Somers Board of Ed Candidates Weigh In at LWV Forum

SOMERS, N.Y. There was more agreement than disagreement among the four folks vying for two seats on the Somers Board of Education at a recent candidates’ forum.

Co-hosted by the PTA Council and the League of Women Voters of Northeast Westchester, it seemed to follow a framework set by ongoing -- and occasionally heated -- discussions in the community about topics such as the future of the high school’s International Baccalaureate, or IB, Programme.

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Opening the well-attended event at the Somers Middle School were PTA co-presidents Rosalind Galino and Ivette Herald. Kathy Meany of the LWV moderated.

Fielding questions on May 9 were current school board president Nick Mancini and trustee hopefuls Desiree Deems, Margaret DiLorenzo, and Daryl Mundis. Board members serve three-year terms.

Other talking points ranged from the qualities and characteristics of an effective schools superintendent, the impact of new technologies such as AI (Artificial Intelligence) on educational practices, and the best way to solicit input from the community regarding conflicting views on educational, pedagogical, and ideological issues to fiscal responsibility, the mental well-being of students, and the support and protection of teachers and staff members.

Teachers, parents, and children have had a rough past few years due to the pandemic’s fallout, soaring costs, and the fact that school boards in general have frequently found themselves on the frontlines of the nation’s so-called “culture wars.”

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All candidates agreed that civility, stability, and open discourse can be crucial to the success of a school board and the district it serves.

Here’s a sampling of the questions and the candidates’ responses.

1) What qualities do you believe a superintendent must possess in order to fit the community of Somers? What are two characteristics of an exemplary leader?

It’s a superintendent’s responsibility to lead and to help all members of the school community “feel like they’re united and have a common purpose,” said DiLorenzo, adding that without those two things, “there can be some issues and dissension.”

It’s also important for superintendents to be visible in the community and to get out there and attend as many school events as possible, she said, referring to the recent “Somers Soars” gathering that focused on belonging and was co-sponsored by the town and the school district.

“It sends that message of unification and that we’re all in this together,” DiLorenzo said.

While doing senior staff recruiting while working at the United Nations, Mundis said he looked for two things from job candidates.

First, technical expertise and knowledge.

“Education is complex. It’s not as simple as standing in front of a classroom and trying to teach children,” he said, noting that superintendents need to know about curriculum development, facilities management, and budgetary processes.

Skills that are on the “softer side,” but in many ways even more important include: communication, leadership, integrity, accountability, and responsibility.

“The superintendent as the head of the school district sets the example for the faculty, staff, and most importantly the kids, because they’re always watching,” Mundis said.

Tops on Deems’ list were accountability and flexibility.

It’s a superintendent’s job to put forth initiatives that give students and teachers the “best chance possible,” she said.

With that comes the willingness to say what’s working well and what needs fixing and to do that, leadership must be flexible and keep an open mind, Deems said.

“Listen to listen and not just listen to have a rebuttal,” she advised.

To Mancini having tangible measures of success is also vital.

Being able to say, “OK, it didn’t work, let’s try something new” builds trust as does getting input from all stakeholders and being open to change, he said, adding that he fully understands that a superintendent “can’t please everyone at once.”

2) What is your opinion of the IB programs currently offered in high school and middle school and do you support or not support their continuation or expansion and are there any subjects K through 12 that you think should be added or dropped from the curriculum?

All four had a lot to say on the first subject. None singled out any parts of the curriculum they thought should be dropped or changed.

A big supporter of the IB diploma program, DiLorenzo noted that whatever the costs, “the return on investment is tenfold because our graduates are being offered scholarships, sometimes $20,000 or $40,000.”

“They’re taking college courses here and that’s money not being spent out of parents’ pockets when they go to college,” she said.

DiLorenzo noted that not all students will take advantage of IB offerings, nor should they.

There are multiple modes of achieving academic and personal success, she said.

For instance, there are learners who are already on “the fast track” and need AP and IB to “stay engaged,” DiLorenzo explained.

Then there are the mainstream learners and those who just need a little extra help in order to reach their full potential.

There should be “dignity and respect” for all pathways, she said.

Mundis thought the IB program was “outstanding” and vowed that he wouldn’t do anything that would cause it to be dropped or changed.

