School board and budget elections will be held Tuesday, May 17.
In Liverpool, voters will choose from four candidates for three open seats on the Liverpool Central School District Board of Education. All are full three-year terms.
—
Nicholas Blaney
Biographical information
Lifelong town of Clay resident. 2010 Liverpool graduate. Former Student Liaison to the Board of Education (2008-10). Son of a retired reading/writing teacher (36 years). NYS-Licensed Insurance Agent. International award-winning opera singer. Awarded by National Foundation for Achievement in the Arts, National Classical Singer Magazine, NYS Music Teachers Association, and CNY Association of Music Teachers.
Why are you running for office?
I am running for office because I feel compelled to do my part in securing a bright future for the educational welfare of all students — of all needs and abilities. Liverpool is an extraordinary place for young people to build the fundamental tools necessary in order to be healthy, thoughtful, and productive members of society. As an international award-winning opera singer and concert series producer, I have traveled across the country and abroad in Florence, Italy, working, performing and perfecting my craft. However I’ve found that my favorite place is right here in Liverpool.
Why are you the best candidate?
After serving the board in a non-voting apprentice position for two years, elected by the high school student body, I feel uniquely prepared to address the most pressing issues that face young people and the future of our district. I am already familiar with the work of the board and have a unique understanding of the sensitivity that must be used in all situations we face. I am comfortable with all facets of technology and know how to use these tools in order to improve communication.
What are the major issues facing the district, and what will you do to address them?
The district has a major problem with communications, especially in regards to transparency with residents/taxpayers. With a budget of nearly $150 million, Liverpool should have a first-class public relations division to serve its constituents. Instead, back-room deals and board politics have continued to plague this community for too long. It is high time that Liverpool stepped up and began answering why taxpayers are paying more and more each year, with no end in sight. The other major problem facing our district is an epidemic in healthcare and human dignity. Substance abuse and health issues plague our district and all of our Central New York communities. We need to enlist the help of more law enforcement, health professionals, social workers, etc., in meeting the needs of all students, especially those who struggle with addiction or the overwhelming pressure to avoid such substances. Finally, I believe we need to continue to invest in our young people by providing the highest quality athletics and fine arts possible. Without these co-curriculars, Liverpool graduates would not be as well prepared and well rounded when they enter the world and prepare for the next steps in their lives.
—
Craig Dailey
Biographical information
My name is Craig J. Dailey and I am a 19-year resident of Liverpool. I reside in the Irongate community with my wife Tiffany (of 19 years), four sons (age 6, 8, 11 and 12) and black lab Harry. I am a project manager and educational facility planner with King & King, Architects in Syracuse and have lived in Central New York for 47 years.
Why are you running for office?
As a professional architect, I have focused more than 20 years of my career to designing and planning the places students learn. This work has provided me ample opportunities to work closely with teachers, administrators, staff, and boards of educations from multiple school districts across the state. I feel having the experience of working with various districts provides me a rare perspective of the needs of staff and students balanced with the political and fiscal responsibilities of the boards of education. I believe this perspective would be helpful in creating cohesion between the board, district and community.
Why are you the best candidate?
I do not believe I am the best, just someone willing to offer my time and experience in the hopes to be of some use to our district. I love our schools and the quality of education that is delivered each school day. Our teachers, staff and administrators work hard throughout the year educating and providing for our kids and they deserve top-down support to allow them to do the best job they can.
What are the major issues facing the district, and what will you do to address them?
I think our focus on the student has been clouded with working within an unrealistic tax cap, meeting ever-changing standards and establishing unrealistic expectations instead of supporting and developing staff to be fearless mentors to our kids. The purpose of public education is to create life-long learners, partnering with parents to develop strong character traits and grow civic-minded citizens that give back to their communities with their time, treasure and talents.
A school’s greatest resource is its staff and, like any business, staffing holds the largest portion of any budget expense. Insurance costs, inflation, cost of living increases all outpace the limitations a tax cap imposes and depletes a district’s reserves. A healthy understanding of fiscal limitations coupled with open communication with all stakeholders is a necessity throughout the year — not just when drafting the next budget. I will work hard to continue improving transparency in all the board does and strengthen the relationship between community, staff and administration.
