanks um I have a background in education and management a little a little bit of both over the years and my primary involvement
023with the schools has been through pretty much all the years as a parent but also later on most of the Performing Arts and the marching band and events at the high school so I mean it's really given me an opportunity to to interact with the parents and and learn a lot of what's going on I also think that you know being on the school board for a first term you there's a steep learning curve there you learn a lot in your first in your first three years and uh and it's so there's a lot of experience and I really would like the opportunity to put that experience to good use in the second term here so having been on the school board several years I've had the experience of serving none and only as a
024board member vice president and president I am curious I try to be a good listener and respond and follow up with issues that are brought to my attention not necessarily by taking care of the issue myself but by bringing it to the attention of the appropriate personnel there is no board member manual so I tried to stay informed by attending training reading journals going to seminars webinars and taking the time to get to know my fellow board members to understand their different points of view I also bring a willingness to participate in school events and in advocacy being a current board member and teacher gives me different perspectives and experiences on policies and systems within education I participate in numerous committees both in East Irondequoit and in the district I teach in such as safety
025team diversity equity and inclusion PTA and among others I seek to maintain and deepen my knowledge of Education relation rate related issues by attending professional development activities in addition I'm involved with advocacy at the local state and National levels in the past the board and myself have advocated for full Foundation Aid thank you Carol to increase academic and mental health support to ease Transportation burdens into expand free and reduced price lunches looking for the few towards the future we formed a subcommittee to advocate for an increase in individual Disabilities Act funds as we hope to increase federal rate as we currently are receiving to improve and expand on our support services and Dan I have to like I like what you said about your first term and learning a lot I agree and I would
026like to put my experience you know to work too as well so thank you that Dan so for our last question we're going to start with Dan covid state and federal funding comes to an end in June 2024. based on the current initiatives that the district supports with these funds what do you believe we should prioritize with the funding or when the funding ends um the covet pandemic deeply affected all of us but it especially the fact that our students many students experience learning loss delays and social emotional development as well as several and varying mental health issues when the covet state and federal funding was announced he used to run equate prioritize the needs of his students the district developed and implemented a plan to directly address those issues through hiring more teachers keeping
027class sizes low to optimize learning and adding social workers and counselors to address students social emotional and mental health needs I believe the district should and will work to retain as many of those staff members as possible student achievement is a top priority of the board and we must give students the help they need in reaching their highest levels of success the influx of funding was wonderful but unfortunately cannot be sustained thus as a board will be listening to presentations on what initiatives work best for students looking at the data that shows information and hearing what the superintendent thinks is best to continue saying that I can enthusiastically support the following implementing full day Pre-K is vital students have come into first grade after covid never some having never been in a classroom presenting challenges
028this is not unique to the district I was speaking to Tim roach at Durand who said it's the challenges are occurring across the country students however have to be in our buildings younger and that will be better prepare them for a successful School experience implementing Avid is another thing that's advancement via individual determination through fifth grade the AVID program has proven invaluable Avid teaches time management note-taking organizational skills writing inquiry and critical thinking strategies as Dan said we have advocated at the board for lower class sizes at the elementary level to ensure we meet the needs of students and provide increased individual attention our math and reading interventionists have helped our students Bridge gaps in learning that occurred during the pandemic and our students still need this support going forward and of course amid growing
029concerns we continue to look at the best way to keep students and staff safe both with cyber and other safety measures thank you Joe the purpose of the coveted funding was for academic Mental Health social emotional supports first and foremost when West prioritize what is best for students with that being said we must also prioritize what has proven results we need to take relevant data into account of course data is not everything and we should collaborate with District building level grade level uh leaders as well as teachers and support staff to determine how we will most effectively meet our students needs and Readiness levels with past covered funding the district was able to hire an interventionists a counselors enter to reduce class sizes it's important to continue conversations at all levels of government to see
