Join me in voting Cournoyer, OÕDonnell and Armstead for BOE
On May 15, I will be casting my vote for Brian Cournoyer, Michael O’Donnell and Diana Armstead for the New Paltz BOE.
During Brian and Michael’s tenure, the board expanded New Paltz’s educational program despite external financial pressures, passed the capital bond to repair, renovate and expand all four buildings (and the project is coming in ahead of time and under budget), maintained all of our extracurricular arts programs, increased the athletic budget 19 percent, and created a Racial Equity Advisory Committee to address structural racism in our school district. They are both smart, thoughtful people who are truly dedicated to the improvement of the schools for the children of New Paltz. It is not an easy job and I am grateful they have chosen to run again.
Diana Armstead is new to the BOE, but not at all new to community involvement. Armstead serves as a member of Sisters of Sojourner’s Truth, a group that has engaged the New Paltz Central School District to address racial discrimination. She is also guest lecturer at SUNY New Paltz and Dutchess Community College, educating students on the opioid epidemic and crisis prevention in the Hudson Valley. She has said she is running because she wants to support investments in programs and initiatives that address the social and emotional health of all students as well as curriculum and practices that promote academic achievement, acceptance, diversity and community. She also wants to improve communication between the school and the community — a very worthy goal.
I hope friends and neighbors will join me in voting Cournoyer, O’Donnell and Armstead for BOE.
Julia Fishman
New Paltz
Cast your vote for Brian Cournoyer, Michael OÕDonnell and Diana Armstead on May 15
I am writing today to express my support of Brian Cournoyer, Michael O’Donnell, and Diana Armstead in the upcoming New Paltz School Board election.
As a 29-year resident of New Paltz, the parent of two New Paltz High School graduates, former PTA president for Duzine/Lenape, as well as the middle school and former administrator of educational programs for Ulster County families through BOCES, I have had many years and many opportunities to observe and reflect on the day-to-day operations of our district. I have had the pleasure of meeting people who understand what truly matters when it comes to providing the best education for all students, and who work tirelessly to uphold those ideals. In spite of the fact that my own daughter and son have grown and flown from this place, it is still home, and I remain interested in the quality of public education we provide to all families. A strong public education is the right of every child, and service towards this end by adult community members must always be rooted in the best interest of children,and not in politics or popularity. As voters, we need to keep those principles in the front of our minds when choosing those who will represent those interests.
As current school board members, both Mr. Cournoyer and Mr. O’Donnell have proven themselves to be clear headed, forward thinking, and student centered in their work as public servants. As advocates for public education, both have exhibited the utmost in professionalism and intellectual integrity in their approach to the daunting task of policy and decision making. Serving the best interest of the children of our community, first and foremost, is the job of the school board, both as individuals and as a team. As advocates for the betterment of public education, especially in terms of supporting the investment of time and resources towards programs and practices that promote the social and emotional health, as well as the academic success, of all students, their work on the board has been clearly focused and always based on sound research and data. I believe it is important for both of these school board members to be able to continue the work they have begun, in particular with regard to the completion of school renovations, the Racial Equity Initiative, as well as the important issue of school start times. I believe that the election of Diana Armstead will serve to further support the good work of this board. Her decades of experience on behalf of youth and their families, both professionally and as a tireless volunteer, place her in a strong and unique position to advocate for excellence in education in our town. Ms. Armstead understands the importance of good communication between school and community. I believe that she, along with Mr. Cournoyer and Mr. O’Donnell, will work together with the utmost integrity, transparency and professionalism in the interest of our youth.
Please join me in casting your vote for Brian Cournoyer, Michael O’Donnell, and Diana Armstead on May 15th.
Amy Daidone-O’Neill
New Paltz
Vote for Diana Armstead, Brian Cournoyer and Michael OÕDonnell for the New Paltz BOE
I write in support of Diana Armstead, Brian Cournoyer, and Michael O’Donnell for the New Paltz Board of Education in the upcoming election taking place on May 15th. I encourage the community to take this opportunity to vote for dedicated, passionate advocates that will represent an inclusive, student-centered way forward.
Diana Armstead is an experienced professional and community advocate; working as a probation officer for nearly 30 years, and, more recently, as an educator, and she has contributed more than 20 years of community service in New Paltz (including the Police Study Committee, New Paltz Youth Commission and Concerned Parents of New Paltz). Diana supports initiatives that address the social, emotional and academic well being of all students, brings decades of personal and professional experience in improving communication to the table, while addressing and advocating for the needs of the whole of the school community.
Our current BOE president, Michael O’Donnell is committed to addressing issues ranging from recess and lunch times, to comprehensive protocols for addressing racial discrimination. Michael brings an exceptional level of dedication to bear in his commitment to the success of our students, staff and teachers, and rises to the demands of data-driven decision making. With retirements on the horizon in the district, Michael advocates for leaders with a progressive, inclusive, student-centered and modern focus to education.