Standards need to keep pace with the requirements of an evolving society. Project-based/problem-based learning, business partnerships and experiential learning are necessities to preparing our students for the future and college/career readiness. I will work with the board to increase opportunities for our student to experience real-world opportunities within our community to spark passions and foster life-long learners.
Finally, the role of the board is to create and support the policies and procedures of the district as they represent the community. But more importantly, model top-down leadership that supports and encourages a fear-free environment where failure is not a curse word, but something to be acknowledged and learned from.
If the Liverpool community honors me with a term on the board, these are the lenses I would serve with.
—
Neil Fitzpatrick
Biographical information
I’m 50 years old, married with two children. My wife Lisa was raised in Liverpool, while I grew up not far away in Westvale. I’ve lived in Liverpool since getting married in 1993. We have one daughter who is currently a junior at Niagara University and another daughter at the high school on Wetzel Road. Regarding political affiliation, I am a registered Republican but definitely vote based on issues and candidates rather than party loyalty. I have worked for State Farm Insurance for over 25 years; I manage a team of auto damage appraisers and issues related to auto physical damage claims in upstate New York.
Why are you running for office?
I’ve typically been involved in some capacity in community and our kids’ school and activities and board service turned out to be the next step in that journey. Before I was married, I volunteered 10 years on a local volunteer fire department serving as both a line officer and corporate officer. As our kids grew, I started cooking in their kindergarten classes once a month and it grew from there. As they’re now getting older and more independent, my life and business experience led me to district committee work where I volunteered on the Facilities Improvement Committee on what became the Phase 2 Capital Improvement project. Board service was that next logical step, which is why I’m running for reelection to continue that work.
Why are you the best candidate?
As I’ve said before, I won’t claim to be the best candidate — that’s for the voter’s to decide. I can say that I approach school board work with a strong desire to make Liverpool a better place for everyone, and that necessitates a balanced approach, a great educational experience for our students and responsible use of taxpayers’ money. Ultimately the best way to help everyone is to make sure Liverpool continues to be a place families want to move to, buy homes and raise families. Those are the marks of a healthy community and having great schools is critically important to that equation.
I favor consistency in board decision-making, based on sound policy and a reasoned, pragmatic approach. Ultimately, the board of education is about long-range planning, goal-setting and oversight. Keeping that long-term vision in place and ensuring the proper check points and controls are in place are our purpose and I believe my experience and skill set from my career have prepared me for this role. As I finish my second year on the board, while still learning much, I now have a foundation of experience to draw from.
What are the major issues facing the district, and what will you do to address them?
There is so much to cover here, but I’d like to summarize this into three main areas: educational opportunities and results, facilities and infrastructure and financial.
Educational opportunities and results: Our superintendent, Dr. Mark Potter, and his administration have implemented a five-year Strategic Plan which will now allow year after year measurement of a consistent set of metrics against now established baselines. As a board member, I support this type of consistent measurement so that we can see objective results over time. While not an educator myself, as board members we can be and should be inquisitive about results and plans with the administration on meeting student needs today while preparing for tomorrow. I am supportive of a multitude of offerings to our students recognizing that not all students are, or should be, on the same path. Offering variety in academics and levels of rigor to challenge all students is important to our future. Learning opportunities in skilled trades and evolving technology of the future is something I also support. Music, arts, clubs and athletics are all critical to having schools that enhance a community and create tomorrow’s capable and contributing citizens. I am pleased to see and supportive of the work currently underway to explore school start times. I am part of the current board of education that has recognized and agreed with recommendations by the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics that school start times for many of our students are too early, and Liverpool has among the earliest high school start time in the county. I look forward to further research and recommendations as we look to move forward with having school start time more conducive to learning and student well being.
