001good evening everyone welcome to meet the candidates night thank you to our Board of Education candidates for taking the time to be with us tonight and to the community members joining us in person or via live stream if I could ask everybody that is in person to please sign on to your phones that would be very helpful of course you're welcome to silence your phones at home as well my name is Lisa tommeny and I have the honor of moderating tonight's events before we get started a couple of procedural notes and housekeeping items tonight's event is being recorded and a link to these recording will be made available prior to the vote I want to emphasize that this is a meet the candidate event as opposed to a debate Forum the evening is intended to
002give each candidate an opportunity to introduce themselves to the community and also to share their views thank you to all those that submitted questions in advance for this evening which we have synthesized into several questions to cover as much as possible in the time that we have tonight all the candidates will have an opportunity to answer each question every candidate will have an opportunity opportunity to be the first respondent to at least one question followed by a response from the other candidate to their left and so on responses will be limited to three minutes we ask that the candidates respect the time limit and refrain from interrupting so that all candidates may have an equal opportunity to respond to all those in the audience please maintain Civility and respect the views of others we ask
003that you referring from calling out or clapping during the response so that they may use their full three minutes anyone using any abusive inflammatory offensive language or in any way causing any disruption will be asked to leave the premises we thank you everyone in advance for your cooperation and without further Ado we'll move on to the main event so for the first question the first respondent will be Miss Tyndall I want to thank the PTA for hosting this event for giving us an opportunity to um be introduced to the school my name is Catalina Tindall and I've lived in Yorktown since 2017 with my husband I'm sorry can I interrupt for just one second I do want to read a question so that everybody in the audience and at home understands what you're addressing uh
004question number one from all the candidates will be tell please tell us about yourself what you see as the educational philosophy of the Yorktown Central School District and why you want to serve as a member of the Board of Education please thank you for hosting hosting my name is Catalina Tindall and I'm very excited to be a candidate for the Board of Education to be a public school teacher candidate as well we move my husband myself we moved to Yorktown 2010 with our three children I have two of my children at students are at the high school they're a 10th grader a ninth grader and I have my daughter Sophia who is a fourth grader um we have really we moved here because we heard about the the school system at the community and we're
005so happy my mother also moved here my sister my sister's three children also are in the school system I hold the Dual certification in general education and special education from k through eight um I became I started off my career as an ABA therapist over 15 years ago then I was hired by the New York City Department of Education District 75 as a self-contained ABA teacher in 2013. I became a special education ABA teacher at Bronxville Elementary School the past five years I am a special education teacher and a reading specialist math specialist at Bronxville over the years I've tried to serve and volunteer in any way possible whether it be as a class mom and if I could not make it those days I volunteled my husband to go and be the class dad
006for the day I've always I'm a PT a PTA co-chair for certain things I am a JV mom for lacrosse football mom and cross country JV I am a cheer coach I've just always really have a deep passion to help and be involved in my children's um learning and I think of becoming a board member is just the next logical step in and my children are older so I feel like I'll have more time to really dedicate this and being a teacher after the pandemic teaching through the pandemic and especially in the times that we have now with violence in our schools I feel that I can have a voice on the board I could bring a different voice a voice that I you know this is my wheelhouse this is what I do every
007day teaching students walking in um I believe the students and the families deserve to have a public school teacher's voice on the board in real time so we could highlight the wonderful accomplishments and also the really the concerns that we see I bring my expertise my knowledge and my passion to serve as a board member I've looked on the mission statement and we are here as Yorktown residents to educate the whole child and I believe as a school teacher I can have I could be that voice on the board thank you thank you Miss Tyndall Mr fideli good evening I first want to thank everyone that was involved in making tonight possible as well as the other three candidates my name is Ron fideli I've lived in the town of Yorktown for over 40 years
008currently I reside in Mohegan Lake with my wife Stephanie a nurse here in Yorktown my two sons Vincenzo's in fourth grade Dominic's in 10th Grade and my 96 year old young mother hi Mom I love you thank you for making me the person I am today dad I love you may you rest in peace and may I always make you proud I'm a product of public schools I hold two New York State teaching certifications and have over 35 years of regular and special education experience in a wide range of school-based and private settings as a learning specialist I've attended countless CSE meetings as an as an advocate but I've also attended as a parent I know how difficult how difficult it can be to discuss accommodations for your own child early in my career I
009was part of a team that revised curriculum and added hundreds of IEP goals while working at the Lavelle School for the Blind in order to better serve the students that were now considered multi-handicapped while there I established a teacher ta Union and was elected as first president unanimously I have run a successful education business for almost 30 years and have done much pro bono work for families in need I've worked one-on-one with thousands of students over the years ranging from grade 3 to college level I have gained significant insights into the needs of young people including their mental health and well-being I help my students expand their real world financial literacy I stay up to date on National and State education policy my life has always been focused on community service and volunteer work two
