Meet the Board of Education Candidates

The PTA Council hosted the Nanuet School Board Candidates Night Monday evening at Barr Middle School's cafeteria. This was the first time in a few years that this candidates night had been done. The last one was six years ago.

All board members have to live in the Nanuet School District. There are four seats up for election with three of them for 3-year terms and the fourth for a 1-year term. The one year will finish out the term left behind by the . The interim member that's holding his seat is Here's a look at who's running.

* not including this election

There were three prepared questions and questions from the audience. PTA Council President Christine Camillieri was the mediator. Check out the videos for their full answers.

Anne Byrne

• Strong academic program
• Be as fiscally conservative as we can to our taxpayers
• “I love being aboard member … and giving back to the community”

Charleen Caulk

• Enjoys working with the kids and the families
• All the kids should be Lifelong learners
• Travel is an important learning experience
• “The reason why I got involved in the Board of Education at first, it was a continuation of me being involved in the school, like the PTA"

Ed Dingman

• When given the option to move, he decided to stay in Nanuet because of the school system
• Retired from NYPD crime scene unit, he wanted to volunteer
• Wants to see the school maintain high educational standards and a push for technology in the school
• He understands the burdens of the taxpayer as he is one himself, but wants to keep the standards of the school high

Robert Schucker

• Went through the Nanuet schools, as did his kids
• Financial burden that taxpayers and businesses have.
• Be part of the creative team to find more ways to support Nanuet’s educational program

Scott Walters

• Has kids in the school system or entering the school system
• “I’m actively a parent and actively looking for continued excellence in education”
• “The educational product is job No. 1” and needs to be balanced with a “proper economical approach” by looking elsewhere for money by hiring a director of development
• Thinks the Board should be more direct in contacting the Simon group that owns the Nanuet Mall

Peter Whalen

• Volunteerism is important—Nanuet Little League
• Rebuild the budget from zero
• What’s important: Pfizer situation,
• “We’re running a business here, which is the business of education and making sure we’re putting out a very good product for our children”

Anne Byrne

• Hard worker, passionate, good communicator, dedicated to the children and school district
• Civic responsibility for the students
• Brings experience with her 29 years
• “When you do a job, whether it’s volunteer or not, you do it to the greatest extent of your ability and your time”

Charleen Caulk

• Got her start with volunteering in the PTA
• Grew from leadership training sessions
• Believes in every child getting an education
• Look at different ways of learning, such as visual learning.
• Strong sense of volunteering

Ed Dingman

• Spent the last 10 years with the police department, the last two as a detective for the Crime Scene Unit
• “There are a lot of pressures that come with being on this board… a lot of critical thinking has to be done.”
• Believes he can help with the upcoming difficult times with negotiating with Pfizer

Robert Schucker

• Believes he can bring a multiple new perspectives to the Board as a father, Nanuet graduate, retiree perspective from his live-in parents, taxpayer,
• “I have to negotiate everyday … As an insurance appraiser and adjuster … I’m in people’s homes that are destroyed … and I’m consoling those people as well as issuing a settlement for my company and a fair settlement for them”
• Listener and problem solver

Scott Walters

• Brings several new perspectives to the table
• Educator’s perspective
• Job Loss Perspective (has been laid off because of the economy)
• His spouse is a teacher, not in the Nanuet School District.
• Nanuet Father’s perspective
• “I have offered ways to bring more money into the school district that no one here has wanted to do”

Peter Whalen

• Parent of National Honor Society student and a special needs child
• Business and financial perspective
• “You are trying to volunteer for this Board because you’re trying to make this school district a better place”
• Make the best decisions for the kids and the constituents. 

