Wednesday night at 6:30pm found about 30 or so people in the Woodlands High School cafeteria. They weren’t there to eat.
Rather, the somewhat subdued crowd were there to hear 6 people try to sway stakeholders to vote for them in the upcoming Greenburgh Central School Board elections on May 21st. There are two seats open for a three-year term and one that is a partial term for one-year, completing a vacancy created when interim trustee Jeff Barnes term ended. You can watch the session at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgYlTHGlZ38.
With two and half spots open, we expected all the candidates to be on their “A” game. Sadly, this would not be the case. In fact, we were a bit distressed to hear almost every candidate monotonously say similar things, offer few specifics and regurgitate what every candidate has said for the last umpteen years. We heard statements that included fresh perspective, dedicated toward the kids, will work for better schools, etc. With the current School Board bond initiative shot down, the candidates said they believed they would need to do a better job communicating with the stakeholders. Really, that’s all they came away with? By the way, School Superintendent Dr Chase was not present during this event.
The only breath of fresh air was Tanya Dragic, who not only offered tangible ideas, but seemed convincing when she identified the issues and offered some actual solutions. We understand that incumbents always have a better grasp on district issues by the nature of the positions they hold. We were inclined to be a bit more forgiving to the new candidates. Out of that pool however, Tanya Dragic was the real stand out.
There were two moderators off to the side of the dais asking the questions of the candidates, actually reading the questions from index cards that had been filled out and submitted earlier by audience members. The moderators read the questions that were given to them by either PTA President Mireille St Armand or vice-President Mona Fraitag. As Ms Dragic answered questions, Ms Fraitag was seen repeatedly walking to the back of the room and quickly returning with another card in hand that either moderator would then read to only Ms Dragic. Ms Fraitag has a long history as a Paul Feiner sycophant, so we are suspect whenever we see her at an event. Tonight would prove no different.
The manipulation of the questions by Ms Fraitag and her obvious bias against Ms Dragic in particular was blatant and underhanded. It quickly became obvious she was trying to “trip up” Ms Dragic by throwing seemingly difficult questions only at her. Her attempt to discredit Ms Dragic backfired. While the other candidates didn’t have to endure the specific treatment against them, Ms Dragic was obviously prepared and capable and deftly answered these curveball questions, proving she was worthy of the Board position.
In fact, one of the questions that was specific to Ms Dragic was how did she intend to bring the recently cut science labs program back to Woodlands? Without missing a beat, Ms Dragic said that this was a passion of hers and she didn’t have enough time to thoroughly expand her answer. She did say that she would work with the Albert Einstein School of Medicine in the Bronx, and their labs, to develop a program that the Woodlands students would be able to take advantage of. She added she would also work in her capacity as a grant writer to get funding for this as well.
The evening brought few innovations or new ideas to the table. The two incumbent candidates, David Warner and Lloyd Newland, have been on the Board for years. It was this current Board that tried to secretly get the bond passed by limiting its exposure to the stakeholders until we exposed that the schools that these people have been entrusted to maintain and provide a safe and healthy environment for the district’s children were intentionally not maintained. We believe their goal, like that of Mr Feiner’s with WestHelp, was to have the schools become so dilapidated that the only thing left to do would be to tear them down; or sell them and build new schools on the Warburg campus. In fact Trustee Terry Williams got up at one of those road tour meetings and said that that was a legacy goal of his as a School Board member. Shouldn’t your legacy be about the quality education the district’s students receive?
Regardless of any Board members legacies, and this one may turn out to be a legacy of decay, it’s time to jettison the incumbents. We were, in fact, impressed with the list of accomplishments that David Warner and Lloyd Newland read off. In fact, Mr Warner, speaking rapidly, like an announcer at the end of a legal commercial, ran out of time during his opening statement. But Mr Warner, Mr Newland and Mr Williams participated in letting our schools decay. Maybe they’re the real problem.
It is our belief and those we spoke with after the forum, that the Greenburgh School District is ripe for change. The other non-Board member candidates include Ashley Pineda, Brezetta Griffith-Bullock, Malena Din, and Tanya Dragic. While we have no real complaints about Ms Griffith-Bullock, as a former principal in what she called a Blue Ribbon school in Mt Vernon, her ideas struck us as stale. Mr Pineda and Ms Din both have children in the Greenburgh schools and came across as passionate for the schools. This could certainly be because they have their kids are in the schools. Ms Dragic’s kids are in college and an adjoining district. Nothing beats the need to see improvements like when it hits home.
We feel certain Ms Dragic should receive one of the three-year seats, and Ms Din and Mr Pineda should get the other two. We wrote extensively about the shenanigans the Board has played with the lack of maintenance towards our schools, the lack of communication to the public and the fact that the public has passed the budget year after year entrusting the current Board to do the right thing. Apparently, they’re not concerned about what the public thinks or wants. That’s why they got their heads handed to them over the bond issue. There will be a bond for repairs coming soon. There will also be a new school budget coming up. The stakeholders need to scrutinize what is being offered and what is being told to them. The Board decided to go for broke with the Bond and the public responded. Let’s not squander that message.
Pleas vote on May 21 in whichever district you reside. Hold your Board’s feet to the fire and consider this a good opportunity to clean house. It’s time and it will make for A Better Greenburgh.
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