010life-altering events solidified the phrase that life is short and I re and reiterated my desire to use my finite time to give back and pay it forward for the last 10 plus years that time has been mostly spent serving PTA volunteer and presidency roles I have been in our school buildings almost every day partnering with teachers and staff building principals and our administrators to bring new safe educational and fun events to the schools I've had the privilege of serving 11 PTA presidency terms during this time I've helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to give back to our schools and children most recently the Harlem Wizards event raised over twenty two thousand dollars in profit for our seven PTA units my education business experiences have made me the one highly qualified candidate for the Board
011of Education with expertise in both of these disciplines to quote several people in this District I have an impeccable reputation I have been deeply moved by the kind words that board of education meetings when my to your service has been recognized the best thank you however has always been the smiles and laughter of children at events that I have helped organize my goal is to use my expertise in education and my business skills to build on the successes of the district while committing to transparency and oversight as a board of education member I will work with our Educators and superintendent to develop new goals and policies that create a comprehensive action plan to guide the district toward continuing success and ensure our students have access to their strongest Educational Foundation in a safe and accepting
012environment thank you fideli Mr maniani thank you thank you to everyone who hears who's here this evening and who's watching on the webinar and for the PTA for putting together this event and especially all the candidates that are up here tonight first stepping up and looking to take a more active role in our children's education I've lived in Yorktown almost my whole life I graduated from Lakeland High School I have a degree in economics from SUNY Buffalo my wife Ann and I have three children that all graduated from Yorktown High School I also have three grandchildren the oldest of whom is currently a student at Brookside I've spent 33 years in the financial services industry as a certified financial planner I am president and managing principal currently of my own firm I've been a board
013trustee since 2006. uh vice president since 2016. I'm chair of the fiscal advisory committee I'm involved in the steering committee and I am the board representative on the district Emergency Response Team I believe strongly in the value and benefits of public education next to my parents and my family teachers have had the largest impact on my success and how I view the world and while we've accomplished a great deal in my time as trustee there's still a lot of work to be done and expand opportunities for students and develop practical solutions to address our need for additional learning space particularly in our elementary schools I believe I'm uniquely qualified to provide stability leadership experience and financial Acumen needed to address these challenges and continue to move the district forward thank you thank you Mr maniani
014and fine well let me let them take a sip of water finally we have Mr McKenzie hello can you hear me now okay hello everyone I would like to thank the Yorktown PTA for hosting this event and a special thanks to Lisa for moderating tonight a little bit about myself my name is Conrad McKenzie I'm 44 years old and I live here in Yorktown with my my excuse me my amazing wife Jordan and my two kids Declan who's five years old and is in kindergarten and my daughter Quinn who was four years old I have been an active firefighter with fdny's Special Operations Command for the past 17 years I hold a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from CUNY Lehman College and I manage and over help manage and oversee a successful family business my
015most important job is being a father of two my wife and I were lucky to grow up in a household where education was centrally focused and we were able to receive the attention and in school we both needed I want that not only for my children but for the kids they're going to grow up to be around with because building a foundation of intelligent confident and kind of individuals benefits the entire community I signed up to be a firefighter because there are jobs that a community needs filled and there are people that need to step up and fill those roles I served the community I grew up in and now I'd like to take pride in serving the community my children will grow up in as someone that isn't already working in the education system
016I will be Bridging the Gap between the community and the district because I do not have any pre-existing relationships with the district members my judgment will not be clouded and public trust will be enhanced Yorktown Central School District was a highlight from my wife and I when we were shopping for homes particularly the esteem approach to teaching and learning was our biggest draw yorktown's mission of educating the child as a whole and allowing for all kids to thrive in is an exceptional idea I believe providing safe a safety safe and healthy I'm sorry excuse me I believe providing safety and health as a priority will nurture this philosophy best thank you thank you all for your response we will move on to question two which will be answered first by Mr manyani the question is
017what challenges do you feel are students face in the post-pandemic era and what role does the district have in addressing these needs including academic benchmarks and social emotional learning thank you as we all know the pandemic extracted a physical and emotional toll on all of us parents students our educators everyone was affected in a myriad of ways students suffered from isolation from their friends their extended family grandparents and many had to deal with the actual loss of loved ones the board of education has expanded funding and resources to increase student access to mental health professionals we've provided expanding opportunities for students in the areas of sports and arts that's another great way of helping students return to being better than normal we funded increased support to close gaps in all the academic areas by adding
018AIS and other support staff all while continuing to move the district forward in key areas data Computer Sciences there's still a lot of work to be done but our students are engaged again and the gaps are closing thank you thank you Mr maniani Mr McKenzie yes I'd like to address Mental Health pre-pandemic and post pandemic I've seen too many examples of Mental Health crisis in my life both personally and in my career certainly post pandemic I've seen a lot more than ever before funding mental health in schools should be at the top of the priority list kids can't focus on school if they're struggling mentally so mentally with social emotional issues evaluate evaluating literacy benchmarks and our expectations of where kids fall on this scale in the post-pandemic years should be a priority for the