030if and when more funding can be secured but meanwhile we should Explore More Grant and Community Partnership opportunities it is essential that students continue to receive a high quality education that does not put a burden on our taxpayers because of a Romanian case study we we know they're probably not going to catch up but I still feel we should go back to the basics uh it's just in general they're just they're fun they've been following behind and they fell behind more now and uh we got to get off this stuff with you know sex changes and black life matter and all this other stuff that I've seen going on in the schools that I know goes on we've got to get back to basics and that that's it thanks we're going to move on to
031our audience questions I believe we have several [Applause] thank you okay so the first question we're going to start with Carol um just continuing in our order so this question is why is it important for local school boards to stay connected with Monroe County School Board Association and the National School Board Association well for several reasons one it's vital because as I said before as board members we don't there's no manual that trains us there isn't where when you come into this there's no guidelines that say okay this is these are the steps to becoming a good board member so participating at Monroe County or the the county level and the state level and the national level give us a chance to learn grow develop and do that's our professional development it also gives us
032a way to Advocate and we can do that through all those systems yeah I'm gonna Echo a lot of what Carol just said so I think a lot of that is good for like professional development especially when people are new coming into the board like I was able to take a lot of professional development opportunities to learn about roles and responsibilities and policy making and things like that um and also to kind of like to share ideas locally as well as nationally and to collaborate and obviously that Advocates to be his piece is huge because when you're speaking you know as a unit on three or four major issues and you're talking to the same people in all the levels of government and within the community to help us accomplish those goals it really just
033kind of builds teamwork and gets everybody on the same page thank you um I I agree but uh I pretty much been trained and mentored by people that were on school boards and so I I don't feel I personally need it so much but I I agree with what they're saying thanks yeah I would say something I think the professional development aspect is great especially at the the county level they're they're strong Advocates uh for for educating people and and that I think at the national level one of the biggest benefits there is is attending conferences and actually hearing uh about programs that are successful in other places so and and those kind of that idea that you can sit down and talk with somebody and or share your uh you know we all have
034very similar problems and issues and if you can sit down with somebody who's already addressed that and found success uh is really powerful to to to hear what they have to say and say maybe we could Implement that in in East irondequate okay thank you so next we're going to start with Jill tell us about your reaction to the waves of curriculum challenges and book Banning in the school districts around the country um it is definitely I don't I don't have the right word for it but it's interesting it's always thought provoking I guess it'd probably be a better word for it because it's kind of like why is a book getting a band why is either that person the community or the district reacting in the way that it is um as an educator
035and an Avid Reader in the summer not all year long unfortunately um I do enjoy reading so I do when the district when our district implements new books or proposes new books I should say I do read them um but also too I think you have to trust with your teachers your literacy leaders your directors of Education your assistant superintendent of instruction to kind of review books that we would be implementing and teaching in the classroom and you know fortunately unfortunately whatever your take is on it sometimes books do come in the classroom that may deal with social justice or might be controversial but it's I think it's all an approach and how you teach it too I think like Educators need to be mindful and open-minded when they're teaching and you know teach kids
036that it's okay to have conversations but to be respectful and to also look at things from different viewpoints and perspectives so I'm not really into book Banning but I think it's important to review texts prior to teaching them or you know haven't given kids access to them so I think they should be reviewed but I I like literature was a Libertarian adults or adults there's Freedom kids are kids I don't believe in they have the freedom to do things and I'm I'm very nervous if a parent or somebody adult does not believe that I understand there's somebody's being investigated for pornography in one of the school districts uh it doesn't belong in the school for the little kids I I agree that the little kids the books should be checked what they're looking at uh
037I mean so what if they put a Nazi book in there what if they put you know there's all kinds of books they could put in there that there's people in the room will fight with me you know you can't put that in there a communist a Nazi book what about uh radical Islam book you know uh kill the infidels uh so don't don't anybody tell me that uh there's not books kids should be reading when you've got to be an adult you can read what you want but these little kids I think it's too soon for these kids and I don't call it a book ban because they're kids thanks well I think often what I what I find is that that books will be either be a book ban and when pressed the