Anne Byrne

• It’s been a balancing act between the educational needs of the children and the fiscal reality
• The last couple of years have been the toughest because of fiscal constraints, but last year, 98 percent of Nanuet students graduated with a
• “The balancing act is done as a team. “No single member of the board has any power or vote. It’s when the board sits together and works together is when you can make decisions”
• The board members lobby frequently with government representatives

Charleen Caulk

• Board members may not always agree, but everyone respects each other
• “There’s such a huge percentage of the budget that are things we can’t change”
• So the Board has to look at things they can control, such as the busing change
• Knows that the economy is rough because it has personally affected her and her husband’s business
• Feels like the district is in good shape for the current economy

Ed Dingman

• The district needs to see where and what they can cut in the budget because of the economic and fiscal constraints
• Cutting the budget is not an easy thing, but the district needs to learn how to “do more with less”
• "We’re going to have to figure out how to do a lot more with a lot less. We need to go line by line through the budget and really sit down and see where we can cut if possible"

• Editor's apology for the audio quality in the video with Dingman and Schucker's answers for this question.

Robert Schucker

• Agrees with the cut in busing
• Athletics budget needs to be reviewed and “there are places we can save if we just think outside the box”
• For example, busing for small academic teams: they should use a smaller bus and get the coach certified to drive the bus
• It’s small dollars, but it adds up
• There's also room to save with supervision

Scott Walters

• There are two sources of revenue: Taxes and governmental money
• "We need a director of development to be paid on a commission basis." This person will go out to the business community to get money and materials into the school district, write grants and start an alumni network
• “We need to exploit the private sector”

Peter Whalen

• There are things that can be done with the schedule to improve the availability of teachers during the day
• “I think Scott’s idea is great … two or three years from now when local businesses can actually afford to hire back businesses that they’ve laid off … and get income generating again”
• Special Education is doing very well in Nanuet schools because of the increase in students coming into the school district that are special needs kids

Anne Byrne

• “We the board is very much looking at bonding out for the Pfizer settlement. We’re looking at our options at what would be better long-term
• As for the Nanuet mall, the Board is waiting just like everyone else and knows only as much as everyone else does as well.
• “We’re very much interested in the Nanuet Mall being up and running again and being a contributor to the tax base again”

Charleen Caulk

• “As far as the bonding goes … since it’s over 20 or 30 years, it’s not just us paying it now. It’s the people that are going to be living here”
• “I have high hopes for Nanuet Mall”

Ed Dingman

• “We’re looking at numbers … it’s really what’s best for the taxpayer”
• The Board has spent a lot of time on this bonding issues because they are dealing with such an important subject: the taxpayers’ dollars

Robert Schucker

• Said he’s in favor of bonding

Scott Walters

• “On the surface, it (the bonding) appears it might be a very good alternative to help soften the blow … I think we need to seriously consider the bond”
• Said he will probably vote in favor of bonding
• Regarding the Nanuet Mall, he said he would be willing to go to Indianapolis on his “own dime” since no other elected official has gone to Indianapolis to confront the Simon group in person

Peter Whalen

• Is in favor of bonding
• “Will do it in the best interest of the taxpayers”
• Regarding the Nanuet Mall, money that has been lost over the years will return “as soon as they build a vibrant, interesting mall that will attract people away from the Palisades or other malls in the area”
• Regarding Pfizer, “we’ve asked Pfizer to control our own destiny with the 200+ acres that they have available over there.”

Scott Walters

• “I don’t  think it’s a conflict, I know it’s a concflict. There’s too many intertwinings that happen”

Anne Byrne

• “It’s certainly is legal. Whether it’s ethical or moral, that’s up to Mr. Schucker”
• “I know that if I had a spouse (as a teacher) I wouldn’t be running for the Board, not a conflict of interest … I would just feel there would be too many things with negotiations and budget and other things that we discuss that I feel I might be prejudice.”
• Added that in her 29 years on the Board, there hasn’t been another member with a spouse as a teacher for the schools.

