Op-Ed: Why Educators Support Educators For Board Of Education

Vanessa Vaccaro is president of the Ossining Teachers Association.

For the first time ever, the Ossining Teachers Association (OTA) is endorsing candidates for the role of Board of Education Trustee. Like everything we do as educators, we thought long and hard before making this decision, and it was not a task we took lightly. We hope that members of the community recognize our desire to enrich our schools by appointing those with experience in education to the Board of Education (BOE).

OTA’s endorsement of Maureen Boozang-Hill and Chrisine Mangiamele exemplifies a greater sentiment shared by the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) in a recent letter to their members about school board endorsements: Public Schools Unite Us. School is a place where childhood happens and where our futures are formed. Our public schools belong to all of us. They belong to the students who learn and the hard-working families who support them. And they belong to educators and staff who ensure that children from every background have the opportunity to lead fulfilling lives.

Electing trustees with recent education expertise to sit at the BOE table benefits everyone. Educators bring a wealth of specific knowledge, ideas, and insight about teaching and learning that will allow them to contribute to decisions, and help to weigh the costs and benefits of various programs. This valuable perspective would enhance the depth of the discussions at our current BOE table, and therefore decisions, that shape the culture of our schools and the policies put in place by the Superintendent and the BOE.

No other profession understands the intricacies of being an educator like an educator. For a little perspective, consider the governing boards of other professions. Educators are trained to do their work, just like doctors are trained to do theirs, lawyers to do theirs, and CPAs to do theirs, for example. While our perspective would be beneficial on their boards, active members of those organizations should, and often do, comprise the majority of their boards. It is important to have stakeholders including parents and community members with business, public relations, financial, and legal expertise helping to shape education, but it is imperative to have members of the BOE who truly understand the implications of their decisions on staff and students. Therefore, we believe it is important for educators to have a seat on the Board of Education.

On May 17th, members of the Ossining community will have the opportunity to make a difference in the education of the children of Ossining. Votes for Christine Mangiamele and Maureen Boozang-Hill, the two OTA endorsed school board trustee candidates, ensure that the future of Ossining will be a brighter one. Both of these candidates have demonstrated their dedication to the Ossining community and value the partnership between the BOE and OTA in the path toward greater outcomes for all of our schools.

Every vote matters! Make yours count!