Brian Cournoyer, a thoughtful, collaborative senior member of the board, has served two terms, two years as president, five years as chair of the policy committee and four as a member of the legislative action committee (LAC). Brian oversaw the successful passing of the capital bond in 2015. In recent years, our BOE has improved fiscal health, increased the fund balance, maintained all extracurricular arts programs while increasing the athletic budget and passed the capital bond for the repair, renovation and expansion of all four buildings — a vital project coming in ahead of time and under budget!
Diana Armstead, Brian Cournoyer and Michael O’Donnell promote academic achievement and emotional well-being of the students, alongside acceptance, diversity and community. Join me and my family on May 15 in supporting Diana, Brian and Michael in continuing the important work of moving the health of the district forward.
Bebhinn Dungan
New Paltz
The stakes are high
I don’t have children, but as a human on this earth I have a vested interest in ensuring that our school system is run in a responsible way and kids in our community are encouraged to become smart, thoughtful citizens. Our national political system is in shambles, so it’s more important than ever for our local volunteers and elected and appointed officials to model ways of engaging with our community that show that the violence and vitriol that is in vogue right now isn’t our only option.
When I was on the Planning Board, I got to know Michael O’Donnell as a warmhearted, whip-smart community member whose common-sense approach was sorely needed — his comments at public hearings always provoked lots of note-taking among board members who could see that he knew what he was talking about. I could tell immediately that he was exactly the sort of person you hope will run for office in your community. Check out his public statement at a racial equity meeting: “As long as we continue to allow institutional racism to persist within our schools, unchecked, we will continue to fail. And let us not be naive enough to believe that systemic racism does not exist in New Paltz. It most certainly does.” This is obviously someone who isn’t scared to stand up for the issues that smart and caring people must stand up for. Brian Cournoyer has proven himself to be wildly brilliant, meticulous and fearless on the school board, and not reelecting him would be tantamount to treason. This is an easy one, so I won’t say anything more. I know nearly nothing about Diana Armstead, but I do know that she has been doing racial equity work for decades in our community, and with that background she is exactly who I would like to see continue this vital work at the board table. And Brian and Michael vouching for her speaks volumes as well.
Two candidates on the opposing slate are Republicans, and that alone means they’ve lost my vote. Diana Armstead, Brian Cournoyer and Michael O’Donnell have my vote for New Paltz Board of Education. The stakes are high.
Lagusta Yearwood
New Paltz
Armstead, Cournoyer and O’Donnell for NPCSD BOE
On May 15, I will vote in favor of the 2018-19 New Paltz Central School District budget, and will cast my ballot to elect Diana Armstead and to reelect Brian Cournoyer and Michael O’Donnell as members of the Board of Education.
While I don’t know any of these candidates personally, I have seen all three in action in the community and have been impressed with their commitment to children, families and our public schools. I appreciate the diversity of experience and expertise they will bring to the table. Each has demonstrated the intelligence, curiosity, respect and patience that are necessary to serve all students of the district (not just their own children or grandchildren). Through Brian and Michael’s years of service as board members, and Diana’s decades of service as a volunteer and advocate, these candidates have gathered a wealth of knowledge that they are eager to share for everyone’s benefit.
As the longest-serving current board member, Brian’s understanding of policies and procedures and his remarkable calm have helped keep the board focused and productive for many years. Michael’s attention to detail and boundless stamina for research and data analysis have improved the financial health of the district and shed light on problems that otherwise might have gone unnoticed. Bringing with her a depth of understanding on a variety of issues gleaned from her broad, sustained experience as a volunteer, Diana will only improve the board’s effectiveness in its efforts to serve all students equitably, particularly those whose needs have not been addressed adequately.
Above all, these three candidates are independent thinkers. While they have demonstrated their ability to work collaboratively, none of them is afraid to stand alone on an issue that matters. They will not act and vote as a bloc, but will consider each issue before them individually and will act with a full understanding of the seriousness of their duty to serve the entire community. None of them is a single-issue candidate, as they all understand that the job of a school board trustee is not to enact a single “pet” policy, or prevent one from being enacted, but to carry out the complicated and unglamourous, but vitally important, business of running a district with an eye on the long-reaching impact of their actions, beyond what will directly affect their own families. I trust that all three will serve as role models in the way they carry themselves, both on social media and, more importantly, in the board meeting room, where the real work is done, and that they will make reasoned decisions based on research and community input rather than obstructionist or reactionary ones based on fear and assumptions.
