Keep Katy Glassberg on Our School Board

 

Dear Editor,

 

With so many issues and concerns on the news each day it is easy to overlook local elections and their importance to the future of our community. I would like to join other voices in highlighting the value of thoughtful consideration when deciding to vote and whom to vote for on May 21 in the election of Rye School Board members.

 

The criteria I would like Rye citizens to use in evaluating candidates is simple. Who best represents the type of person you want to make decisions for you? My choice is Katy Glassberg, and here’s why:

 

Katy has served on the school board for the past three years and has had to make tough decisions on many issues: the hiring of a new superintendent, a bond vote for accommodating enrollment, the start of the mandated state tax cap, to name just a few. She is a person who listens, asks relevant questions, and makes smart and timely decisions. Katy has been involved in the community, especially Rye schools, for over 15 years, and is in tune with the issues facing all Rye citizens. 

 

It is crystal clear to me that there are no easy choices and no magic solutions to the problems facing many school districts today, including Rye. And there are more tough decisions to be made. I would look for a representative who has the education, temperament, and support to make the best decisions possible in the appropriate time frame. I would look for a candidate who can digest mountains of information, evaluate the options and their impact on all citizens, and make the hard choices.

 

I have known Katy Glassberg for 17 years and think she has the qualities we need to keep on our school board to make the right decisions for Rye. 

 

Sincerely,

 

Lorraine Levinson

Period of Adjustment Needed

 

Dear Editor, 

 

I think the regular meetings of the City Council would be much more interesting to most of those who view them if the Council adjusted its agenda so that members of the audience could be heard as to items not appearing on the agenda only after all those items which the Council considers of major importance have been addressed.

 

This would preserve the right of the public to be heard, but would also give the Council and those watching the meeting time to devote to those issues that affect all of us.

 

Sincerely,

 

Gerry Seitz

 

Our Unsung Leader, Katy Keohane Glassberg

 

Dear Editor,

 

This has been a grueling year for our school district and our community. Since last spring, we have had one event after another challenging and at times overwhelming our public schools in ways that truly tested its leadership and our resolve as a community. Yet recently, our very own Rye High School was ranked No. 9 in the State of New York by US News and World Report, and was the only Westchester school to make the top ten.

 

It’s time we paused for a minute in gratitude for the steady leadership and unrelenting commitment that School Board Vice President, Katy Glassberg, has made to each and every child in our school community. Thank you, Katy. You represent the best of what public service means and I will be there to vote for you on May 21.

 

For those of you who don’t know Katy Glassberg, here are five reasons you should re-elect her to the School Board of the Rye City Schools:

 

• She has played a key role in adopting fiscally sound budgets in her last three years on the School Board. In a tax cap environment unfunded mandates threaten to undermine the very fabric of our public education. It is because of strong leaders like her that the Board has maintained our educational standards in the face of unprecedented economic pressures.

 

• A 17-year resident and lawyer by training, Vice President Glassberg has spent more than a decade volunteering for the Rye City Schools. She chairs the Policy Committee and serves on the Tax Cap Task Force. She previously chaired both the Facilities and the Health & Safety Committees and served on the Curriculum Council.

 

• She has tirelessly met with and listened to parents, teachers, administrators, and legislators during every crisis this past year, taking every opportunity to advocate for the best interests of our children.

 

• She is a team player whose experience will be critical during the next three years, particularly given the new teacher evaluation system just put in place and five labor agreements to be negotiated starting this summer.

 

• As the School Board’s vice president, she neither rubber-stamps the superintendent’s proposals nor micromanages the day-to-day affairs of the District. She is steeped in the details, always prepared, and leads by example.

 

You know that when Katy is at the table, she has a clear vision for the district, keeps her colleagues focused on what is best for all our students, and does it all without fanfare. Let’s be sure to keep her on the school board and working for our wonderful community!

 

Sincerely,

 

Jamie Jensen