“I think it’s really important in today’s world that we teach our kids how to think critically, how to understand issues,” and not just to give the right answer, but be able to figure out how to get there, he said, adding: “By the way, there might be more than one right answer out there, right?”

“Not all kids will take advantage of it, but that’s fine,” he said. “For those kids who want that experience, it’s wonderful.”

“We’re a leader in that and that should continue,” Mundis added.

He also support the recently greenlighted Middle Years Programme (MYP).

“Unpack IB in 90 seconds? OK, let’s try. So, I am for choice. I think that a wide variety of opportunities for all students sets our learners up for most success as they leave us,” said Deems, pointing out that IB is “a very large umbrella” and that 11th- and 12th-graders can choose to enter the IB diploma program or not.

(They can also pick from a mixed menu of AP and IB classes, depending on their interests.)

“That’s a choice. They can go toe in with one or two classes or they can dive in and go fully for the diploma,” Deems explained, noting that the more experiences learners can have, the better.

However, at the middle school level, there is “no choice” she said urging the board and the community to work together to ensure that MYP succeeds and meets all students’ needs.

“Whether you buy into the framework or you think it’s a good or a bad idea, how are we supporting our teachers to guarantee that experience for all students, no matter what classroom, no matter how they learn? That’s a conversation that we have to continue to have,” Deems said.

“And just because Student A is having a wonderful experience cannot negate the fact that Student B is struggling. It means we have to have a conversation as a school district. We are here to serve every child no matter how they show up, no matter what the curriculum, or how we choose,” she said.

Mancini thought that IB, combined with AP classes, was “great” because it offers a different perspective outside of garden variety courses such as math and social studies and aims to produce “inquisitive” thinkers.

Choice is important to him too.

“Some can take it, some not. Definitely in support of that; I’d like to see it stay,” he said.

However, Mancini also wanted to make sure educators had ways to measure IB and MYP’s  successes or failures.

“Middle Years Programme? Look, it’s a framework that we’re pushing out here. Coming from a very structured environment in technology, it’s good to see structure,” he said, noting that no one should be afraid to ask questions.

“Inquiring minds, right?” Mancini added, encouraging board members and the school community “to find out more and to make sure that it’s working for us.”

3) How do you think technology should play in education in our district?

Mancini, who works in the financial and tech industry, said he was all for teaching essential skills such as coding and programming as early as possible. He also pointed out, however, that devices can be a real distraction in the classroom.

“Sometimes we need to disconnect from it,” he said, adding: “Our kids spend way too much time on phones and computers.”

DiLorenzo agreed that technology can support and expand learning.

However, it has to be appropriately used and supervised in the classroom, she said.

DiLorenzo gave as an example of “uncharted territory” Chat GPT, an artificial intelligence program that generates dialogue, can answer any question, and actually write papers.

“Kids should be thinking and not just trying to create the deliverable the teacher wants,” she said.

DiLorenzo also suggested that students who don’t have access to the internet at home – which was a big problem during the pandemic when schools were closed – be issued “jetpacks,” devices that work by pulling in cellular reception from the closest tower and routing it to computers, tablets, laptops, and Smartphones.

Now retired from his UN job, Mundis is a substitute teacher in Somers schools.

Technology is great; it can make life better and keep people connected, he said.

However, with younger children it can be too distracting.

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in the classroom during reading time when kids are on their iPads and I walk around and they immediately flip them down,” Mundis said, noting that as a parent he knows that they’re doing something that they’re not supposed to do, such as playing a game.

“That’s the kind of thing we need to get a better handle on,” he said, adding that it’s very hard to wean the students off tech once they become dependent on it.

As a college professor, Mundis has seen students use AI to write papers for them, a practice that he said is “a complete violation of every policy you could ever imagine.”

“As a community, we need to sit down and talk about what we want tech to do for our kids,” he advised.

Agreeing that technology is “great until it’s not,” Deems was concerned that teachers are properly trained to use devices in ways that are efficient, effective, and consistent.

“I’m also a big proponent of pen to paper and a textbook, when that can happen,” she said.

Grateful that her children had been given the opportunity to learn to write in cursive, Deems noted that “handwriting is a lost art form.”

It’s important, she added, that children know how to write a letter and not just “speak a letter that talk to text is writing for them.”

4) How will you collaborate with the administration to uphold and protect the faculty and staff of the Somers Central School District as they carry out their instructional duties?