Please read up on all of the candidates in this and last week’s paper and on their Facebook pages (the three I have endorsed have individual pages; the other three candidates share a page as a slate), and check out the video archive of board meetings online to see how Brian and Michael conduct business. Attend the New Paltz Middle School PTA’s Meet the Candidates Forum at the high school on May 7 at 7 p.m. Above all, vote yes on the budget at the high school on May 15, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Absentee ballot info is available on the district website. Anyone who is age 18 or over and has resided in the district for at least 30 days as of May 15 can vote in this election, even those who haven’t previously registered or voted within the district.
Donna Eis
New Paltz
Diana, Mike and Brian for the New Paltz Board of Education
Please join me Tuesday, May 15 for the annual school district budget vote. Polls at the New Paltz High School will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. We also have an important decision to make as three Board of Education seats are up.
Each of the six candidates vying for these three seats deserve praise just for showing willingness to volunteer. Serving on the BOE is challenging and requires varied skills and perspectives.
After a great deal of examination, I have decided to vote for Diana Armstead, Brian Cournoyer and Mike O’Donnell.
Diana will be a strong and smart addition to the board. She’s uniquely qualified, having been involved in our community in various volunteer capacities for decades — including New Paltz’s Police Commission and Youth Commission. Her fresh voice on the board will be an excellent complement to Brian and Mike’s nine years of combined Board of Education service.
I served with Brian when we were on the school board together, so I have seen him wrestle with a variety of decisions. Brian is one of the most thoughtful people I know and a diehard public school advocate. He believes in public education’s principled goal of serving the whole community and reviews every decision through a lens of balance and equity.
Mike O’Donnell’s sensibilities and support for public education align with Brian’s. In addition, Mike possesses an unrivaled awareness of our district’s financial health. I bet Mike understands more about our district’s budget than any other school board member in the state knows about their budget. I receive regular messages from Mike where he wants to contrast items in the district’s budget with our municipal budget to understand and compare how we each spend money and see where either of us might find savings.
Please join me on May 15 to support Diana, Brian and Mike. This is an especially important election and we are lucky these individuals are particularly strong candidates. Our community and students are fortunate.
Mayor Tim Rogers
New Paltz
Vote for Diana Armstead for New Paltz BOE
I first met Diana Armstead when I was a child protective services investigator and she was a probation officer working with adolescents on PINS (persons in need of supervision). Diana and I shared a client, a young woman with mental health issues, who was having problems at school and home. While many of the systems involved with this child wanted to place the blame for these problems squarely on the child, Diana fought so that all involved saw and understood how bullying at school, dysfunction in the home and a history of trauma were exacerbating this young woman’s pre-existing issues and how, given the opportunity to separate from these triggers and given adequate support, she could be successful in the community. That young woman was lucky to have Diana on her side as the New Paltz Central School District community would be lucky to have her. Since our shared case, I have begun working with Diana, and have seen how her passion for helping others and for social justice impacts her work and her relationship with peers. To the school board, Diana would bring a genuine desire to help the school district and community without other motives or political goals. Diana would bring logical, thoughtful and respectful dialogue because that is how Diana embraces all discourse — with rational discussion and with professionalism. The New Paltz School District community has a great opportunity this May to elect someone truly dedicated to the children of the district and to the community and to gain a unique, free thinking voice who will make decisions based on what is truly best for all involved and not on what is popular or easy — just as she did with that student years ago, fighting against many systems because it was the right thing to do.
Joanna Weiss
Plattekill
To the voters Of New Paltz
Michael O’Donnell, Brian Cournoyer and Diana Armstead have the experience and the capacity to look at the big picture and lead this district using a holistic perspective that takes into account student needs, financial stewardship and the needs of taxpayers. Public schools are facing unprecedented unfunded mandates and the erosion of local control. We simply cannot afford to elect single-issue candidates. In order to provide and protect extracurricular activities, improve infrastructure, maintain small class sizes and enhance programming, one needs to put fiscal management at the forefront. You cannot provide things that you cannot pay for unless your intent is to shift the burden to taxpayers. Thanks to the incumbent candidates, the district is able to increase athletic funding, lower class sizes and add additional teaching positions. Brian and Mike have overseen the district’s removal from the State’s physically stressed list while rebuilding the District’s fund balance. Mike, Diana and Brian are the only candidates who have been actively involved in the district’s Racial Equity Initiative and they are committed to ensuring its success. Over the next few years, the BOE will oversee the hiring of several key administrators. As a member of the Police Study Committee, Diana participated in the hiring of staff and implemented diversity training. Brian and Mike have overseen the hiring a new athletics director and the new principal of Lenape. Brian, Diana and Mike have the proven experience to oversee the hiring of individuals who will reflect the needs of this community. For all of these reasons, Brian, Mike and Diana have support across an incredibly cross broad section of the community. I encourage you to vote Armstead, Cournoyer and O’Donnell on May 15.
Christopher Tanis
New Paltz