019district there are countless examples of how this affected households emotionally and economically the district should be working to help any kids that may have fallen behind because of these issues teachers have more challenges than ever than ever because of the pandemic and we need to create ways to support them for them to support our kids needs the pandemic changed our way of doing many things and we must support teachers when asking them to adapt to these changes how often are we asking the teachers what is working for them in the classrooms is social emotional learning the right approach for all classrooms can this be tiered properly per student opening the lines of communications for the parents and teachers will allow for this to thrive thank you student cease in the post-pandemic world well perhaps some
020of the biggest is the significant loss of instruction that they suffered during the tremendous impact that they have for and that their mental health perspective I taught in a school during the pandemic my children were hybrid during the pandemic my daughter had a very hard time when she was on hybrid mental health and the covid slide no longer a summer slide now it's the covet slide and we're trying to catch up coming to the board meetings I have seen how the district is trying to bridge that Gap they have included the implementation of Oren Gillingham reading instruction in Brookside my niece we were trying to since the pandemic to see whether it was a covet slide versus an IEP and um when the teachers finally spoke to my sister and she found out my daughter
021received the proper curriculum that the school district provided and she went from reading at a d to reading one grade level below this is really something that our students that are teachers were still striving for to see what what we can do in the classroom we have lots of meetings we're always seeing how else we could bridge that Gap um the student achievement and learning progress are big priorities they must be addressed alongside mental and emotional health I've spoken to the psychologists they have DBT mental health for the high schoolers if they're having trouble for what there's teen anxiety test anxiety at the younger level classroom management the teachers and the students have to deal with they were on iPads for a long time that screen time really affected them but and now they have
022to see you know how they can face that in the classroom teachers have to see less screen time versus more face-to-face time and sports some children just went to school to play a sport when school was really hard for them and bringing that back I felt like the whole child and seeing it not only for academic success but Athletics it's so important and I think that we're seeing more parental involvement I feel like that's why there are more people running for the board uncontested this year we all want to be a part of our children's education and we're you know I've learned so much coming to the board meetings being a part of this process I think not only running for the board but being more available to what the board does we need we
023are having so much small group instruction yet there's lack of space Brookside mohansic they're having small group instructions and hallways but we know that the RTI um we need those small groups but thank you thank you Miss Tyndall and finally Mr fideli the pandemic has had a wide range of effects academic social emotional physical and health as we enter the post-pandemic era our district must continue to provide the support systems that are crucial for numerous young people I have spoken with teachers and Tas in our buildings and have heard many of the same concerns our youngest students many with no in-person Pre-K experiences are having a more difficult time with acclimating to a classroom setting and expectations older students are still adjusting to being back in Traditional School settings while still coping with missing out
024on Milestone events the pandemic can be viewed as a loss and there are different ways to grieve such a loss long-term changes in students demeanor and behaviors must be monitored and appropriately addressed thankfully our district never lowered benchmarks for elementary schools guided reading levels for fall winter and spring were unchanged and results for our students remain stable as opposed to other parts of the country where drops in performance were noticeable a potential explanation could be the effective hybrid a b days with smaller class sizes allowing our experienced teachers to maintain the curriculum instruction moving forward we must continue to evaluate and build upon Yorktown Central School District's robust comprehensive mental health support network and ensure all students have easy comfortable and confidential access to these programs by continuing to support our Educators who are doing
025their absolute best to teach while having to address the increased emotional needs of their students we're bolstering the support our students will receive thank you everyone we'll move on to our third question which will be answered first by Mr McKenzie the question is what is your assessment of the current security at our school and what changes would you make if any related to police presence teacher student interactions or otherwise I absolutely support having a school resource officer assigned to every Yorktown Central District school during school hours physically protecting our children by any means necessary should not be a hot button topic I do support having an SRO SRO being added to mohansic and Brookside with this new budget that being said I would like to participate in any way I can in order to ensure
026the sros maintain the latest school safety protocols both nationally and state what state level and that each individual embodies the fortitude rigor and vigilance needed to perform the task asked of them also I think going back to the very important topic of Mental Health in order to simmer volatile relationships that may be brewing with between students and teachers there is always a reason behind a child's Behavior causing these interactions is it stressed at home is it low self-esteem from being academically held held back from the pandemic it is vital to assess any behavioral changes in students where possible which could mitigate a possible volatile situation in the future thank you very much Miss Tyndall the environment our students learn in and our Educators and School staff work in is vital to academic success emotional wellness
027and professional safety I will Advocate as a school board member to ensure policies are brought forward to ensure school buildings and facilities in the district are safe well maintained and up to date and that issues that arise are communicated with transparency urgency and empathy as a parent I'm very pleased to see that the district will hire two additional sros I was at the board meeting when Mrs Carbone said what else can we do after the Nashville meeting our parents need to know that the children are safe that they're leaving their children and as a teacher we need to feel safe as well because the children feel when we don't feel safe as a teacher and a spouse of a police detective this issues particular importance to me I'll Advocate um that the that the school