Ed Dingman

• “For me … it would be difficult to have a spouse that is a teacher, but Mr. Schucker is his own person"

Peter Whalen

• “I’ve known Rob pretty much since we were kids … If anyone could do it, it would be Rob.”
• “I think it would still be a conflict of interest, not just for Rob, but for the other Board members with terms of being honest and open in a meeting when you may have to say certain things that may be taken in a difficult manner
• There’s a lot of things that go on in the Board room that I don’t discuss with my wife … that’s the oath that we take”

From the audience: JoAnn Fastiggi, President of the Nanuet Teachers Association

• “What we share with our members in reference to negotiations is all limited. The Board of Education is limited in what they share as well
• They (the teachers) are very limited in what they are told because again it’s a private matter
• As far as day to day matters go, he could probably find that out on a baseball field

Robert Schucker

• "If I become a member of this school board, I would make it a point to differentiate"
• "If it was a specific matter that had to deal with my wife or her specific grade level, I would remove myself from voting in the matter"
• "I am neither for nor neither unions … My wife’s job does not change my beliefs"
• "I am a taxpayer in this community"
• "I come from little league … every single volunteer there has a child in that league. We all have to make decisions ... that benefitted the entire group, not the benefit of our sole children"

Peter Whalen

• “I think it’s a tough situation that we’re in. We got here over a long period of time”
• "There are certain ways that teachers can earn additional stipends or pay over a period of time based on longevity."
• "We have to figure out where we are now (with the budget) and what we can afford. The reality is, if they (the teachers) got a great ride throughout the past 10-15 years, while we were prosperous, business was good for everyone … now we’re in the situation where"
• Especially for the next five years, teachers and the Board needs to work together to figure out how to lower costs

Robert Schucker

• The salary got so high over time
• “We’ve given them concessions, big concessions, over time"
• “There is an issue, economically speaking, and the teachers are well aware of that situation and I think that they’d be willing to work with us to come to a resolution"

Anne Byrne

• Disagrees with the average teacher salary being too high.
• “One of the most important things for our children is that teacher in front of that classroom. We really have to have really good teachers”
• “Are we having hard economic times? Yes … we will work together and we will get over this”
• “We have to go in (to the future) with a mindset that says we’re going to be fiscally as responsible as we can and we’re not going bash our teachers in the process. They’re too important, each and every one of our kids and for our community”
• “I think we have excellent teachers. We want to keep excellent teachers”

Scott Walters

• “We need to work cooperatively … it has be to understood that it is a 2-way street"
• "As a teacher, I know the value of a good teacher. It’s hard to measure."
• "Teachers have a great responsibility to our children. We cannot diminish that. Are there economic things that we can tweak? Yes"

Ed Dingman

• "I know that that may sound like a lot, but our teachers are not the highest paid in the county"
• "It’s very important to have great teachers in this district. This district is rated very high"

Scott Walters

• "Because I’m an elected official. As an elected official, I’m servicing the constituency and the constituents that I would be serving would be the taxpaying citizens of Nanuet. Even though the job of a School Board Trustee is not paid, you’re still an elected official. You’re duly elected, you’re duly sworn"
• "I feel that if no one else is going to go to Indianapolis, (I’ll go)."
• "If the Nanuet Mall has been bleeding money … someone has to find out what’s going on there."

Charleen Caulk

• "One of the things that we’ve been talking about is being fiscally responsible … picking up a telephone is more fiscally responsible than paying for someone to go out to Indianapolis"
• "They haven’t been answering phone calls so who says they’re going to open their door?"

Anne Byrne

• “No individual person, as a board member, has any privilege or right to go and represent the Board. It’s only when the Board meets as a whole that decisions are made … There’s no power in being a single Board member.
• "We have contacted, and have been in contact with the Simon Properties for many years. We don’t have to go to Indianapolis to do that"

Peter Whalen

• Over in Westchester, quite a few schools have implemented that
• "I don’t really know if I’m for or against it."
• "Maybe it fair in some ways because they’re starting to tax people based on the use that they’re getting out of the school"
• "But at the same time, you could start to create friction and a fracture between different interest groups"

Scott Walters

• "A director of development could go to businesses … and go get money and materials to help defray these costs"
• Mentioned that at another high school, they have the “Bank of America” gymnasium, paid for by Bank of America.
• "There are plenty of grants, there are plenty of money and materials, there are plenty alumni who we can tap the till for and help with these costs"

Robert Schucker

• Does not agree with imposing an extracurricular fee
• The only reason he would favor such a fee in the future would be because of fiscal constraints
• "If we start, where does it end? Is it just sports or other activities like VASSA. That’s where I think the difficulty lies. What line are we drawing"
• "We’re going to have kids who can’t play the sport, not because they don’t want to play, but because they don’t have enough money to do it."