Facilities and infrastructure: Liverpool is a district that has community schools, not a concentrated campus. As such, we have approximately 20 buildings and properties. This model has served us well for generations, but our buildings are aging and see more regular and constant use by more people than an average commercial building. We have been making good process in recent years in catching back up on much needed capital improvement, but this is still more to do. I support the type of long-range planning the district current employees and the steady roll-out of new projects as old project debt service is paid off. Capital improvements will never end, but having a responsible plan to keep up with building needs while trying to maintain a level amount of debt service to our taxpayers has proven successful in Liverpool.
Financial: Like all school districts across New York, we have faced a very challenging decade in terms of funding. The state imposed “Gap Elimination Adjustment” took over $45 million from Liverpool over the past seven years and this practice was finally ended by the state this year. Liverpool lost more direct funding from the state’s GEA than any other suburban district in CNY. During the same time period, tax cap laws simultaneous limited districts’ ability to raise taxes. Periods of declining commercial tax base further hamper schools ability to match revenue with expenses. While many districts are now categorized as “financially stressed” by the New York state comptroller, Liverpool remains financially sound — a credit not only to past boards, but the administration as well. We have been able to keep tax increases below the tax cap while maintaining programs and services. We are certainly not without our challenges however. Legacy costs remain, those expenses for retirement and health care funding into the future must be managed carefully. I understand the value and importance of our teachers, staff and the many professionals who support and maintain our large district, but we also have to understand that many of decisions we make today will have implications decades into the future.
—
Chris Hockey
Biographical information
I am 38 years old and I am happily married to my wife of nine years, Melissa. We are super proud parents of our two daughters. We have lived in Liverpool for almost four years now and we love the community and all it offers. I am currently employed by system administration for the State University of New York as the associate director of transfer success and technology and also teach strategic communication in business part-time at SUNY Oswego.
Why are you running for office?
I am running for a position on the Liverpool board of education because I believe in civic duty and responsibility and giving back to the community in which you live. Melissa and I feel very fortunate that our daughters are going to a district rich in tradition and success like Liverpool, but every district has their own challenges and I believe I have skills and experiences that can help make our district better for the children and teenagers of Liverpool. I am a firm believer in the public education system. I earned my diploma from a public school system. I completed my bachelor’s degree from a public university. I now work for the public university system. Public education is still the best way to educate and socialize our children and I want to see Liverpool become one of the best places for that to happen.
Why are you the best candidate?
I believe I would bring a unique perspective to the board. I’ve worked in higher education for the last 14 years and have worked directly with college students in and out of the classroom. I understand what academic and social skills our students are missing as they enter college. Nobody else can bring that knowledge and level of experience to the board. In addition, I have experience prioritizing large budgets and leading organizations. I am a passionate educator that believes in all aspects of the public school system.
What are the major issues facing the district, and what will you do to address them?
I think decreasing budgets is still the number one issue facing any school district and Liverpool is no different. While Liverpool is a financially healthy district, we are, like everyone else, being asked to do more with less. There is no quick fix to this issue but I believe the best way forward is to make sure that all of our expenses are aligned strategically with the mission, vision and values of the organization. It is important that we not only maximize every dollar but that we think creatively about how to stretch those dollars. If elected to the board, I would engage my fellow board members, our district faculty and staff and our community in a conversation about whether or not we are truly aligning our dollars to meet the goals of the district.
Additionally, I think the health of our students is an issue. In particular I am concerned about the health of our junior high and high school students. These students are significantly involved in outside activities, including clubs, sports and jobs and many of them are not beginning their homework until late at night, staying up until midnight or later and then we ask them to get up earlier than any other student to do it all over again. This is an unsustainable pattern when it comes to our children’s health. If elected to the board, I will champion the continued research and assessment around the modified start time proposal.
Lastly, I believe that a major issue facing our district, as well as many others, is the impact of the Common Core curriculum. There is a great deal of frustration on the part of parents and teachers alike as to what the Common Core represents and how it was rolled out. Standardization is good to a point but not when it hamstrings our teachers and their ability to teach every student as an individual. Not every student learns the same way. If elected by the board, I will advocate for a district level assessment of the Common Core and be a champion for educating parents as to how best to support our students and providing our teachers with the best resources.