028buildings are ample and safe I know we have a great security protocol with a close campus they're adding cameras the sea lot where the high schoolers come from they are also adding cameras there and that safety is very important um I'm dedicating to ensuring that all students receive a high quality of education and that the teachers have the support that they need to service our kids I also want to say with the with sros they are also becoming teachers at our school I know um Mr Mundy goes in and teaches my daughter a crown Pond uh the digital citizenship what she could go on uh she tells me she can't search certain things and so she's understanding that and um the sros they have the most attended law enforcement Club at the high school so
029they're being being integrated not only for safety but as a part of the community thank you very much Mr fideli safety is a top priority if students and teachers do not feel safe in our buildings learning is negatively impacted One Challenge When developing security protocols is are we creating an environment where our students and educators are locked in or can we create a balance more open environment while locking out potential threats even though acts of violence make the news every day they still are considered rare however the threat cannot be downplayed when our children are involved Yorktown Central school district has done much to ensure that our campuses are safe however there's always room for improvement I'm in full support of having an SRO in each building sros provide an on-site first responder they create
030a positive connection between the children and the police department they serve as a positive role model they teach students about digital citizenship and have become important parts of our school community the SRO also provides a Priceless peace of mind for parents the Board of Education should examine other possible supplements to our current security protocols better checkpoints at our campuses campus safety in the parking lots especially at the middle school and high school and traffic flow violence against School staff across the country is a problem that has only increased since the beginning of the pandemic experts agree that children act out physically when they have significant needs that aren't being met perhaps because they have trouble communicating them especially in the wake of the pandemic most kids aren't being violent because they're choosing to be there
031is an underlying need that needs to be remedied experts have labeled violence against teachers and organizational system health problem which needs to be addressed by providing training and guidance for teachers and supporting the implementation of research-based practices the Board of Education should support timely interventions where teachers and administrators assess if special education services are needed with Specialists that would create behavioral plans ideally everyone in the building needs to be trained and confident on how to implement those plans thank you very much finally Mr manyani so obviously one of the biggest challenges we face as a society is protecting ourselves and our children and I remain fully committed to the Safety and Security of our district yorktown's been on the Leading Edge of school safety initiatives for many years but we continue to invest in technology
032and Personnel to ensure the safety of students and staff we meet regularly with outside Security Consultants the local police department we evaluate and update our safety protocols regularly being a member of the district Emergency Response Team it would be somewhat irresponsible of me to share many of the details on the security measures in place at our schools however we have done a lot to improve outdoor lighting video cameras improved sight lines controlling traffic patterns updating our vestibules visitor background checks these are just some of the ways we continually assess and upgrade our security measures as has been mentioned this year the board authorized the addition of two school resource officers to support mohansic and Brookside Elementary Schools sros have proven to be very valuable providing on-site support for our emergency response teams in all of
033our schools they assist with ongoing safety training for our staff and they recommend in security enhancements on all of our campuses from a mental health perspective increasing the number of social workers focusing on the dangers of substance abuse cyber security bullying character education these are things that we have to weave into the fabric of our district maintaining a safe learning environment must always be a top priority the only way students can learn is if they feel comfortable and safe in school thank you thank you so much our next question will be answered first by Mr fideli and the question is diversity equity and inclusion or cultural awareness and equity which is also a term that has been used what are your thoughts and if and how should the district move forward in this area to
034meet the New York State education Department's expectations and guidelines as well as incorporating the community's views as part of the Yorktown Central School District mission statement our schools will value diversity and Global Consciousness while encouraging moral conscious promoting self-respect and demonstrating respect for others core beliefs include respecting and embracing diversity in all of its forms and believing strongly that everyone matters if any student does not feel comfortable in the learning environment optimal learning will not occur overall responsibilities on parents to instill values and morals into their children the district's role is to supplement not overrule the New York State Dei framework and CRS framework do not require ycsd to take any action however I support prudent measured and realistic efforts to implement elements of the state framework in the Yorktown Central School District CRT is
035now part of the Yorktown Central School District curriculum and I oppose all potential implementation efforts most importantly to avoid reuniting past tension any potential initiatives must be implemented carefully transparently and responsibly our district needs empathy and cooperation not counterproductive polarization one of the first steps as we move forward is to determine the status of the district-wide cultural awareness and equity tax task force that was created as recommended by the New York State Department of Education the task force was asked to review all state guidelines gather Community input and create a comprehensive plan to strengthen the holistic educational approach of our district some updates have been provided in the past and I await another update on the work done thus far this year once we have the latest update we can continue to extend our mission
036in areas of creating a kind safe inclusive environment for all students if elected I will prioritize ensuring that the committee along with any and all recommendations and policy implementations are carried out under the highest standard of transparency thank you very much Mr manyani cultural equity and inclusion continues to be integrated into the work that is ongoing in the district the board sets the vision for the district the superintendent and the administration are responsible for implementation to that end our Central Administration participates in many Regional diversity recruitment fairs to increase the candidate pool for vacant positions the district hires only the best and most qualified candidates for each vacancy however diversifying the candidate pool on the front end of the recruitment process expands our hiring options there's ongoing committee work in each building to ensure diversification