Both Mancini and DiLorenzo said they’d take a closer look at current policies in light of recent incidents where certain teachers, administrators, and other district employees were personally challenged by members of the public.

“Look, they’re going to make mistakes. All of us are human, right? As long as we can learn from them and aren’t repeating mistakes, that’s important. We want to make sure we’re protecting those teachers, that we’re not scaring off teachers,” Mancini said, adding that  certain problematic behaviors seem to have spilled over onto the sports field.

So many parents have “screamed” at referees that it’s getting harder to find people to take on the job, he said.

“If parents are yelling or attacking teachers for certain things, we’re going to start losing good teachers. Ultimately, that’s going to hurt our school district,” Mancini said.

DiLorenzo urged the superintendent to have open dialogues with teachers and administrators who “should be able to go to leadership and feel that they’re heard and that their needs are being met.”

Mundis was a bit more emphatic.

“We need to support our teachers, develop them, give them further training when needed. We need to stop attacking them,” he said, adding that personal attacks can create “fear” and “instability.”

“They drive teachers away. They drive the curriculum leaders away. They drive administrators away. When you drive those people away you will drive up the costs of the district, you will drive up your tax rates,” Mundis said, predicting that this could lead to a “district where no one wants to work.”

“Right now, that’s not the case here. We need to make sure that that remains the case,” he added.

“These are good schools. Can we do better? Sure we can. Let’s not attack the very people who make it all happen,” Mundis said.

“Our teachers are the backbone of what happens here,” said Deems. “I think protecting them shows that we care.”

The board has taken steps to ensure that no trustee, administrator, teacher, staffer, student, or community member is ever named – or identified in other ways – during public meetings, Deems said.

She said she supports that particular policy and would be willing to look at the creation of others on the subject.

According to Deems, one of the ways a district’s leadership can protect teachers is by “taking responsibility and ownership of some of the initiatives that they’ve put forth” and by answering questions from folks who sometimes get frustrated because they feel their concerns aren't being taken seriously.

“Whether those are hard questions that they don’t want to answer or not, they have to understand that the community has the right to ask them,” and likewise, the community has to realize that it may not always like the answers that it gets, Deems said.

“Taking responsibility for the decision that has been made will show good leadership and in turn support our teachers to be the best teachers,” she said.

CLOSING STATEMENTS

In his closing statement, Mundis stressed themes such stability, civility, and balance as well as accountability, integrity, and vision.

The district is at “a turning point” and everyone involved needs to make sure it “remains on the right track,” he said.

That takes widespread community involvement and supporting teachers and administrators.

“I think we’re in a good place right now. Can we do better? Absolutely,” he concluded.

Agreeing that stability is key, Mancini emphasized his three years of service on the board of which he is currently president.

“I do think we need to keep some consistency on this. The learning curve is large,” he said, adding that he thought it was important to choose a candidate that’s already been engaged with the administration and other members of the school community trying to come up with ways to improve things.

“Let’s try to build on what we’ve done, what we started this year, doing the community outreach, working with the PTAs and different committees, and trying to improve that communication and not start from scratch,” Mancini said.

DiLorenzo said she was running because she feels strongly that the “school district must honor all pathways for success and student engagement.”

She said she also believes that faculty, staff, and administrators should be supported and empowered to do their jobs “to the best of their abilities so they will not only guide our students to excel, but also enable the district to attract future top-notch teachers.”

“Strong and prosperous communities start with quality schools. We entrust our Board of Education members with this great responsibility. And I just want to say, I feel the weight of that sitting up here,” DiLorenzo said, promising to bring “new perspectives and sound decisions -- based on research, facts and law -- to all members of our community.”

“Decisions by this board must be made thoughtfully and I’m here to bring unity and to rally our school board together,” she added.

Deems thanked the LWVNW and the PTA Council for organizing the forum and the members of the public for participating.

She said she hoped people would feel free to keep asking questions.

“They challenge me and my own thoughts while showing me what’s important to you,” Deems said.

If elected, her top priorities would be “foundational education,” fiscal responsibility, student safety, transparency, and “effective communication,” she said.

After all, Deems pointed out, any decision she makes as a board or committee member will directly affect her own family.

“My children are here. This is my community. This is where I have my roots,” she said.

The video recording of the candidate forum can be viewed here .

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