Dear Editor,
By all measures, it’s been a successful year for the Somers Central School District’s Board of Education.
Given its responsibility to ensure good stewardship of district resources, the board successfully rose to the occasion to tackle its biggest hurdles. Congratulations to every board member for a seemingly smooth and unanimous decision to hire a new superintendent—as well as the other normal course of business tasks they manage. As a resident and parent of students, it was great to see the board come together and bring practical focus to actual governance issues.
I’d like to also commend the board for rising above attempts to reinvigorate culture wars in favor of focusing on priorities: ensure fiscal responsibility, quality academics and a safe learning environment. Driven by community members working to pit our neighbors against one another, divisive agitprop costs us all expense and time away from real issues. Worth a mention, culture wars in recent past impacted students, resulting in threats and bullying incited by community members' false claims about SCSD’s advanced academic programs. A world where divisive adults aren’t given a platform to set this kind of example should further reduce bullying and result in a better quality of life for all families in Somers.
Even today, community members seeking only to foment division are attempting a partisan rallying cry about an education bill introduced to NYS Senate in 2021, which sits untouched in committee after its introduction more than four years ago. Equally divisive is a similar intent to portray a NYS Ed Dept regionalization initiative as somehow nefarious. It asks school districts to work with their BOCES district to develop regional plans to identify solutions to academic and operational challenges, but does not obligate districts to commit to any action. Ironically, for years SCSD has been collaborating regionally without incident or public outcry. And yet, some of our neighbors want us to believe the sky is falling. These and other scare tactics are old, stale and worthy of retirement from their playbook; they do not belong here.
For our students’ sake, I hope we all continue to keep our eye on the prize, our amazing students—who have achieved great success this year in academics, sports, and performing & creative arts.
As you decide for whom to cast your vote, a reminder to not just believe but to verify the intent of the candidate’s focus as a board member. For example, if a candidate touts fiscal responsibility (in perfect alignment with BOE's mission), have they taken part in any SCSD Citizens Finance Committee meetings? Verifying interest is truly their intent will go a long way to making sure the SCSD Board of Education continues to keep culture wars out of the boardroom in favor of focusing on the practical matters of ensuring our students are set up for success in academia and beyond.
-Elana Sofko
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