037of our libraries and curriculum all Curriculum maps are now available on the district website so parents have full transparency on what their children's lessons are different cultures need to be celebrated like at our Middle School International night our educators are incorporating anchor texts that represent diverse characters a good example of that is the book Esperanza rising at compound which the students are reading that said we can always do better and we strive for continuous Improvement in all of these areas this is something I look forward to addressing once I'm a board member there is a lot of talk around this topic the term Dei first and foremost needs to be clearly defined by the district so that the community can understand exactly what we're talking about with this subject without that transparency there will only
038be division one side is saying it's an inclusive program and the other may be saying it's a dangerous rhetoric having a multi-racial family of my own you can imagine how confusing that can sound everyone has a story around this topic every parent can share a moment that affected their child it would be my job to listen and understand where each parents have concerns and find a solution that works that that's not something that can happen overnight but if the district can be transparent with these issues the community can work on offering suggestions for the solutions to quote my wife it starts with kindness we must not only teach kindness but we must be the examples of kindness a clear line should be drawn or whether or not something is mandated or suggested guideline once this
039is understood as a mandate the community should be able to come together in a committee and come to an agreement on how everything will be implemented and if it's a suggestion the program or certain aspects of the program should be perhaps an elective option thank you very much Miss Tyndall in order to talk about Dei I want to start off by providing you some background where I came from I was born in Costa Rica and immigrated to the United States when I was five years old with my mother who lives in Yorktown my sister who also raises her children in Yorktown um my children are of mixed Heritage and they have been through every school in Yorktown and have felt valued accepted by the staff the community I believe it's because of the mission statement
040and how we are weaving the guidelines into our our classrooms I believe I've gotten a lot of emails since I became a candidate about how I feel about Dei being a Hispanic being a wife of a police officer I believe that both sides have some common ground they want uh transparency they want communication they want to be a valued member of their children's upbringing what is mandated versus what is made we want to know that we have the choice what class what classes are children going to take whether they be a Dei an honors or an AP we want to be valued we want to be heard as a board member I feel that and as a teacher and as a parent of children who are half Hispanic I feel that that I could incorporate
041that that I could come together in Dei meetings um on both sides and hear both sides of and just make sure that we are transparent um uh recently the district has posted online Curriculum maps which have designed to increase transparency and give parents a means to monitor what is being taught there was also a class last year and that a lot of parents were very upset about this year you know we're learning and growing as a district I'm receiving emails for upcoming sensitive topics and I'm able to talk to my children my children that are in high school my children that my daughter who's in fourth grade you know reaffirm our values whether and just talk about it I think that we don't want to be blindsided with something that is we don't know what's
042being taught we want to exactly know and I think the district is hearing that The Curriculum maps being one of them they've also heard about um the policies what are the policies uh before this year you you had to read a 500 page PDF now it's fully keyword searchable these are all things that we should continue continue to to strive for in our in our district just for transparency and the parents having a voice thank you Miss Tyndall the next question will be answered first by Miss Tindall um we're circling back to you how would you prioritize the budget relative to the needs of the district across various areas including academics security the EI initiatives Athletics social emotional learning facilities and more Safety and Security is job one teachers cannot teach if they don't feel
043safe and students cannot learn if they don't feel safe we both have the right to feel safe at school in the environment where school shootings are no longer unheard of tragedies but regular regularities we must leave no stone unturned in our efforts to protect our children and our staff of particular importance to me as a teacher a mother of three in the district and a wife as police detective was the addition of the two sros which we spoke about now every school will have a police officer I support this year's proposed budget I also think we need to continue to excel in academics in both general education and special education The Continuous Improvement in a curriculum to meet the demands of the constant evolution of Education um spacing and facility needs as we know that
044we uh that's something that the board and the district already know that we're lacking and this is even before the addition of apartment buildings and housing and new housing uh we need to prioritize that because like I said before I guess because I'm a small uh group instructor we cannot have small groups in hallways and around the corners Athletics Athletics needs to be prioritized and sometimes Athletics is the only reason a child comes to school school is hard for some children not everybody wants to come to school and and take AP classes but they do come and some children are going to college I know personally because of a sport and it's really made them strive to to want to be a learner to want to do better um so we're educating those whole child
045and I feel that the the board is always looking um to prioritize everything that I've been the only uh person at the board meetings the past six four meetings and I just hear can we do this but we don't want to take away from the curriculum we don't want to take from anything that we're already serving to our children um and again the budget you know we want to prioritize everything with staying under uh the cap um and we want to prioritize as a team as a board thank you thank you very much Mr fideli as I previously emphasized security must be a top priority in order to provide an environment that is conducive to learning once we have established these protocols we must continue to ensure that our curriculum cultivates the skills required for
