M-W BOE races

CENTRAL VALLEY —Voters in the Monroe-Woodbury School District will elect three people to three-year terms on the school board next Tuesday, May 15. The M-W School Board has nine members.

The polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Central Valley Elementary School.

There are six candidates for the open seats. The Photo News asked each candidate to respond to a short questionnaire about themselves and why he or she was seeking office.

Their answers follow, in alphabetical order.

Natalie Brooks 1. Name and personal history:

My name is Natalie Brooks and I am a longtime member of this wonderful community. I am also a graduate of Monroe-Woodbury. I attended the College at New Paltz and received my B.S. and M.S. in science education. I am a middle school teacher in Washingtonville Central School District. My husband Jim and I have three children; our daughters graduated from M-W and graduated from Siena College and our son is in the 5th grade. I have assisted with girl scouts for 10 years and taught CCD for 6 years.

2. Why are you running for the school board?

I am seeking re-election because I am committed to ensuring that our school district is focused on helping all students reach their full potential. Our students need to be well rounded and prepared to work in a global economy. I am also committed to representing the hard working taxpayer. I will work hard to continue the sound decisions about what is best for students within the framework that our tax dollars are used wisely.

3. What will you bring to the table that will make a difference?

Using not only my understanding in education but also my three years of experience on the Board of Education, I firmly believe that I will continue to make sound judgments on the complex issues that our district faces. I believe it is important that communicating with fellow board members, the public tax payer, and the school district as a whole is essential in development of both short term and long term goals. I have experience with the changes that are coming from Albany and the new Common Core standards which will enhance student learning. I believe that our students, teachers and administrators all want to be successful and the board’s role is to help them achieve their goals.

4. Candidate’s statement: I believe that I have worked well over the past three years with my fellow board members, administrators, teachers and staff to remove approximately 23 million from the budget, which has provided record low budget-to–budget increases. In addition, this has resulted in the lowest tax levies in the history of the district with this year’s tax levy at 0.89 percent.

Eleni Carter 1. Name and personal history:

My name is Eleni Carter and I have been a Woodbury resident for nine years, where I live with my husband and child. I have an MBA and an MPhil in Management from Baruch College and a B.A. in Psychology from New York University. I am presently getting my doctorate, with an emphasis in Organizational Behavior. Professionally, I have 15 years experience in the private sector. I am currently a partner of a firm that supports the successful development of entrepreneurial companies through an array of business support resources and services. Prior to that, I was a member of the adjunct faculty at the Culinary Institute of America, at the Stern School of Business at New York University and at the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College where I have collectively taught Business Ethics, Organizational Behavior, Leadership and Business Management.

2. Why are you running for the school board?

Four years ago, I made a commitment to the children and taxpayers of Monroe-Woodbury to advocate for a well-rounded, quality education without the unreasonable tax burdens placed on our community in previous years. I am seeking re-election to continue the fiscal and educational progress we have made in the past four years, and to protect our children and our community from special agendas.

3. What will you bring to the table that will make a difference?

In addition to my professional experience and education, I bring four years of experience as a Board member of this excellent school district. This includes transparency, accountability, accessibility, experience with reducing the budget, focusing on student success, and a predisposition towards fairness and equality.

4. Candidate’s statement. During my tenure on the Board, the District has cut $23 million out of the budget and experienced the lowest spending increases and tax levies in its history; preserved our children’s educational programs and excellence; maintained our outstanding faculty and staff; and strengthened the District’s financial structure for the future. I believe that my record on the Board of Education, as well as my professional and personal commitment to education, transparency, and financial responsibility, will enable me to continue my commitment to our children and the taxpayers.

Guilaine Leger-Vargas My name is Guilaine Leger-Vargas . I am a 16-year resident of the Monroe-Woodbury School District. I have two children - one in the middle school and one at a special needs school in Westchester.

I am a retired sergeant from the New York City Police Department. I have been a very enthusiastic volunteer in the school district and also for the Meals On Wheels program which feeds our elderly.

I am running for the Monroe Woodbury School District because I feel that all children are created equal and that parents of special needs children - regardless of race, color, creed or religion - are not given an easy path to have the necessary information to be able to place their children in a right program that will address their academic needs, especially when the school district cannot provide the necessary services to them.

As a school board member I will strive to help research that information for the parents.

I believe all tax payers should be aware of how funds are being spent and most importantly, the reasoning and decision that led to that path. Not all taxpayers have children in the district, but that should not impact their role in the decision-making process. A quality education not only affects an individual, but a community’s present and future.

We all recognize the requirement for school taxes, but when we are not all privy to the details of the spending discontent ensues.

I will try to do my best to present transparency to all residents.

If elected I will stand with strength and motivation to assist all the members of our hard working community.

