Meet the School Board Candidate: Robert Reiser, Dobbs Ferry

Robert Reiser is running for the Dobbs Ferry Board of Education. A father of a DFHS graduate and a current freshman, Reiser believes he will be an effective representative for the Dobbs Ferry community.

Learn more about Reiser below:

Patch:  How long have you lived in Dobbs Ferry? Do you have—or have you had—children who went to the Dobbs Ferry schools?

I am a 14-year resident of Dobbs Ferry. I am the parent of a K-12 graduate of the Dobbs Ferry Schools as well as a current Dobbs Ferry High School freshman.

Patch: What experience—either personal or professional—do you have that makes you a strong candidate to serve on the DF Board of Education?

As the parent of a K-12 graduate and a current Dobbs student, I have an intimate knowledge of every aspect of the school system.  Over the last 14 years, I have met frequently with teachers, administrators and and have been a regular contributor at Board of Education as well as Board committee meetings.  Combined with my 10 years as a DYBL coach, I have a broad understanding of both the district and the community that will allow me to represent all of Dobbs Ferry effectively.

I have spent 33 years in the marketing communications industry. I have helped companies from Fortune 500s to Not-for profits identify goals, develop strategies to meet those goals and communicate those stategies clearly, skills that I believe would be an asset to the board and to the community.

I also am co-owner of a business and live with the reality every day that diminishing budgets can’t be an excuse to deliver anything less than excellence.

Patch: What issues facing the district do you feel most strongly about?

Given all that is demanded of the schools, I think we sometimes lose sight of its core mission: fundamental academic preparation.  We owe all students at every level  substantive educations that prepares them for the future they seek, including a core competence in math, science, critical thinking and writing. This isn’t the only job of the system but it must be job one.

Patch: What is your tentative plan to address these issues?

We have to measure and then support the academic initiatives that deliver on the mission and abandon those that don’t. We have to be willing to dispense with sacred cows. After mandates and personnel expenditures, we are left with about 12 unfettered cents on every dollar of revenue to spend with discretion. Every move must count.