The Rivertowns Enterprise Endorsement

I'm proud to announce that our "hometown newspaper," The Rivertowns Enterprise, has endorsed my candidacy for Dobbs Ferry Board of Education. In today's issue, dated May 13, 2011, the Editor explained his endorsement with this description:  "Leadership . . . sets Tracy Baron apart from the field of seven candidates in Dobbs Ferry. Based on her years of volunteer work in the district, and her legal background, Baron seems primed to become a productive contributor to the board. Her proactive approach is also notable, specifically her role as co-founder of SPRING Community Partners, which provides supplies to students in need."


Thank you to The Rivertowns Enterprise for its vote of confidence.  

NYSSBA's Fiscal Reform "Playbook" Addresses Costly State Mandates

Last week, the New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA) released its Fiscal Reform "Playbook," a package of seven recommended mandate relief initiatives that would allow New York school districts to operate more efficiently. 


The seven key components of the proposal are:

1. Reform the “Triborough” Amendment to the state’s Taylor Law to allow school districts to freeze salaries upon the expiration of a contract.
2. Cap the maximum amount that school districts would contribute to a health insurance policy to bring New York more in line with the national average.
3. Eliminate seniority as the sole factor in layoff determinations.
4. Streamline the teacher disciplinary process to make it less time-consuming and less expensive.
5. Stabilize pension costs by providing new public school employees with the option of choosing a pure defined contribution retirement plan or a hybrid defined benefit/defined contribution plan through a new tier in the state pension system.
6. Reduce the costs associated with special education by eliminating the more than 200 state laws and regulations that exceed federal IDEA requirements.
7. Give schools the ability to leverage the purchasing power of large, national procurement cooperatives and contracts entered into by other states and local governments. 

For more details on the NYSSBA Fiscal Reform Playbook, please click on the link below.

NYSSBA Fiscal Reform Playbook

Curriculum News -- Common Core State Standards

Have you heard about the Common Core State Standards? They are a set of curriculum standards that are designed to provide teachers and parents with a clearly defined, common understanding of what students at every grade level, K-12, are expected to learn. The standards include content that is designed to be rigorous and focused on the application of knowledge through high-order skills.


New York State has adopted these standards and Dobbs Ferry will need to implement them over the next several years, requiring some serious re-evaluation of our curricula.  Here is a link to the website for the Common Core State Standards:


http://www.corestandards.org/


And now that you know a little something about the Common Core State Standards, here's a New York Times article about how some schools are using those curriculum requirements as a springboard for introducing innovative teaching methods and more critical analysis by students. If we treat this as an opportunity to re-evaluate our curriculum in a meaningful way, this could be a great step forward for Dobbs Ferry.


New York Times article, April 25, 2011

Email Describing My Relevant Experience

A few weeks ago I announced my candidacy for Dobbs Ferry Board of Education with an email that outlined why I am running and the main issues I will focus on if I am elected.  I wanted to follow up today with a little more information about me -- my involvement in our schools, my work experience, and my educational background.  

I am running for the Board of Education because I think we are at a critical juncture in our District.  We have tough challenges to meet, and even though we'll have an administration with many new faces, we cannot afford to waste any time before we get down to work.  I believe that my background and experience will enable me to hit the ground running on day one. 

My husband Rob and I have lived in Dobbs Ferry for 13 years.  We are the proud parents of a 4th-grade girl and an 8th-grade boy.  

I have been actively involved in our schools for many years, which has provided me with a good working relationship with most of our District's administrators, a solid understanding of the issues that all three schools are facing, and valuable insight into how our school district works on a day-to-day basis:

• SPRING Community Partners -- co-founder and Board member of not-for-profit whose mission is to ensure that all children in Dobbs Ferry, regardless of means, have the resources they need to succeed in school and beyond; for more information, see: www.springcommunitypartners.org
• PTSA -- co-chaired Springhurst Parent Education committee, Editor of The Current newsletter, 2007 PTSA Special Recognition Award, Nominating Committees, volunteered at numerous Pumpkin Fairs, Book Fairs, and fundraising events
• Springhurst Compact Committee 
• District Nutrition & Wellness Committee
• District Theater Arts Task Force
• Springhurst Social Concerns Committee
• High School Bullying Committee
• Springhurst Publishing Room
• Springhurst Class Coordinator

My educational and work experience have given me legal, data analysis, and educational evaluation skills, which will also help me to be an effective member of the Board of Education:

• Attorney (Litigation Associate, Knowledge Management Resource Attorney), Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, LLP, 1995 - 2006
• Senior Research Assistant, MDRC (public policy research firm created by the Ford Foundation; performed evaluations of government education and training programs), 1990 - 1992 
• Research Assistant, Policy Studies in Education (non-profit educational consulting firm that helped K-12 school districts design curricula and helped colleges and universities design programs for adult learners), 1989 - 1990 
• Bear Stearns & Co., Research Assistant, Management Trainee, 1986 - 1989

University of Pennsylvania Law School, J.D., cum laude, 1995 (Law Review)

Duke University, B.A. (Economics, Art History), magna cum laude, 1986

Edgemont High School, Class of 1982

If you missed my previous email or want more information about the election process, some of the issues we face in Dobbs Ferry, or me as a candidate, please visit my blog, http://baronfordobbsferryboe.blogspot.com/.