038people pushing for the book band haven't read it they've they've seen the title or they've trusted information they've gotten from from a third hand about it but they haven't picked it up and read it and I think as Jill said when we get a list of new materials are going to be used especially at the high school but we get through the whole District you know you find that book and you read it and I find that they're fantastic you know when you look at books that have been around that that we that we all read when we were especially in high school I think of some of the ones I read that probably we wouldn't read now because you know they just were not great choices Classics of literature but they're you know they
039send a really interesting message that that could be better addressed with a more current piece of literature that really does sort of address where where kids are and I and I think that that it's the target is moving kids are exposed to to a lot of very adult topics at a younger age and maybe we're not addressing all of that in the school system but certainly we have to be ready to to provide some kind of support for that and I think that book Banning is a is a generally a pretty bad idea and the curriculum idea I don't I mean I don't know what it's like in other states but certainly in New York state if you want to know what the curriculum is you just can you can see it we're not hiding
040anything it's out it's right there so the idea that that you can't you don't know what your child is learning is is pretty ludicrous in this especially here so okay I agree with Dan and Jill um also as a board member you are able to review the books that come through the district but hopefully we have put our faith in the people that we hired the Educators the professionals the teachers the admins to choose the right material that's age-appropriate and developmentally appropriate so this next question we're going to start with Don Nationwide teacher morale is at an all-time low many are leaving the profession our kids deserve great teachers how do you think the Board of Education can attract and retain quality Educators first thing guys we've got to get rid of politics in school
041uh second thing is one of my jobs was to quote throw teachers out at night uh I had to force them to go home you know they work that hard believe it or not so anyways uh there's a lot of things we can do and I think they don't they don't want to be involved in all the fighting their teachers and I think things are just too politicized as part of the problem and I think we need more stability I've seen a lot of teachers that were jerked around moved from building to building they had very long tenures because I talked with all these teachers and they you know they didn't before all this stuff happened they were not recommending people get into teaching they just you know it's profession and I respect them thanks
042I think that um it's tough to address the morality I mean we're totally mostly we've spent a lot of time focused on the students and and supporting them and their education and the emotional needs that kind of thing but there's also a component of supporting the teachers in the same way um I think the district does do a great job of professional development and that in that regard really when something new is coming along there are a lot of opportunities for the teachers to really get you know the training and knowledge in order to teach a new subject and I think that what we've been seeing is that when programs come up that are brand new and and they're they're eager and we see a huge number of them are jumping in and saying I
043want to I want to know more about that I want to be able to do that so I think you know we're working toward toward morale Improvement it's just it's a very tough tough nut to crack you know we're not quite in the same boat in New York state as many other states where you know teacher pay is not quite so bad here as it might be in my daughter teaches in Colorado it really is terrible uh you know there's not a lot of the support there is just totally different than that it is here that being said you know there's also limitations on what we can do in terms of of providing you know Financial incentive well we work with the union and there's so that we are not that our hands are tied
044in that regard but we we have challenges there but I think that you know we're doing what we can in terms of of providing the supports not only from the from the principal and the building administrative level but I think also that that superintendent grows does a fantastic job from the top of try really working very hard to say you're supported we're here for you you're doing a great job I agree with Dan um definitely I think showing teachers our support treating them like the professionals that they are um listening to them talking to them um and offering professional development opportunities and of course we do our best to I know that during the pandemic Mrs grow and our admins not only offered support mental health support and so forth for students but they did
045it for staff as well um yeah I think being visible and actually just walking around the buildings attending events and showing them that we're supporting teacher staff what what they're doing um I think is huge you know taking two minutes out of your day and just talking to them whether it is they're sharing something that's amazing that happened to him that day or if they're kind of like you know just airing out like a grievance that they had they had a rough day they're just happy to have somebody listen to them I think too what we need to do and I think our district is doing it um Bob crocetti's got a committee on you know retaining and and seeking out new applicants we're doing a social media outreach but where I I'd assume that
