Pearl River School District Holds Candidates Night

Voters will have their chance to hear from the three candidates for two Pearl River Board of Education seats 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the district administration building on Crooked Hill Road.

The League of Women Voters will moderate candidates’ night.

Patrice Carrieri and incumbents Jackie Curtiss and Bruce Bond will be on the ballot when voters head to the poll Tuesday, May 15 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Pearl River High School's Pirate Cove. Voters will also cast their ballots on the 2012-13 district budget and the Citizen Initiated Transportation Petition.

• Bond, a member of the Pearl River Class of 1971, has been a member of the school board since 1988. He was president for 11 of those years and vice president for three more. He received a 2012 Rockland County School Board Association Hall of Fame Award for his commitment to the district and the community and his longevity on the board of education.
• Curtiss, who has lived in Pearl River for 17 years, has been a member of the board of education since 2003. She served as chairperson of the Transportation Committee. She was the district's representative on the Rockland BOCES Board of Education for two years. She is currently president of the Pearl River Special Education PTA
• Carrieri is a 17-year resident of the Pearl River School District and current co-president of the Pearl River High School PTSA. She is a licensed clinical social worker. Carrieri has served as Pearl River Girl Scout Service Unit Chair for four years, overseeing 670 scouts and 230 adult volunteers.

The Pearl River School District release on the candidates is attached to this report. It includes information on family, education, career and community involvement for each candidate, as well as the following mission statements:

• Carrieri: “As a volunteer of this community, I am now looking to volunteer my time and services on another level. My goal as a board member is to ensure that the Pearl River School District maintains the high quality of education, staff employment and services within the best possible budget that is a collaboration of both community and board.”
• Curtiss: “I am running for re-election because I would like to continue serving this community and work with the new administration in planning for the district’s future while remaining fiscally responsible. I have made significant contributions over the last nine years and I look forward to the next three. I will continue to be accessible to parents and community members.”
• Bond: “It has been my pleasure and privilege to serve the students and families of this community as a member of the Board of Education. My goal is to keep intact the current educational program that we have built during my first 24 years as a board member. We may have challenging issues ahead of us, and I look forward to the opportunity to use my experience and leadership skills to maintain our outstanding school program in a fiscally responsible manner.”

Editor's Note: The number of girl scouts in Patrice Carrieri's information was corrected to 670.