Camp told the Enterprise on Wednesday morning that she was pleasantly surprised1 by her first-place showing and attributed the support she received to the large-scale door-to-door campaign she ran, covering, in her estimation, about 80 percent of the community.2
"I believe the school system is too expensive and there needs to be more improvement in academics--they're not what they should be," said Camp.
Among her first priorities Camp said is to recommend the district eliminate the Math Trailblazers at the elementary level, which some parents3 have criticized. She vowed to "spend taxpayers' money like I spend my own -- very carefully."
p. 18
This election, 5 candidates ran for 2 seats; the board president and her running mate were challenged by 3 reform candidates. 1500 people cast votes for BOE, and Robyne's total was 801. John Dawson, also a reform candidate & a teacher in Yonkers, received 621.
Robyne was the only candidate of the 5 who was not endorsed by a newspaper.
1 pleasantly surprised = stunned
2 a force to be reckoned with
3 many parents
Journal News endorsements
Unfair description of Irvington voters
Irvington Budget approved; stricter bus limits defeated; board president ousted
Change? Nay. Revolution!
ReplyDeleteHi I.G.!
ReplyDeleteThe election sure had that feel.
My burning question is: what 'structures' or practices might we try to put in place now so that future parents will benefit -- i.e. structures and practices that don't depend on electing 'white knight' or dissident candidates to the school board?
Here was Kathy K's question to the candidates, along with Robyne's answer (I didn't get John's answer because our email wasn't connecting - now I wish I'd nailed him down on it!):
Do you feel that IUFSD parents have sufficient input into decisions affecting the schools? If not, what mechanisms would you propose be implemented in order to increase the influence of parents in key decisions affecting the schools?No, I don’t.
Any major change, whether in curriculum, classroom practices, personnel, and tenure decisions should have significant parent input.
How would this work in practice? Parents should have a serious advisory role and voting membership on advisory committees involved in personnel decisions, curricular choices, and matters of tenure and promotion.
Also, all parents should have an equal opportunity to serve on such committees. I will send word of a committee being formed and invite everyone to serve who wishes to do so. The goal would be to have real parent involvement in and influence over significant decisions the board makes, and to have all parents who wish to be involved be given that opportunity.