Woodbury’s Jon Kapstein bids for Board of Education Seat

With nominations by both the Woodbury Republican and Democratic Town Committees, Jon Kapstein announced his bid for an upcoming vacancy on the Region 14 Board of Education. “I am honored to have the endorsement from both parties,” Mr. Kapstein said. “What it shows is a bipartisan understanding that education is a non-partisan matter. It’s about what is best for students.”

The election date is June 30. Nominations for the Board were Tuesday June 9 in a special online meeting. Mr. Kapstein was put forth by both parties at the May 14 meeting and Board Chair Janet B. Morgan ruled that nominations should be repeated to ensure complete legality due to the coronavirus shutdown.

Said Mr. Kapstein, “Eventually students will go on to college, military service, trades and professions, and farming. We want to make sure the education path that gets them to adulthood is the best we can provide.” He added, “The immediate issues facing the board are when and how to reopen, assessing the long-term impact of the shutdown, and ensuring the towns of Bethlehem and Woodbury support each other.” His own personal interests center on writing skills, arts, languages, and STEM courses.

Mr. Kapstein and his wife Nancy moved to Woodbury four years ago after a career in international journalism. As he says, “We’ve worked hard to embed ourselves in the community with both diffidence and energy.” Mr. Kapstein promptly joined the Woodbury Volunteer Fire Department based on previous firefighting experience in an Upstate New York volunteer department and other training. A former Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy, he also is an active participant in the town’s Memorial Day and Veterans Day events.

Mr. Kapstein was approached by Region 14 Superintendent Joseph Olzacki to consider the position being vacated by Maryanne Van Aken of Woodbury, who is stepping down after more than a decade on the board. “It’s clear to me that Maryanne worked hard in the position, and I have asked her advice and for her support as well,” Mr. Kapstein said. “She’s been generous with both.” The Democratic Town Committee agreed to nominate him March 4 just prior to the shutdown. He was sponsored by K. David Schultz, chair of the Republican Town Committee, and endorsed at the RTC’s similar meeting March 5.

Jonathan Kapstein was born and raised in Providence RI and holds degrees from Brown and Columbia Universities. For more than 20 years he was a volunteer admissions coordinator for Brown and also administered tests for Columbia in foreign locations. In addition to an interest in steering students toward higher education, Mr. Kapstein is committed to the Vo-Ag element of Region 14 based on actively managing his 140 acres of timberland in New York’s rural Essex County.

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further info: email Jon.Kapstein@gmail.com