Op-Ed: School Board Election Is A Battle For The Soul Of Clarkstown

The writer, Linda Dunbar, is a Clarkstown resident.

The battle for decency and inclusion is being fought across the nation and unfortunately the
Clarkstown Central School District is no different than anywhere else. Our future depends on
your vote.

Our school board meetings have become highly combative forums that are making us a poster
child for intolerance and narrow-minded thinking. In-person meetings are polarized. Social
media has turned toxic. Electing the candidates who have made it clear on social media that
they stand against having a diversity-friendly, open-minded school district will be detrimental to
our district and the success of our children – the children who are bullied because of their race,
ethnicities, and religions; the children who bully others and need to be engaged with
constructively; and the children who are marginalized because they are allies of children who
are targeted because of race, religion, and other inherent characteristics over which they have
no control.

Electing the candidates whose positions are that we should get back to focusing on Math and
English or as they put it “ABCs-and 123s” are creating a false choice. They contend that we can
either do teaching academics or diversity, equity, and inclusion, but we cannot do both.
Because they do not want diversity, equity, and inclusion in our district. Our school district is
perfectly capable of doing more than one thing at a time, especially things that are
complementary and overlapping.

We need board members who will make our school board workable and our school district
desirable. We need a tone from the top of our school district that is open, calm, curious, and
collaborative. Candidates who understand that a sophisticated school district can do more than
one thing at a time. Candidates who understand that educating children is about more than
math and English. That emotional intelligence and cultural competency are skills that are in
demand and called out on job descriptions today. That employers, customers, and patients
expect to work with people who understand perspectives other than their own.

The good news is there are two candidates this year for the two open seats who are intelligent,
thoughtful, know the district, and can do more than one thing at a time.

John Maltbie is an attorney who is Director of Intellectual Property at a global company and is
well-versed in budgets, staff management, and contracts. He also teaches at Fordham Law
School. He is a longtime PTA member and a parent of a student in the district.

Dr. Brian Montes has a Ph.D in Cultural Anthropology and is a professor at John Jay College of
Criminal Justice. He knows what our students need to survive and thrive in college. He is a
parent of 4 children, including 2 Clarkstown North grads as well as two students currently
attending school in the district.

We have choices to make. Let’s choose candidates who will listen, collaborate, deliberate, and
center our children in the education they and the district deserve.

What an amazing school district we could be.