046a rapidly changing technological World while preparing our students for the challenges of tomorrow including critical thinking and problem solving skills complemented with similar similar extracurricular activities while courses in data analysis and AI will be crucial at the same time being cognizant that approximately 12 percent of our budget is dedicated to special education real world financial literacy teaching at all levels must be prioritized to prepare students for a complex and continually evolving economy of course a safe well-being welcoming and inclusive environment must always be provided we have known for many years that some of our buildings have been approaching their maximum capacity studies need to be completed as soon as possible in order to begin the process of implementing the solutions reopening French Hill school was always an unlikely option and now with the increasing likelihood
047that an outside organization will be using french hill to accommodate up to 188 children in the pre-k program we must focus on additions and or annexes I will prioritize minimizing the financial impact while ensuring all of our current and future students have access to adequate educational spaces Athletics are an important aspect of the Yorktown Central School District and to me personally as an educator everything I do somehow relates back to teaching and acting as a role model I have recently started coaching baseball again through yac and love to be back on the field I played managed and coached for several years and was the president of a Westchester adult Hardball League I'm also proud that I brought the Renegade outing to our school district but with finite funds the priority must be adding to our
048instructional spaces as using hallways elevator rooms and stairwells as discussed by our architectural Consultants at the May 8th Board of Education meeting is not acceptable we must achieve a balance and should research other options for upgrading our fields for safety reasons maybe grants private donations corporate sponsors Etc in the face of these complex and financially challenging realities the board must thoroughly investigate all aspects of the District budget to identify all potential cost-saving measures the district must reevaluate all financial allocations and prioritize pressing needs safety space and real world education while striving to keep Yorktown Central School District budget below the New York state tax cap and maintain the district's double A Plus credit rating my business Acumen will be a valuable asset as the board develops future budgets La Mr manyani I'm going to be
049repetitive and I apologize but in terms of priorities our number one priority is maintaining the Safety and Security of our students and our faculty second to that would be continuing to grow e-steam and the academic opportunities for all our students the third would be accomplishing both of those objectives while continuing to maintain and upgrade our facilities and do it all in within the tax cap if anybody has a magic wand let me know but based on the recommendation of the district's educational professionals the board has provided authorization and funding for administration to continue to expand our curriculum offerings to include courses in things like engineering data Sciences app development architecture over the years we've significantly upgraded all our buildings and grounds there's more efficient lighting there's air conditioning in large spaces and classrooms there's new
050athletic fields and bleachers there's a beautiful High School auditorium a completely redesigned high school gymnasium district-wide Wi-Fi technology upgrades these are just a few of the many things that have been accomplished over the years we've managed to do that all while maintaining a fiscally sound budget every year we've managed to come in under the tax cap we've earned a double a credit rating from standard and poorest all of these projects however are driven by taxpayers they approve the bond monies that were used to fund these upgrades more recently the public voted twice to approve the use of capital reserve funds to support many of the Capital Improvements one of the main reasons I've chose to run again is that we're currently working with our Architects and project manager to create solutions to the growing space
051needs of our students and staff and I believe my experience can help guide us through that to completion first and foremost safety of all staff and students must be at the Forefront of everything we do and every decision we make this is the reality of the world we live in today and we must be proactive rather than reactive in other budget areas we may need to be smarter about our spend we may need to re-allocate resources to ensure we are aligned with today's world to give each and every student the best chance for success whether that's learning more about environmental needs or technology needs it is imperative to send our children out into the world knowing we've done everything we can to prepare them for the ever evolving world with more students moving in that's
052more resources needed the budget must be reallocated to allow for same-sized classrooms so each student is getting the attention they deserve I host Sports and Recreations for all students in very high regard and want to be fair in our budgeting when allocating funds I also want to be mindful that not all students can participate in sports or not all students do participate in sports and want to be fair in our budget along term along those terms I want to be mindful to involve those students who do not participate in these activities and involve them in some kind of activity or physical education or nature involved activities each child should have the chance to have an extracurricular activity that strengthens their minds as well as their bodies thank you very much the question is what are
053the methods benchmarks and criteria you would use to to evaluate the district and how will you communicate the needs progress and efficacy to the community both in terms of Human Resources as well as District policies and initiatives when evaluating the physical structures of the district architectures and Engineers are hired to review and identify any issues and capacity needs most recently an initial report has been provided by the new architectural firm which was presented at the May 8th Board of Ed meeting demographers will soon be evaluating capacity issues both with and without the impact of the proposed building projects in Yorktown all this information will lead to the formation of plans and solutions other evaluations of our district include the awards that we've received District of character Blue Ribbon and the ratings and rankings from news