You can also find me on Facebook, at http://www.facebook.com/BaronforBOE.  (Please "like" my page and share it with your friends!)

I hope I can count on your support on May 17.  And once again, if you are comfortable, please forward this email to friends whom you think I might not know.

Pressure Builds To Address Unfunded Mandates

This is a timely article in the New York Times about how momentum is building to provide relief to New York school districts, which now face more than 250 unfunded state mandates governing almost every aspect of a school's operations. Let's hope Governor Cuomo and our state legislature are listening.


New York Times Article, April 15, 2011

The Debate Over Education Reform

This is a well balanced commentary on the current debate over school reform, which has increasingly turned into heated rhetoric and name calling in many parts of the country. I believe that we can avoid this kind of acrimony in Dobbs Ferry, while still engaging in a healthy and vigorous debate on the issues that affect our schools.


New York Times Article, April 10, 2011

Register to Vote for Budget and Board of Education

Do you need to register to vote?  This is the information posted on the District's website:


Any community resident not registered with the Westchester County Board of Elections may do so during Personal Registration which will take place on Monday, May 9, between 5:00 PM and 9:00 PM in the HS Gymnasium Foyer.  Voter Qualifications:  (1) Must be a citizen of the United States; (2) Must be 18 years of age or older; (3) Must have been a resident of the school district for a period of 30 days or more prior to May 17, 2011.


Don't forget to bring photo ID and proof of residency (e.g., utility bill).

Cuomo Pushing Property Tax Cap

Check out this article in the Buffalo News.  Governor Cuomo is going to be pushing hard for a property tax cap.  If this cap is not accompanied by relief from the many costly unfunded state mandates, there will be great pressure on our future school budgets.  We will need to follow this issue closely.


http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article384825.ece

Need an Absentee Ballot for May 17?

Do you need an absentee ballot for the BOE and School Budget Vote on May 17? Go to the District's website, click on "BOE," and then click on "Absentee Ballot Application." Questions? Contact Loretta Tularzko, School District Clerk, at 693-1500 ext. 3024 or tularzkol@dfsd.org.


Dobbs Ferry UFSD website

Email Announcement of My Candidacy

I wanted you all to hear it from me first -- I'm running for the Dobbs Ferry Board of Education.  With all the changes and challenges our District is facing in the coming months, I think I can provide a strong, positive and thoughtful voice on the Board that will keep our District moving forward.  

These are the main issues I will focus on if I am elected:

(1) striving to continually improve the quality and breadth of the education we are providing, with a particular emphasis on academic rigor, writing instruction, and the arts; 

(2) increasing the level of communication among the Board of Education, the Administration, and the community at large;

(3) continuing to work towards school budgets that maximize efficiencies without sacrificing the quality of our programs;

(4) making sure our schools are serving ALL the children in the District, so that every child feels challenged, safe, and valued as a member of a vibrant learning community; and 

(5) exploring opportunities to share services with neighboring districts as a way to increase both budget efficiencies and academic and extra-curricular opportunities for our students.

Most of you know me well enough to know my level of involvement in our schools over the years.  I am a co-founder and Board member of SPRING Community Partners, I have held many positions with the PTSA, and I have served on several important District committees.  I have worked as a volunteer in the schools in many other ways as well -- as a Springhurst class coordinator, at Pumpkin Fairs, at Book Fairs, in the Springhurst Publishing Room, and at many fundraising events.

As a result of my consistent presence in our schools, I have a good working relationship with District administrators and Board members.  They know that I will take a stand for what I believe in, listen respectfully to various points of view, and try to find a way to build consensus and reach common goals.

In the coming weeks, you'll be hearing from me a few more times.  I'll provide more details about my background and experience and try to respond to questions that come up as I talk to members of the community and hear their concerns.

In the meantime, please let me know if you have any questions you'd like me to address.  I'd love to hear your goals for the District, your hopes for the new administration, and what you think the Board of Ed should be focusing on.

I hope I can count on your support in the upcoming School Board election on May 17.  And if you feel comfortable, please forward this email on to friends whom you think I might not be in touch with.

Thanks in advance for your help.