Charleen Caulk

• "Where do we draw the line?"
• "If we’re going to charge for a sport, we’re going to have to charge for all the after school activities"
• "A lot of what kids get is from their after-school activities"
• "To deny that, I think that would be wrong. There’s got to be a way to fund all those things because they’re all important"
• With Nanuet Schools being small, kids can be involved in many different types of extracurricular activities

Ed Dingman

• "At this time, I would have to say no"

Anne Byrne

• "75 percent of the people in Nanuet do not have children in the school. So now what do we do, do we say to those 75 that because they don’t have kids in the school we’re going to give you a cut?"
• Believes in a well-rounded child.
• "I think a child should be exposed to not just a rigorous and good academic program … but they should also be exposed to the arts, to music and I think they have to be exposed to sports. Sports teaches a very different kind of skill"
• Sports offers lessons in teamwork, skill building, leadership
• "The question of whether or not a parent should pay for extracurricular activities at this particular junction, I will say no"
• "Will there ever come a time, if the fiscal situation gets worse and we have to make a decision between an academic program and extracurricular? Obviously, academics are paramount"
• Every child should get the opportunity to get exposed and be a well-rounded child

Robert Schucker

• "Roughly speaking, from my memory, around $95-100,000 for that one sport"
• "It’s the single largest sport budget that we have"
• "At the per child basis, it’s a much more reasonable number."

Anne Byrne

• "I don’t remember the number, but I don’t think it’s $95,000"
• "But it is our most expensive sport of all of our sports"

Peter Whalen

• For some kids who have enough credits to graduate a year early, “it might make sense for them to go on to RCC or other community college, because financially, they’ll be able to save money."
• For other seniors, they push themselves and take on a full load of academic classes
• It depends on the child and the parents

Anne Byrne

• Kids have done a full year of RCC for their senior year and they still come back to participate in extracurricular activities.
• “it was a win-win, but it takes a particular kind of student to do that
• "I would change what the senior year looked like. I would have more collaborations and internships … so that kids can get experiences in the real world"
• "Unless they’re in all honors and AP classes, (senior year) is not as tough for them."

Charleen Caulk

• Internships will “draw the community in”
• “To have people in the community as mentors with the kids just gets them more involved in the schools.”
• “Colleges do look at your senior year and they want to see someone that has taken something new”

Scott Walters

• A director of development could forge relationships with businesses and bring internship opportunities to students

Do you support the ‘last in, first out’ mandate? This mandate says that the last teacher/staff hired is the first to be let go when considering lay-offs. It is based on seniority instead of evaluation

Scott Walters

Thinks LiFo needs to be changed.

“Can we help lobby to help change such a thing? Sure”

Anne Byrne

I think because it is very hard and very costly to do, I think LiFo seems very appealing, but I think you have to delve a little bit deeper than that

I think that some teachers use it to get rid of very experienced teachers and that would be a very bad thing to do

Some of our finest teachers are our senior teachers, some of our finest teachers are our new ones.

But if the way that the state allows for us to remove teachers, who are not very good, changes and it becomes less expensive and less time consuming, then I think LiFo will go away

Peter Whalen

It’s something that has to be changed, but the teachers’ union needs to be the one that changes it

“Not leave it up to boards of education and superintendents to impact that”

Robert Schucker

LiFo doesn’t just apply to teachers, but also other departments like maintenance

Agrees with the other board members on LiFo

How aggressive is the district in checking residency?

Anne Byrne

The district is very aggressive

“We investigate immediately. We have paid investigators that go out and actually document whether or not someone is a resident or not.”

“We do that because … it’s so costly to educate every single child. We want to make sure that the people who are paying taxes, that their children are the ones that are using our schools.”

Over the years, the Board has found quite a few non-residents

There’s been situations where it is a divorce situation and the parents have joint custody and it may not look like they’re living in a household, but they may be legitimate.

Robert Schucker

“I hope the answer is what was just given”

“But that doesn’t seem to be the perception”