Robert Crabtree
Biographical information:
A 27-year resident, I retired in June 2007, having taught elementary school for 36 years in the North Syracuse Central School District. During my tenure I was honored with the 1988 North Syracuse Teacher of the Year, STANYS Excellence in Science Teaching Award, Technology Club of Syracuse 1991 Outstanding Teacher Award and the Post Standard Golden Apple Award. The creative and innovative programs in my classroom led to me being recognized with three New York Assembly resolutions. At the age of 62, I continue to be involved in my community as a volunteer including: Meals on Wheels, Immanuel Lutheran Church, Greater North Syracuse Chamber of Commerce, C-NS Optimist Club, and the North Syracuse Dollars for Scholars. They are all organizations that I volunteer for and are actively involved in. My favorite volunteer programs are the ones where I am working with the youth of the community. Presently I am mentoring C-NS High School students, tutoring Roxboro Road Elementary School kindergartners, and being an advisor for the C-NS High School Optimist Club.
Why are you running for the school board?
As a North Syracuse Board of Education member, I will have the ability to work with eight other team players with the charge of managing the school district affairs, personnel, and ensuring the safety of all. As a Board of Education member I will be able to participate in establishing the rules that affect the success of our district.
The North Syracuse community deserves to have the best education provided for their students where each student receives quality education. Presently we have a Board of Education that contains many different backgrounds of our community. For the last three years my participation on this school board has brought another community piece to the puzzle. The students are our future and we need a spokesperson for them.
Why are you the best candidate?
To be successful, a Board of Education member needs to have leadership, communication, and decision-making skills that provide accountability to the community. As someone who has been on many committees, including the North Syracuse Board of Education’s legislative and policy committees and part of many community organizations, I feel that these important skills have been part of my background. I believe a Board of Education needs to have yearly goals and strategies. Being a participant at building and district levels in writing goals and strategies for improved learning gives me the necessary background.
What are the issues facing the district and what will you do to address them?
The biggest issue facing the North SyracusedDistrict is providing the necessary programs that let each student receive a quality education in this most challenging world but realizing the fiscal responsibility we must provide to the community. During my three years on the school board we have lost over 200 qualified employees because of the economic conditions happening in our country, state and local community. It has been very difficult for me as an educator to see this happening. However, with the loss of jobs and closing of companies in CNY the school district needed to balance the school program with fiscal responsibility to the taxpayers. I will continue this trend as a team player of balancing school program and fiscal responsibility for the taxpayers.
Michael Donofrio
Biographical information (family, employer, age, number of years in home, etc.):
I am a lifetime resident of the North Syracuse Central School District and a 1994 graduate of Cicero-North Syracuse High School. I earned a bachelor of science in business management from LeMoyne College. My wife Allyson is a certified physical Education teacher and I have two children, Addison, who is 2 years old and Eric, who is 5 and a student at Allen Road Elementary, which I also attended. I am vice president of Donofrio’s Body and Paint Shop, Inc, and Donofrio Aerial, Inc. Both companies are owned and operated by my family within the district.
Why are you running for school board?
As a parent of two children both beginning their education in the district, I was compelled to take an active role in the decision-making that affects their daily lives as students. As a board member I will have the ability to have direct input into every aspect of district operations. My viewpoints and opinions will not only be heard, but used to shape the future of the district with the collaboration of the other board members.
Why are you the best candidate?
I bring to the board a background in business management, finance and organization. As a lifetime resident, I work and live in the district. This is also where I intend to stay. As a parent you want to see your children be successful, this is the district that will help them achieve that goal. I also have an extensive background in group leadership and group decision making. I am a founding member of GiGi’s Playhouse-Syracuse, a Down syndrome awareness center, and have served as the regional executive for the Central New York Region of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) since 2006. As a parent of a child with Down syndrome, I am not only passionate about special education programs, I am committed to their success.
What are the issues facing the district and what will you do to address them?
This district is in the midst of hard times, most of it in the form of finances. Education must always come first, but there still needs to be an opportunity for students to engage in other activities, such as arts, sports, etc. As we move into the future great care needs to be taken in the balancing of programs with budgetary constraints. The quality of education should never have to be sacrificed. Having an extensive background in business management and finance provides me with the skills needed to analyze and propose scenarios for maintaining the balance while focusing on education.
George Harrington
Biographical information (family, employer, age, number of years in home, etc.):
My wife Denise and I are both graduates of North Syracuse as are our three children. I have happily lived on the same street for 55 years and look forward to many more.
Why are you running for school board?
I have been involved with the North Syracuse district since 1986, from PTO, fundraising, sports boosters, and one term as a school board member. I feel it is important for me to stay involved for my three grandchildren and the many other children in our community.
Why are you the best candidate?
I am a well-known and long term community member, and can assure that the voice of the community will be well represented by my participation.
What are the issues facing the district and what will you do to address them?
The budget – like every other district we are all facing very difficult times. My goal is to see that every child that comes through our district gets the safest and best education possible. Employing quality teachers and keeping smaller class sizes can only obtain that. In my opinion when it comes to making cuts the teachers should be the last to be cut.
Simon Stearns
Biographical information (family, employer, age, number of years in home, etc.):
I’m 35 years old and will be married 12 years this May 27. My wife and I met while attending school in Oneonta in 1996, married in Central Square in 2000, and had our first child, Lillian, in Burbank, CA in November of 2002. We moved back to Liverpool in 2004 and moved into our current home in North Syracuse in 2005. Our second child, Solomon, was born in 2010. I’m currently a lead trainer for Apple, Inc., and have been with Apple since 2001.
Why are you running for school board?
I chose to run for school board because I wanted to make sure our two year old, and all the kids in the district his age, have at least the same opportunities and resources available to them that our nine year old has enjoyed. If future classes don’t have access to the same level of education, the same opportunities, the same quality of educators, and I didn’t try my best to ensure they did, then I didn’t do my job as a parent or as a member of this community. I’m too passionate about this to sit by and not get involved.
Why are you the best candidate?
I have a genuine thirst to get to the “why” of things. I feel compelled to understand how things work and know their stories and reasons. Once I understand the process I strive to improve on it and make it more efficient; faster and better. I partner with others and ask for their input, continuing to refine the idea with their help. I’m passionate about creating a learning environment to share and discuss these ideas.
Our children and our schools deserve people on the Board of Education who will dig deep into the issues to understand what’s working, what isn’t, how it can all be improved, and work with others to improve it. This is what I bring to the Board of Education.
What are the issues facing the district and what will you do to address them?
There are plenty of issues facing the district, but not many that are unique to NSCSD. The biggest issue is simply that of money. We’re overspending year after year with a runaway budget. Our teachers and administrators are taking voluntary pay freezes, we’re losing faculty and staff to attrition and laying off more, we’re dipping into our reserves, and yet we still need to impose a tax levy just to balance the budget. Something is fundamentally broken and it seems as if a tipping point has been reached were the district is in an increasingly accelerating tailspin. What are other districts doing? Have we partnered with any other Boards of Education across the country to share best practices? What sources of revenue are possible besides taxes? Have we considered philanthropy or commercial sponsorship? Is it more cost effective to own all our facilities or would it make sense to rent them or co-own them with another district? I don’t have all the answers, but I have an unlimited supply of questions and ideas. We have an opportunity to make a difference not only by ensuring that our district keeps the great teachers and programs it already has, but by seizing this opportunity to reexamine not just how we spend but how we educate.