046we're trying to grow our own too you know we really try to support our former students and try to get them back in the buildings to sob which I think is huge you know collaborating with colleges and universities and try to get student teachers um but I think just trying to be positive and having our administrators be positive to our staff and having our administrator support our staff and having us support our staff I think really is just kind of like the best easiest way to do that it's just to show them that we support them that we care about them and we love what they're doing and to celebrate their successes as well as the students because the teachers get even more excited to think that Awards ceremonies than kids do because they're so
047proud of all the things their students are achieving so celebrating successes thank you so the next question we're going to start with you Dan how will you support and promote an inclusive environment in East Irondequoit for all students staff and community members what does equity in the realm of Education look like to you know one of the reasons that we that we we moved into Eastern radical we didn't it was 28 years ago we didn't know an awful lot about the district but but we got here and realized that you know it's it's very diverse it's it's I think one of the most diverse districts in the in the in the county uh in terms of just not only from from a you know just the person of color but also there's a religious diversity
048and that kind of thing so I mean I'm really supportive of of all of the initiatives that have happened so far we have a really active uh diversity Equity inclusion committee that's working hard to try to give sort of relevancy to each of the individual cultures the kids are inquisitive they want to know why you know why that person their classes is is what's Ramadan what are they celebrating this month why is that important to them you know what does it mean and I think it's important we all we're one culture or one group of people one community and it's important to understand each other's backgrounds and and go from there okay thank you Carol we've been celebrating diversity in this District I think since the late 90s which should tell you how long I've
049been around um and it's it's really grown and built I think we do that by encouraging parent involvement encouraging Community involvement welcoming people of all ethnicities which I believe we do into our buildings and certainly the diversity Equity committee is working towards that as well sharing their experiences they should also see themselves in instructional material and also to like what the the diversity Equity inclusion committee district-wide and each each building has subcommittees as well and they really try to be mindful of like what America awareness month is happening and use that to like implement um that into their instruction like for example I remember Helendale Road School in the month of February did like a highlight on people of color inventors so African-American inventors and then women's history month they highlighted what I can't remember
050specifically what they did but they kind of highlight some lessons around each awareness month and what is really cool too is they try to get the families involved by sending like just a little homework assignment home nothing too intense but that way families can kind of share some of their trust traditions and customs and things they do in their in their homes so I think the kids are really learning from each other which is cool and also too like I think our office of instruction is being mindful in the materials that they are purchasing so kids can see themselves and they're learning too and as Dan said too you know we do have one of the most diverse districts in the county which is great so it just kind of lends itself to diversity so
051I've been around quite 33 years uh the crew I had the work crew uh some could barely read and write some could barely speak English and the two African women I was were probably closest to me in uh the one I've tried to get her to buy a house but I guess they don't somebody says they don't believe in interest or something like that though the Muslims had a problem with it but uh I don't know but uh it's Jose that got me to apply for the job so uh I've helped three black candidates get elected in the city on the City School Board uh all I got to say is some people talk what I say do don't talk you know thanks um question we are going we are going to start with Carol
052uh I appreciate the district's support of enol English new language Learners and the district's emphasis on addressing learning gaps in achievement I would like to hear the candidates position on meeting the needs of the advanced learners I get that right and how can the district provide an equitable and appropriate education for them [Music] okay so I I think we do that with the programs we've picked up along the way like IB which has both diploma the entire diploma program and and course program along the way that they can take Project Lead the Way we one of the most wonderful board meetings every year is when the Project Lead the Way kids come and show us their Creations that they've done during the year their their projects and they're always so Innovative and I always beg
053Mrs grow to get a patent so that the district can make money on them and they've not yet done that um and certainly Avid addresses a lot of those needs and so I do think we hit all ends of the Spectrum in including general education yeah so we were able to hire all those interventionists with their coveted money which was great so the good thing about that is it lends itself to you know maybe doing some skill building but it also allows them to also do enrichment as well so whether it's from the interventionists and they're doing enrichment or the classroom teacher they're doing Arrangement but it allows for groupings to expand students learning um as Carol said we have Project Lead the Way IB Avid that really allows our students to pick areas that
