by Thaddeus Flint
As residents of the Berlin School District go to the polls next Tuesday to vote for or against the $19,099,991 budget for the 2015-2106 school year, they will also be asked to cast their ballot for two of three candidates running for seats on the school Board.
[private]The late Brian Howard, who was briefly the Superintendent of Berlin several years before his attempted run for State Senate, once wondered aloud at a Berlin board meeting, “why would anyone want to be a board member?”
Indeed the unpaid job involves long, often tedious, hours, for little recognition when things go right and great acrimony when they go any other way. It is almost amazing that anyone wants the position at all. And yet the job still needs to be done.
This year’s candidates are incumbents Gina Goodermote and Katie Snyder (previously Katie Fiske), and newcomer Kellie Kaschak. All are running for two three-year seats on the Board that will run from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2018. The two candidates with the most votes tallied will win the seats.
The Eastwick Press has asked the candidates for a brief profile in their own words relating their background, why they make a good School Board member, and what they hope to accomplish should they win one of the seats. Their responses are as follows:
Kellie Kaschak
“I have lived in Grafton most of my life and am a graduate of the Berlin Central School District as well as Russell Sage College and Sage Graduate School with a BS in Nursing and a MA in Health Education. I am a Registered Nurse; employed by the Berlin
Central School District for 23 years as a School Nurse & School Nurse Teacher and will be retiring in June. In addition, I volunteer my time as an American Red Cross Instructor and a member of the Rensselaer County Medical Reserve Corps. I have been married for 36 years to my husband Robert and have two daughters, Rebecca, an attorney and Kristen, a pediatrician. I am proud to say both daughters graduated from rural public schools.
In addition to my work, I have prided myself on giving back to my community. I thought, upon retiring, serving as a member of my School Board would be the perfect opportunity to continue to remain connected to the school district for which I have worked for so many years. Also, with my additional roles within the district as Health & Safety Designee, Wellness Coordinator and Medicaid Compliance Coordinator, as well as class advisor and NHS/NJHS advisor, I have great insight into many other aspects of the district.
I believe board members have the responsibility of providing the highest quality of education to all students while recognizing that all students are unique and learn in different ways and at different rates. It is also necessary to provide and maintain a healthy, safe and positive school climate for all while maintaining a fiscally responsible budget. I feel I have a great deal of experience to offer, having worked for the district, and would be honored if you would consider me for a position on the school board.”
Katie Snyder
“I am seeking my second term on the BOE. A lifelong resident of the district, I am a BCSD Class of 2003 graduate. I also graduated from Russell Sage College with a BS in Chemistry and Forensic Science and The College of St.Rose with a MS in Adolescent Education. I am a 14 year member of the Petersburgh Volunteer Fire Department and currently serve as the secretary. My husband and I are Partners in Hope for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. I reside in Petersburgh with my husband and seven-month-old son.
“Over the past three years I have worked diligently to improve the educational opportunities for our district children while keeping taxes under our property tax cap. In order to get a jump start on the new science standards and to provide additional opportunities, I advocated to extend STEM into BES by developing a science classroom. I supported additional funding for School Within a School to help at-risk students graduate on time. I voted to restore funding for Tech Valley High School to offer additional career and college opportunities. To increase security and safety at BES, I pushed to expand the current building project to include additional classrooms in the main elementary building eliminating the student use of the portables. This was accomplished without a tax impact.
If re-elected, I will continue to use data and research to strengthen programs that are working and eliminate programs that are no longer necessary. I would support expanding professional development for all faculty and staff to ensure best classroom practices are utilized. I will continue to put our students’ needs first while being conservative with taxpayers’ dollars.
I would like the opportunity to continue my service to my community and our children of the district and would appreciate your support by re-electing me to the Berlin School Board.”[/private]