054sources as for staff evaluations a district will continue to adhere to the tenure review process and annual reviews feedback will be transparently addressed when it is provided as we are rapidly improving technology utilizing AI can additionally assist in quick analyzing relevant data teacher evaluations and student assessments are valuable tools when assessing our district staff retention home demand and increasing home values are also solid indicators of the status of the district Yorktown Central School District is home to exceptional Public School teachers parents are moving here for the schools teachers and quality of our regular and special education Board of Education committees meet at least monthly to update policies and address the safety and well-being of our school community policies are the driving force behind expectations disciplinary issues safety and much more policies ensure consistent framework for
055handling issues that may arise as I have previously pledged if elected I will approach every decision that comes before the board with a deep sense of fiscal responsibility and full awareness of all potential impacts the needs of our entire Community will serve as my guiding principle when deciding on initiatives to potentially bring to our district I will always be an open year on the board of education and act in the best interests of our students staff and community some suggestions to communicate more effectively and transparently include a board of education Town Hall public forum better advertisement of agendas and topics at our meetings encouraging meaningful productive discussions debates at public Board of Education meetings expanded board comments increasing Community involvement and hiring process and committees thank you Mr fideli Mr manyani so the focus on
056educating the whole child supports a very high level of academic success as well as many award-winning and extraordinary Sports and arts programs in our district over the on excuse me from an outside perspective over the past six years or so the district has earned many prestigious Awards and recognitions including as mentioned National Blue Ribbon award newsweek's top stem High School U.S news and World reports America's best high schools national school district of character a New York State education department award for School academic excellence recognition as champions of change and National promising practice for East team but internally excuse me last week I forgot the 2023 Niche rankings were released in 2018 we were ranked 76th in New York state this year we rank 33 out of 672 districts in the state there's been tremendous progress
057over the last five years internally all our faculty and building level administrators have an annual performance review as stipulated in their collectively bargained contracts and outlined in education law in addition the Board of Education evaluates the superintendent annually communication amongst teachers and the board will be the first step in evaluating the staff community members should be allowed to have a voice to set benchmarks through serving on committees staff should be evaluated by performance in areas of conduct with children and demonstration of information and also by the standards that we have no choice but to abide by but I would encourage these things to be done intentionally and with thought rather than just checking lists and rating with numbers I am bringing my leadership skills to this board to help grow minds and teach capabilities giving
058our CH giving our kids the gift of confidence is the gift of setting them up for success as part of my role on the board of education I will have my ear to the ground I might not know much but I know enough that wisdom lies within the parents the school should not be against the parent and the school should not be not feel threatened by the parents when we adopt policies that create fear amongst adults we are taking away our chances to build up our build up these children it becomes adult versus adult rather than adults nurturing children let's choose policies that lift kids up by getting down to their level and getting to understand their needs at each stage of school they're in I'm going going into this rule I'm going into this
059role as a community member and a father and with an outside looking in perspective it's it's clear there needs to be change and adding me to the board will be an excellent opportunity to prove that change works I plan to speak with parents speak to the staff and collaborate with the supervisors and incorporate a standard of value for each individual child I think we can all agree that setting our kids up for Success will always be the main goal thank you Miss Tyndall there are two ways to measure a District's efficacy the first I'm going to talk about there are the quantitative scores that's the reading and math scores in recent years the Yorktown high school has won a National Blue Ribbon it is considered the highest honor an American public school can achieve it
060won a national District of character award and has been recognized best high school by U.S news and World Report most recently the niche ratings came out and we are 33 out of 627 schools in New York state compared to 2018 when we were ranked 76. we also ranked 196 out of 10 751 schools in the country this shows that the district is doing well and making Pro uh progress however we should not rest on our Laurels but instead continue to make further strides to improve the district and there are also the qualitative measures why do so many of us choose to raise our families here in Yorktown why do so many people in the teaching profession choose to move to your town and send their children here I have co-workers that are only coming to
061look at Yorktown Central School District and it's not for the person singing at Uncle Giuseppe's no she likes that um there's also an overwhelming consensus that that we're doing a great job here but again we there's always room for improvement we have great word of mouth and I am really proud of that the reality is we have a vibrant School community that I am friends with many people I have become friends with many parents and I'm very proud of that as far as teacher um how we're going to measure that I'm a teacher and we get observed every year by our administrators um an important role as a board member is to evaluate the superintendent every year and it would take that very seriously as far as communication I think we are doing a great
062a lot in our schools I think we need to really take a look at why the parents don't have this communication again maybe bullet points after an email after a board meeting putting up my signs I know that they've been all over um I met a mom who as a Clarkson teacher who I've never met before with the baby and I'm putting up my sign I told her oh do you know about the pre-k program and she did not know so we just need to find a way to communicate everything without a positive that we're doing so our families know in the district whether they have kids in the district attending or they have they're just moving here thank you thank you very much we're down to our final question of the evening and we