054they are interested in and grow and Excel in them we also offer a lot of AP courses dual credit courses for college credits and there's even advanced placement in the middle school as well so I think we do offer a lot of opportunities for enrichment as well as clubs too like I'm thinking I'm even thinking here in the elementary schools there are many schools that have like clubs after school or maybe even during the day where they can you know do project-based learning and things like that so I'm agreeing with her in uh I'm a practical guy and I think this illegal immigration stuff on the border sooner or later they're going to make a deal and uh there's a labor shortage and we know a lot of them are going to be coming this
055way and we have to be prepared and uh so anyways I I think we're fairly well prepared now but there's going to be more of them coming thanks yeah I I think that as Jill said in terms of the that we do we do spend a lot of resources on the on English and new language Learners and all that and and that then trying to uh you know do the learning loss interventions that kind of thing but at the upper levels like IB Project Lead the Way are really I think for many people they would think you know advanced placement is a more common term but but IB uh provides you know a rigorous framework and and knowledge building for a college many of our kids that do that you know they they go in
056their first year of college and they they feel as though they're like oh well this is I wouldn't say simple but they're ready you know so there's I think kids that are in that advanced level do have do have opportunities to be challenged so so this next question we're going to start with Jill there is a divide among the candidates regarding the performance of our schools and achievements of our students what data do you use to back up your statements and how on how our students are doing um the data that we use is Hagerty data so reading data scores um map data as well the district is able to give us basically any data that we really want to ask for and look at um so we're able to look at what students are
057reading on grade level as a versus not what students are performing on grade level for Math and what are not um honestly I I think I would never be completely happy unless every kid was earning the grade that they really wanted to which you know nine mine is a hundred but I you know I don't I know that's not fair but I I would I want everybody to be successful in their own way on their own terms and I know this board and I know this Administration will continue to strive to grow Student Success and we're going to do that and we're by looking at Pro like programs and curriculum like we just got a new math program and visions that we've piloted and we're going to go full implementation next year on and The
058Envision program gives us a lot of data it has a success maker it breaks the data down into skill sets into standards and whatnot so we can actually drill down to a standard and see how that student or that class is achieving or that cohort is even achieving each individual standard so I think we do have a lot of data we have a great data guy too and he pulls off magic so whatever you ask for him he usually provides so I mean student achievement is going well but we need to continue to grow but I'm happy with all the things that we're doing to improve it oh like I said I listened to college professors that I know personally and they said the kids aren't prepared as much as they were years ago and
059that's that's in general not just East Irondequoit uh and and I use the test scores you know they got to take these tests every few years in East irondequate's not doing this good and I admit it's handicapped I know all the you know the single parent thing is high the under poverty thing was was very high but I always say uh tests do count and we we can do better I believe we can do better I'm not one to accept you know things in the bottom uh I was taught to win and you know losers get stepped on uh so anyways I wanna I wanna keep tests I really believe tests are a good a good measurement to change something to to measure something you need a measurement a test and uh thanks a lot
060I think that Jill mentioned maps and hegarty I think they're giving us good good data reliable data on where the kids are um I think that you know people think about the changes in curriculum over maybe over the last 10 or 15 years and and just this doesn't seem to be working the kids aren't making they're not reaching the levels of achievement we want so let's change it to something else we've done that a few times and it occurred to me over the last maybe five years especially with the implementation of avid that some of this is not so much the kids the kids need a better framework for for structuring the way they learn um they're not getting that sort of structured framework outside of the classroom perhaps for lots of challenges you know
061it could be it could be a dual parent household but nobody's home you know or they have several siblings and they're they're trying to balance all this stuff between school and work and school and home and all this sort of thing and I think that having the putting better structures in place or allowing the kids to actually focus better and and Achieve we're seeing we are seeing better achievement and and this idea that you know using in there's a lot of ways technology in the classroom allows in the teacher to see individually where kids are and and which which little bit of this do they do they excel at and which part do they do they do they you know do they need extra help so I think that that's part of it is this
