Three Hopefuls Look to Land on Board’s Two Open Seats
Alberta Kozma
As the sole incumbent, Alberta Kozma believes the board has done what is right for the district. By working together well with other board members, she thinks she can continue to be an important part of the board. As an elementary school teacher, Kozma first ran because she wanted to put more of a focus on early education with her though being too many boards concentrate only on high school students. “I still feel the same way,” the 32-year Brewster resident and 9-year board member said. She has been the president of the elementary and middle school PTA and has been part of multiple civic efforts. The budget, which Kozma helped construct, was one where she was happy to see the district not cut any positions and instead hire staff. She added the budget was creatively worked to maintain programs despite unfunded mandates and lack of state support. When discussing Common Core, Kozma said the basic idea of it is “a good one” but New York State rolled it out “totally inadequately and much too quickly.” She added it could also hamper creativity in the classroom. Issues within the district are upgrading facilities and she said the board could go to voters to ask for extra funds going forward for those improvements. Keeping up with technology is also important, Kozma said, in order to compete in today’s world. If re-elected, Kozma stated she would hope to motivate more residents to get and vote and get them involved with the district. Kozma also said she’d like to see second language courses at the elementary school level, but admitted it probably is unrealistic at this time. “I bring a good balance to the board,” she said. “I’m a mom, a grandma, a taxpayer, homeowner and I try to take all those things into consideration when making a decision.”
Dan Armstrong
The past two years, Dan Armstrong has run unsuccessfully for the school board. While his message remains the same, he’s hoping the third time is the one that gets him voted on. The message is centered on taxes and the budget of Brewster schools. Armstrong said “taxes are a serious issue for everybody” especially for senior citizens and those residents on a fixed income. While residents have cut back, Armstrong wonders what the school has done to cut back. “I just want to give people an opportunity to have a different candidate with a different perspective,” he said. Armstrong has always been involved in civic activities like being on the Southeast planning board and with the landmark preservation trust board. Years ago he was on the Byram Hills school board for three years. Armstrong has no school children in the system. An issue the district faces going forward, Armstrong said, is the sale of the now empty Garden Street School, which the district has complete control over once the village decides on appropriate zoning. He stated he would not want to sell it to an entity that would not consistently contribute to the tax base. While Armstrong doesn’t have any specific agenda he would pursue if he were elected, one aspect he brought out was looking into how American history is taught in the classrooms. Armstrong said he did question how so many votes can be unanimous decisions by the board with out much discussion. He added he’s not sure if the cohesiveness among board members has led to a lack of openness. Armstrong said, “(The board) can’t look beyond its own little world.” Overall, Armstrong hopes to bring a different voice not cut from the same cloth. “I think there’s got to be more diversity on the board,” he said. “And diversity of ideas.”
Scott Dakin
Looking to be an active member of the community, Scott Dakin wants to get involved by earning a seat on the school board. “I know I can be an asset,” he said. “And contribute to its success.” Dakin, an architect, has two children in the school system and has a wife who is a teacher. He’s lived in the district for ten years. When talking about the budget, he believes the board did a great job because it was able hire more teachers and add more programs without raising taxes too much. Overall, he believes the board has done a good job at balancing a number of state mandates, but still keeping important programs. One state mandate, Common Core, Dakin believes it is a great idea, but the state did a poor job of introducing it and putting it in place. Rather, it would have been better to implement it in bits and not all at once. Eventually though, Dakin thinks students and teachers will be able to adjust to it. Challenges within the school district is improving and expanding facilities. Additional classroom spaces and technology spaces are necessary and bringing a building like JFK elementary up to date is needed, he said. Keeping technology at the forefront is also important for the district to keep in mind. As an architect, Dakin said he brings another dimension to the board and would be an asset when making decisions about facilities. Dakin said if elected, he would be able to represent several different perspectives that are within a district. “I can see things from a student point of view, from a teacher point of view, and even as a taxpayer point of view,” he said. “As a well rounded representative to the district.”
Budget Information: The budget is $87.7 million and is under the tax cap levy at 1.3 percent.
