Paula D’Orazio Questionnaire Response
Why do you want to serve on the Board of Education?
I am seeking re-election for a fourth term to the Board of Education because I wish to continue to work on expanding educational opportunities for all of our students maintaining the high quality education that has been the hallmark of North Colonie for decades. I am optimistic that our community will see the merits and necessity of the changes that could occur with the passage of this current bond proposition. This would mean a great deal of planning and I would like to be a part of that phase of the process because I have been involved in the bond since its inception. There are many aspects of board service that I find interesting and rewarding and after 15 years I don’t feel that my work is done. My commitment and dedication to our students and community is unwavering.
What do you see as the role of the Board of Education?
A school board has a wide variety of responsibilities such as developing policies, developing and monitoring a balanced annual budget ensuring that it aligns with the District’s goals and objectives, negotiating employee contracts and hiring/firing the superintendent. The Board fully supports the District mission and works collaboratively with our administrators to continually build upon the curriculum to promote student success. It is important for the Board to establish a collaborative relationship with the staff and community and to communicate effectively to inform and engage all stakeholders.
What do you think the goal of public education should be?
Public education should provide the support and opportunities for all children regardless of socio-economic status in order to be productive citizens of our society. They should be lifelong learners, be able to take risks, problem solve and think critically. We need to educate the whole child and not be single minded that English Language Arts and Mathematics are the answer to everything. The curriculum should offer rich and challenging experiences across a continuum of subject areas.
How have you been involved in Our North Colonie Schools over the past two or three years?
I have been a member of the Board of Education for the last 15 years and I have been the Vice-President for two years. For the last three years I have Co-Chaired the Employee Relations and Long Range Planning Committee and I am a member of the Wellness Committee. I have served on the Full Day Kindergarten Committee and the Construction Manager Selection Committee. Like several of my fellow Board members I also attended the Veteran’s Day Celebration, Senior Awards Night, PE Leadership Awards and SHS Graduation. I was a participant in the Community Forum that was held at the Crossings and attended several of the visioning workshops that met over the summer that resulted in the development of the original $196M bond proposition.
What do you think is the biggest challenge Our North Colonie Schools face over the next five or ten years?
The most immediate and obvious challenge is the increasing enrollment and decreasing space in our elementary schools and in the very near future addressing the facility needs at Shaker High School. Part of the challenge will be going forward with another bond proposition and gaining community support. Once the space needs are addressed and the improvements have been made, planning will need to take place to tackle the logistics of the move of the 6th grades, creating curriculum related to STEAM, curriculum development for staff and any other unidentified issues that may arise. . It will also be necessary to ensure that funds are allocated in a manner that enables us to address the educational needs and keeps the impact on the tax payers to a minimum.
How would your experience allow you to help the District meet that challenge?
I think we learned from our past experience how to better engage the public in seeing the value and necessity of a bond proposition. My role would be to support the efforts of the Administrators and be an advocate for the District by reaching out to community members that I have come to know through my work on the Board. My experience has taught me that I can be helpful by listening, asking questions, offering suggestions if appropriate and by staying informed.
What is your position on the bond issue (Proposition 2) on the ballot on May 16? What was your positiong on the bond issue that failed in December?
I voted in favor to approve the $106M bond proposition at the March 30th Board meeting. I felt that if we were to go out with the $147M proposition the public would not see it as enough of a reduction and a no vote for the bond would in turn translate into a no vote for the budget. Proposition 2 addresses the move of the 6th grades thus easing the space crunch at the elementary schools, provides modernization of the media centers creating space for students to work on STEAM projects and enhanced security at all buildings. Even though we will not get the enhanced aid on the total project, we should be able to secure it for all of the work at SJHS, Boght Hills, Blue Creek and Southgate.
I was in favor of the $196M bond proposition. It is unfortunate that the public could not support the more encompassing scope of work.