062focus on um providing these the strategies and I think that's going to lift us Lift us up to where we would like to be yeah I I definitely agree with Dan and Jill um and she mentioned maps and Hagerty I won't mention it again there are I've even in the last year during if you come to a board meeting the board reports will show they'll show us individual students how they track them individually from the beginning of the year to the end of the year and in between to see how they're doing and they break it all down so that they can they by they I should say teachers can understand how their child learns and what they can do better there's also definitely a huge change in the last several years under Mrs grow
063thank you Mrs grow of collegiality between buildings I've never seen it before I've principles talking to principals so they follow through they work together I definitely believe East irondequoit's doing well could we do better sure we could always do better and we're always working and striving to do that thank you so this next question we're going to start with Don so for the 2021-22 school year how did the reading and math scores of students in the East Irondequoit School District compare to the same scores of students in other suburban school districts in Monroe County compare please compare the scores for high school students specifically uh I'm not sure but generally I know they're not doing it as good that's all I'm going to say because I do look at the scores and I've worked at
064far part and they they were you know towards the top often thanks as compared to the other districts in Monroe County correct that's a little bit lower I don't think I don't I mean I don't know what else to say I I think that um but I'm not sure that um you know compared to the five say a five year period before that I'm not sure that it was you know percentage-wise was much different you know we're we're you know you get to the post-pandemic year and everybody went down didn't matter if you were Brighton or you know whatever so um so that but I think that you know we're staying in the same we're not losing comparatively to where we were right [Music] I agree with what Dan said they they probably are a
065little lower I also think it's very hard to gauge anything right now especially during the pandemic years because tests were canceled and so forth so it's hard to do that yeah I mean I kind of echo you guys as well I mean first of all our kids are such much more than a test score and so is our district like yes unfortunately I hate to speak holistically but I'm going to go out on limb and say in 2021 most districts have scores unfortunately did drop and it's due to a facet of reasons so many like that a lot of people opted out tests weren't given I mean I know one of the like some of the tests were just like old questions mashed together and here you go so I mean I feel like the
0662021 scores were so like non-traditional that they're hard to read but in our district needs Veronica our kids were in school more than almost any other District in the county so like our kids were getting social interact and they were getting instruction that other kids weren't they were getting in-person instruction I should say that other students didn't have the opportunity to so I yeah our test scores maybe not have been what we wanted them to be but I feel like our kids were growing and learning in so many other ways that I'm proud of that thank you so I have two more questions but these are just for Don specifically um the first question is um well I guess it's three questions what three boards are you on uh I'm not saying okay but I've
067been asked to be on them and one of them was in the newspaper and uh again I'm not going to tell you that I get along with everybody but in the long run we we all get along and they love me it's just I look at things differently and I'm I'm more uh energetic I'm more of a forward-going guy and I don't like people that sit back and don't do anything what school district did you work at I worked at Fairport again I worked at Fair Park I I liked it I like the people you know little kids are a little spoiled there compared to here you know they got more money and are a little spoiled but okay and then when were you employed by a school and what was your position I was
068uh custodial in charge of two schools and uh was employed 2004 to like a year and a half of our retired Labor Day after Labor Day and last one is what is your experience in education uh like I said I I've been around this all my life you know I've been around uh neighbors that were two of them were superintendents another friend of mine voice brother was superintendent of schools uh I had relatives that you know worked in schools um I socialized with some of the teachers you know I've been around it you know and uh believe it or not I'm a lot more educated than Strangers think I am I would say that 99 of the people that don't know me underestimate me that I'm a lot smarter and knowledgeable that most people think
069I am but anyways thank you oh we have one more question okay so this one is for Jill you get to be in the hotties how has your experience in another District Aid you in being on this board um it's a great question in so many ways I'm fortunate enough to be on the district leadership team in North Rose will get where I work so I am able to collaborate you know obviously cross districts and all different buildings and whatnot so I think a lot of it was I hate to go back to this time but like in covetness when I started on the board though too like during the covered years like I probably you know maybe asked more questions than I should have to this administration because I was almost kind of comparing
070some of the policies and things that we were doing so it kind of gave me another perspective another point of view of a lot of things that were going on also to like our curriculums some of them are are some of our curriculum work is similar to what is taught in eastronic weight and some is different so I'm able to be exposed to some curriculums that you know maybe aren't being used here in eastronic weight and vice versa and you know I'm able to have conversations with some of the interventionists and share some of the strategies and things that I'm using and vice versa uh Miss grow is really good about letting us come in and tour the schools and things like that so I've had opportunities where you know I've gone into a sixth