063will begin with Mr manyani what is your vision and what are your goals for Yorktown Central School District if you are elected so as I've previously stated I'm a firm believer and a beneficiary of public education and I'm dedicated to the district's mission of educating the whole child I also think it's important to remind everyone that the role of a trustee is one of governance not management our district has excellent leaders dedicated faculty and staff a wealth of academic and extracurricular programs their ability to implement change and adapt will be critical to our future success if re-elected I will ensure that Yorktown continues to provide a great platform for students to succeed when you combine that with parents and caregivers who are dedicated to their children's success you have an unbeatable combination our ability to
064provide outstanding opportunities for all students to learn and grow while remaining sensitive to taxpayers needs truly sets Yorktown apart I look forward to working with my fellow trustees overseeing the administration faculty and staff to continue to advance the Excellence of Yorktown consistently putting Student First students first is the way to go I want to thank everyone for the opportunity tonight I'm happy to share my vision and my experience thank you thank you Mr Miss Kenzie bringing school safety and transparency to the Forefront should be an immediate priority in order to create a safe environment not only do we need physical safety but an inclusive environment where mental and physical health are Paramount in order to provide this parents and taxpayers need a voice while listening to teachers needs focusing on academics not politics and transparency
065will allow for a thriving school system growing and expanding programs that include newer Technologies better facilities while remaining fiscally fiscally responsible will attract the best teachers and a well-rounded community accessible information and communication tools are imperative in order for everyone to have a voice I would like to stress the importance of having a fair and attainable fair and attainable access to serving on committees by anyone who is invested in a particular topic the board of education is elected by the community to represent and be the voice of the community and bring light to all the important Community topics I'd like to thank everyone for coming out and thank you Lisa for moderating thank you very much Miss Tyndall my vision for the Yorktown Central School District is that we do whatever is possible to live
066up to our mission statement it's a rather good mission statement and if you haven't had a chance to read it I would strongly encourage you to check it out on our website the most important part is that we educate the whole Child by providing a safe welcoming environment which Fosters emotional social and intellectual success partners with the community Embraces respect and instills a lifelong love of learning if I'm fortunate enough to be elected here's what you should expect of me I would listen and take the time to fully understand the issues that come before the board I will do my best to lower the temperature around the most contestant contentious issues that come before the board I will be judicious and always put the interests of the students and faculty at the center of the
067board's business I will Faithfully carry out the three main functions of the school boards to evaluate the superintendent develop policies and manage the budget I believe that our community deserves to have a public school teacher's voice on our school board and I would like to be that voice Thank you Lisa thank you to everyone and finally tonight Mr fideli my vision is to strengthen the partnership between the Board of Education our Educators and our families through transparency and communication I have been able to strengthen Partnerships during my professional career as well as here at Yorktown Central School District as an example I was more than taken aback when I opened the 2022 mohantic yearbook and found a picture of myself and half page a special thank you under the dedication of nurse Pernell I would
068like to share some of the moving words and sentiments of the staff Mr Ron fideli has been mohanzic school's PTA president for a total of five years a position he has loved valued and nurtured from his first day in office he has been an exceptional leader of the PTA and a steadfast loyal supporter of our practices and plans that enhance and expand the learning experiences of our students through his words and actions we have seen firsthand how deeply and generally he cares about my hansik students families and staff Mr fideli an educator himself clearly respects the work that we do each day for the benefit and Welfare of the student body and Families Mr fideli is one of the best and our successes are due in part to the amazing support and partnership we have
069enjoyed with Mr fideli and the PTA he and his PTA executive board members throughout the years have been an incredible resource to us and one of the biggest Advocates we will not have accomplished all that we had did for our students and families without his leadership friendship and guiding hand I was absolutely speechless when I read this I always knew I would run for a position on the board of education at some point and I was humbled when several people told me that they had been waiting for me to run for years and are thrilled to be able to finally vote for me this candidacy however is not about me it's about the 3 400 plus students in our district the teachers the teaching assistants and staff and all the members of the Yorktown Central
070School District community being a part of the Board of Education will afford me the greatest platform yet to be part of a group that can enact positive change in our district I am more than ready to serve our community at the next level if you give me the honor and privilege of earning your vote as a board of education member I would take on a myriad of responsibilities developing policies setting District goals and developing a budget for the school district I pledge that every decision I am faced with will be formulated with utmost reflection knowing that will impact 3 400 plus students the faculty and staff and the community my ear will always be open before you vote I ask that you take into consideration what I've said tonight also talk to other parents in
071this community and teachers and building principles that I've had the honor to work with please visit my website www.ronfadelli forboe.com and reach out to me rdf2. aol.com with any questions thank you again everyone for making tonight possible and thank you to Lisa for moderating good night thank you very much this brings us to the conclusion of the evening I want to thank all the candidates for sharing not only your time but also your views and a special thank you to the district PTSA for organizing this event to the Yorktown Central School District for the logistical support and to the Yorktown Police Department a reminder to all here and at home that the budget and Board of Education vote will take place on Tuesday May 16th at French Hill School from 7 A.M to 9 00
072PM please remember to exercise your right to vote thank you and have a good evening foreign