Clara Munoz-Feliciano My name is Clara Munoz-Feliciano. I graduated from Iona College in 1998 and received a bachelor of science degree in behavioral science and a certification in health counseling. In 1991, I completed a legal assistant certification from Iona College. I currently hold a Real Estate salesperson license since 1999 and a New York State life insurance license since 2007. In addition, I am a certified fitness personal trainer/coach and group instructor for more than 25 years. My husband, two children and I, along with two dogs, have lived in this district for eight years.

I am currently working as an independent real estate paralegal and title closer. In addition, I am an independent financial coach with Advanced Wealth Solutions.

I have decided to seek a position on the Monroe-Woodbury Board of Education because I believe education is the key to success. In order for children to succeed, it is imperative that they have the support from parents, teachers, administrators, the school board and the community. As vice president of SEPTA in 2008, I understand the importance of children with special education needs and those of the gifted and talented.

My goals are to focus and address the concerns that many parents, taxpayers and students have regarding the budget, the peer and social pressure our children face daily, cut backs of programs and staffing. It is time to put students first.

I believe communication, respect and trust are needed in order to change and improve the school and the Board of Education. I’ve attended a few meetings and witnessed the lack of respect toward another board member. The attacks were very demeaning and out of control. The board members must understand that they are a reflection of our school district and they should learn to agree to disagree as professionals and mature adults.

With regard to the New York State Comptroller’s report, I believe the trust that needs to be repaired can be addressed through good communication and transparency by restoring the partnership between community members, parents and students. Trust plays an important role in our community and I hope to be able to build back that trust into our school district.

I am an independent thinker and team player. I am not affiliated with any group as accused by a current board member or running with any other individuals who are seeking a seat.

Thank you in advance for your support.

God bless our community. Mark O’Brien

I’m Mark O’Brien of Highland Mills and a Monroe-Woodbury grad. Presently, I’m a member of the Class Committee of 1960.

As I have previously said, “there is a lifetime of attachment to this school district,” and keeping it in as high in honor as can be attained is of paramount importance.

Us old fogies on the class committee frequently reminisce about our high school experiences with a warm fondness, having grown up with each other. I was always in trouble. I couldn’t figure out how my mother always knew I had had problems in school before I was even off the school bus.

It could not have been that my grandmother’s sister, Aunt Minny, housed a number of the single teachers. We did, however, have a new invention called the telephone.

It appeared that the news of my day’s misbehavior reached my parents faster than the 4G networks advertise today.

The reasoning for engagement of seeking a position on the Board of Education is to again assist our district residents’ value of the tax dollars sent to support the school district.

This is not my first debut with community action. We were partially instrumental with the removal of the former tax assessor of the Town of Woodbury, whose harsh and dictatorial policies forced many town resident to sell and flee the area.

In light of recent events, I again felt compelled to act on behalf of district resident taxpayers.

With my former tenure at the Nevada test site, our numbers had to be invariably correct. Nuclear weapons systems are not forgiving and the entire Free World depended upon our accuracy.

The foregoing was a result of the my high school education, Marine Corps training and college experiences that prepared the mental mind set for such achievement.

John Otero 1. Name and personal history:

My name is John Otero and I have been with my wife for more than 30 years and have 10-year-old triplets. I’ve lived in the Monroe-Woodbury School District for more than 14 years and worked for the NYPD for nearly 21 years. I retired with the rank of lieutenant commander of Detective Squad and was designated Commanding Officer of the Computer Crimes Squad.

Currently, I am a senior partner for BlackStorm Cyber Security & Forensics. I am also a tenured track professor with St. John’s University and I manage their Cyber Security Bachelors Degree program. I have provided cyber security classes and cyberbullying lectures for thousands of people in schools, senior centers, community centers, law enforcement personnel, judges, court clerks and many others. I have assisted several organizations with their cyber security training programs, including National Institute of Standards and Technology, National White Collar Crime Center, St John’s University, SUNY Orange and others.

Why are you running for the school board?

My reasons for running for the school board are:

I want to ensure that our children receive the best and safest education possible.

I don’t want our retirees and people without children in the district to have to move out of the district because they can’t afford the high taxes.

I want to improve our district by emphasizing and reinforcing the positive while identifying and correcting the negative.

What will you bring to the table that will make a difference?

I believe that my education and experiences gained as a law enforcement supervisor/manager, along with the knowledge as a business owner, educator and as a husband and a father makes me a well-rounded candidate for the board. Based on my experience, I am confident that I can represent the community, ensuring our children are educated and our taxpayers dollars are spent prudently.

4. Candidate’s statement: As a school district representative, I would endeavor to help the school board in its mission to align the vision of the district with the needs of the community. Specifically, I would like to help find the perfect balance between having a great school system, capable of meeting the future needs of all our children, while being fiscally mindful of the needs of all our residents. I am experienced in asking hard questions and I am committed to digging deep for answers to issues that affect our children and our taxes so that we can make educated decisions.