071grade social studies class and observed an awesome lesson and then you know of course I'm going to email the teacher and be like oh my gosh you did an amazing job I love what you did with this and then she's like well what are you doing in your social studies class so like we kind of like shared some lesson plan ideas and things like that um so it just kind of gives me a little bit of a different perspective and a little bit of a different viewpoint on how to implement new programs or when it's time to kind of switch Out programs and what data points to use like we use different data than easteronic way does and we're actually looking now to change ours through some conversations we had so it's it's just a
072really good experience for myself to bring back to my district and vice versa to bring here I thought she's giving me the sign but [Laughter] okay so I think that's it for audience questions um so we're going to move on to closing statements so we are going to start with Dan well first of all thank you to the PTSA for supporting tonight thank you so much Danielle for your for your hosting Doug thank you for videoing and I'm sure we all have the Barbara Walters filter so we look fantastic um but uh all kidding aside you know it's been a challenging three years for the district and and I'm really but I'm focused on the success and we're seeing successes all the time and and hearing the the reports from the building administrators the reports
073from the teachers that we hear the students uh it's incredible to hear what's happening every day in the school happening in each in each individual building it's it's um it's really exciting uh to see the the excitement on their faces to hear the energy that's there uh the idea that the collaboration is as Carol mentioned you know I remember buildings not talking to each other and I haven't been in Iran quite that long but it was really strange and now to see all this happening uh you know I feel as though uh the the implementation hopefully of of pre-K it the idea we're we're really pushing forward and striving for something better in East around Kuwait and I really you know I'd love to be a part of that for at least another three years
074so thank you to the PTA and Danielle for hosting candidates night thank you to my fellow candidates for caring enough to run for the Board of Education I ask that you first support our budget by voting yes Easter Irondequoit has used Foundation Aid as directed by this board to offset some of the costs of this budget which I believe is unprecedented and a welcome relief for the taxpayers I hope you also vote for me number three along with my fellow incumbentance number two and four so that we can continue to work towards providing equality public education that is fiscally responsible for our community thank you I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you today I want to thank the PTSA Danielle and Doug and the district and the candidates most importantly the viewers if re-elected
075to school board I'll draw in my experience as a current board member and an educator to ensure our students receive a high quality well-rounded relevant education that instills a passion for Learning and prepares them for their next step whether that's next grade level Career Technical education college or entering the military or Workforce we must work together as a district and Community with our part and our partner sorry we must work together as a district community and with our partners at all level of government so that we can continue to provide our students with an education they deserve I have the knowledge skills experience and passion to help move our district and students forward I love serving on the board and look forward to continuing to work on behalf of our students please vote Yes on
076May 16th again I'm Jill Ritchie number four on the ballot thank you when I worked in Fairport I used to talk with a speech therapist about what their job was in a psychologists the teachers the coaches gym teachers music teachers you know about their jobs and stuff and so I've been learning for 17 years about a lot of these things and uh anyways I think if these people could vote I think overwhelmingly they would vote for me and uh I used to talk to Dave Dunn a lot and uh at first we didn't get along but after we got along very very well and I think we're too much alike the prince me and the principal were too much alike and uh but anyways he taught me a lot he really did and taught me
077to keep a good atmosphere in the place because I heard them talking about schools not talking to each other and I don't recall that and fair part I really don't Dave wanted to keep a good atmosphere and everybody you know could be heard and everybody was nice to everybody and he really tried to make it a good atmosphere and um anyways I hope like you know the people in East irondequate would vote for me like I believe the people in Fair Park would vote for me the teachers the parents the PTA uh thanks a lot so that concludes our questions and closing statements I want to thank everyone for joining us for meet the candidates night and remember to vote on May 16th from 6 a.m to 9 p.m at Eastridge High School on the
078ballot will be the District budget and the three seats for the Board of Education once again I would like to thank our candidates Don Markham Dan mcinerney Carol Watt and Jill Ritchie and if you'd like more information on our District budget or the candidates please visit our website at eastiron.org thank you [Applause] [Music]