001Hi everybody. I am John Pofferberger and I am running to be a member of the KLSD Board of Education. I am a three-year resident of Kona. My child is a third grader at KEES and my wife works at a school down in Hastings on Hudson. My involvement so far in the district is I'm actually currently a member uh one-year member of the board of education and I've serve I currently serve on the audit committee, the facilities committee, uh board rep for the ERJC and the board rep for the parents council. things I love about being on the the board and is seeing how strong this district actually is, uh, compared to others that friends of mine that that are in in other local districts. Um, I think it's shown by our scores, our test scores,
002our graduation rates, but I also see it with how happy our faculty are or seem to be. Um, I know when a position opens up, uh, we highly qualified, excuse me, highly qualified candidates that apply for it. Um, so we're a district people want to be in. Uh, which I I think speaks to the strength. I also what think speaks to the strength is we have a very passionate uh, parent community. I've seen that in this past year as being a board member. And the fact that there are so few candidates that run whenever there are openings on the board, I think speaks volumes. Not saying that people don't want to run u you know a lot of it is the time commitment but I I do think that the the lower volume speaks to
003although you may have issues here and there I think generally people are happy and that's a good sign with what a school district should be and and should hope for. uh what I bring to the board kind of my role is being student focused and what's best for the kids and I I think about that and and all kids uh across the board. Uh that that comes from 25 years of being in education myself, 20 of which I was an administrator that oversaw student culture and knowing that how kids feel, how they interact is just as important as what they find in textbooks. Um and that that leads into our 2030 vision plan. Looking at the different pillars, the one that really resonates with me is pillar number two, which is belonging. And the reason
004I say that is if a student can feel comfortable in their environment, in their learning environment, in the hallways, uh, amongst their peers, that's going to give them more confidence to be able to learn and grow more. They're not going to have those walls built up if they feel like they truly belong there. And you can think about it even as an adult. If you walk into some party and you kind of feel this really isn't my scene, you're really not going to interact and you're not going to develop those relationships. think about that on a daily basis for nine months every year, year after year. So, I think the belonging piece is really really important and and that's what sticks with me. Uh what I've really enjoyed being on the the board is it
005really is a team effort. Um seven people all with different backgrounds and different expertise, but really diving in having those conversations, having those dialogues. I prefer dialogue even more. and really coming to what we feel is the best positive outcome for our students and that comes from input coming from constituents, our own experience. Um, it's been a really great experience for me and I hope to continue doing that for those reasons and to keep moving a solid district even farther. You can never rest on your laurels and I think that's really important uh for the entire board to hold the district to those standards. Um, in regards to special education, uh, we are going through, the district is going through a special education plan which is going to be diving into a lot of the
006data and analysis, gathering information from constituents and the teachers. And I think coming out of that, we'll be better informed how to even grow that program to be even better. Uh, and so there's nothing I can really put a finger on right now that this is working, this isn't because I want to sit back and really get the information rather than just what I'm observing myself, excuse me, rather than what I'm observed myself because I think it's important to have all the facts rather than just go on opinion. Um, so really looking forward to that work as it moves forward as well. That's a little bit about me. Um, I do have a website, puffforbeoe.com. Kind of gives a little bio and you can reach out to me that way as well and I hope
007everyone has a fantastic day. Thanks. Hello, Katona Lewisboro. My name is Arwin Thomas Belly and I am running for your school board. The parent council has asked us to put together these five minute videos to introduce a little bit about ourselves and our candidacy. They've also asked us four pointed questions, which I think is easiest if I just kind of get through those to keep myself on track. Um, first and foremost though, I have lived in this district for 13 years. I have two older boys and a stepdaughter who have graduated from the high school and I have a daughter who is currently in the middle school. I have always been actively engaged with our schools from being a class parent um to being fifth grade mom. So that way I was engaged in making
008sure that we did all the activities um for our moving up fifth graders to also being a football mom where I was responsible for the merchandise and being on the sidelines for both of my boys football games. I think it's super important that we as a community are engaged with our kids' education and I think that that's one of the things that's one of the questions they have is what are some of the things that we do well as a district and that's one of them. I think that we have very engaged parents and I can't wait to work with the parents to make sure that we are making this the best school district that it is. It's why a lot of us moved here, right? um what are some of the things that I
009would like to make sure that we um carry forward and that's really engaging with the community a little bit more while we have very engaged parents are we always making sure that we're listening to them as a school board right are we always making sure that their their voices are heard and that we are doing everything to empower our communities to come together because I believe in public service I also believe that a public public education is the forefront to that in all honesty that is how we build societies and that's the reason why I'm running for the board um so what the first question is what is my unique expertise having worked in the public private sector as a matter of fact even though I have a masters in public administration I've worked in
010the private sector for most of my career I've worked in finance and I've worked to coach and train teams um I've also always been a working mom. So, I understand what it means to listen and to balance our priorities and make sure that we are delivering the greatest good. And that's something that I really really think is the expertise that I bring to this is my passion for public service, but my experience in the private world as a working as a working mom in this district. Um, what do I see the most important as a member of the school board? And it goes back to listening to that community engagement and involvement. Are we listeners? Um, are we really making sure that all the stakeholders are heard? And that's our educators, our parents, our community
011members, and most importantly, our children. Are we delivering on the promise of a sound and quality education for all of our children? And that it means all of our children. And that's one of the things that I think is so important about a school board. And that is why I am looking to run. In the past years, um, we have had some miscommunication with the special education department and I think that that's something that we are changing. Um, I've seen a lot of positive notes and meetings that I've been in where parents are feeling heard, but can we take that a little bit further? Are we really creating plans that are beneficial to all of our children? Um, not just some of them. Like I said to you before, I've actually put three kids through
012and have a fourth one in the district and my children have run the gamut on their educational needs. Um, and so I am really looking forward to coordinating with parents and the district to make sure that we are meeting the needs of all of our kids. um what steps will I take forward and that really goes back to again that communication. There was a vision that was put out. It's called vision 2030. If you haven't had a chance to review it yet, I think that it's super important as engaged citizens that we do that. Um the pillar that I think that is most important in that is the learning centered leadership. I think that we have to understand that what our kids learn um and that we are engaged in making sure that we are
013empowering our children with their own academic success is what's super important and that is the pillar that I am most excited to be a part of. So if again if you have any other questions for me please visit my website feel free to email me. It is quite difficult talking for five minutes without somebody asking a question. So, I hope that you found this meeting to be very informative. Um, and I hope to hear from you. Thank you so much. Hi, KSD. My name is Carolyn Snell and I'm excited to be running for the Kona Lewisboro Board of Education. I'm a former first grade teacher, an education professional, and a KSD parent with two children at Increase Miller Elementary, one of whom is headed to JJMS next year. And I'm running because I believe deeply
014in public education. I've dedicated my career to it, and I believe in keeping our students at the center of every decision. I've been an active member of the KSD community, volunteering as a class parent at IMEES, supporting PTO events as best I can, and showing up for local teams and performances. You can find my husband and I on the sidelines almost every weekend at BHK, John J. Football Club, the flag football field. Um, professionally, I've worked in curriculum design, education, publishing, and I currently serve as the head of marketing for a certified BC court that's focused on social impact, including providing meaningful employment for adults with disabilities. a couple positive aspects of the school district that my favorite thing about KSD is our commitment to the whole child supporting not just academic excellence but also
015belonging, creativity, and well-being. Um, my kids come home talking about how to meditate to self-regulate. They come home talking about inclusion. They come home talking about how we should be taking better care of our planet. And I I just it's a very warm place to raise kids and I'm honored to be doing it with all of you. I can't think of a better place to be. um better community to be trusting with my children. One area I'd like to facilitate change as a board member is creating and upholding high expectations for all students. Every child is unique, but I do believe that all students are more capable than we give them credit for. As a teacher and a parent, one of the most frustrating experiences is encountering people who underestimate your child's potential, who won't
016dream bigger, who won't ask them to reach higher, or who doesn't believe they're capable. Um, no child should be limited to a level G book when grade level expectations are a level P. They deserve the scaffolds and skills pre-taught to access that text. No fifth grader should be allowed to spell was w because no one believed he was capable um of of doing it when when he is capable of doing it. No student with an IEP should be dismissed as unable to learn to read when the research shows that 95% of our kids can. I want us to help raise the bar. One unique area of expertise I bring is classroom experience and curriculum leadership. I've taught students. I've done professional development for educators. I've built national education campaigns. I've worked with districts across the
017country. I understand what drives strong instruction and student outcomes. I understand all the stakeholders and their roles and how to collaboratively leave us lead us forward. One of the most important roles at the board of education is passing a budget that aligns with our student needs and our community's priorities. The budget is a reflection of what we value and how seriously we take the responsibility of educating every child. I believe we can always do this in a way that is fiscally responsible and that that's the most important role of the board. Um I promise to listen to everyone um and to stay grounded in values like transparency, equity, and academic excellence. Vision 2030. The pillar that resonates with me the most is knowledge and skills, particularly the work that's happening around curriculum mapping. When we
018identify key standards and skills for every student at every grade level across our district, we create a more consistent and equitable learning experience. One of the steps I will take to ensure our what the question is, what steps will I take to ensure a high-quality special education program? Septto and students parents of students with IEPs have experienced some issues that have created a lack of trust. There are two important audits taking place. One in literacy and one in special education. The results are due in June and September. And I promise to take a hard look at the findings, ask questions, ask the comm community the questions that our parents and community stakeholders want answered and to listen to what you all need, and then help ensure we implement a strong action plan based on based
019on the results of those surveys. I do believe every student with an IEP deserves access to grade level content and meaningful inclusion wherever possible. The best way to do that is a well-trained and supported staff. And I look forward to making sure that they have the best training and that they feel fully supported by our community. In closing, I'm so excited and honored that you are considering voting for me. Thank you.