By Hayleigh Gowans
Staff Writer
On Tuesday, May 16, residents in the Jamesville-DeWitt school district will elect three members to the board of education, as well as vote on the proposed 2017-18 district budget.
The terms of three board members are set to expire, including Dennis Resetarits, Thomas Taylor and current board president Susan Petrosillo. Petrosillo will seek reelection, and two other candidates, Dana Corcoran and Christine Woodcock Dettor, will run unopposed to fill the other two seats.
In addition, residents will have the chance to vote on the 2017-18 proposed district budget. The proposed budget total is $54.6 million, an increase of 1.85 percent over the 2016-2017 budget. This proposed budget has a projected tax levy of $38.6 million, a 1.98 percent increase in the tax levy. The estimated tax rate would be $23.49 per $1,000 assessed value, a slight increase over the current rate of $23.03 per $1,000 assessed value.
J-D Board of Education seats have terms of three years. The election will be held from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Jamesville-DeWitt Main High School Gym, 6845 Edinger Drive, Dewitt.
The Eagle Bulletin has sent out a uniform questionnaire to all four candidates. Below are their responses in alphabetical order by last name.
Dana A. Corcoran, Ph.D.
Professional experience: School administrator, former Science Coordinator at OCM BOCES, currently the Supervisor of Science and Technology in the Syracuse City School District.
Education: B.S. Biology, Utica College of Syracuse University; M.S. in Teaching, Le Moyne College; Certificate of Advanced Studies in Educational Leadership, Syracuse University; Ph.D. in Science Education, Syracuse University
Organizations/groups involved with: National Science Teachers Association, Association for Supervision and Curriculum and Development Member, New York State Association for Women in Administration member, Jamesville Elementary Room Parent, JDYAA Basketball Coach, Parent Council Member at Rothschild Early Childhood Education Center.
Why do you think you would make a good member on the J-D Board of Education?
I am extremely passionate about ensuring that we are doing what is best for ALL students. I wish to serve on the board to guarantee the continued delivery of high quality education to not only my own children, but all children within the J-D District.
Please list the top three problems you believe J-D faces and how would you address these as a board member?
Increasing communication with all community members, especially around the nuances of budgeting. We need to use social media as a communicative conduit to reach as many community members as possible.
Working hard to meet the needs of an increasingly diversified community.
Maintaining the quality programing in the district with all the current constraints (i.e. tax mandates).
Being relatively new to the school community, partnered with my educational background, give me a unique perspective on how to have meaningful discussions on such issues.
What is your philosophy on education?
All children can learn and deserve a quality education. Every student, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, and socio-economic status should have the opportunity to learn from professional, well-informed, knowledgeable and empathetic teachers. Teachers should be able to identify every student’s potential and have separate, individual goals for each.
Susan Petrosillo
Professional experience: Information Technology Program Management
Education: B.A. Colgate University; MBA Northeastern University.
Organizations/groups involved with: Trinity Church Sunday School teacher
Why do you think you would make a good member on the J-D Board of Education?
I have a passion for representing all students, staying current with the education industry, doing independent research on certain important school topics, being a good public communicator and supporting our Administration are qualities that make me a good member of the JD Board.
Please list the top three problems you believe J-D faces and how would you address these as a board member?
Addressing students’ mental health issues is a problem school districts are facing now and will face at a growing rate. Students feel many pressures at home, at school, among their peers and at their extra-curricular activities. Many times, these pressures affect the mental health of our students, temporarily or long term. As a board member, I will continue to champion the retention and if possible, growth of the social workers and/or psychologists at our schools.
Hiring top teaching talent for science and technology classes will become a problem for school districts. I work in the private sector in Information Technology. I experience firsthand the difficulty recruiting, hiring and retaining talent. As board members, we’ll have to support our superintendent by staying engaged with our community and other districts and recommending teachers we know in our own networks and creating compelling marketing that highlights our opportunities in this wonderful community.
Rising costs are and continue to be a challenge for school districts. Some examples of costs that rise quickly and that can be unpredictable are costs for healthcare, litigation, special education, technology. As a board member, I consider what the J-D administration recommends and then offer my own creative ideas based on my extensive financial and business experience on ways to keep these costs stable and/or rising more slowly.
Overall, the J-D Board together with the J-D Administration does a good job of working together to address the problems we face.
What is your philosophy on education?
Public education must have academic and extra-curricular offerings to meet the needs and interests of every student, in an inclusive setting. Public education must continue to offer studies in the arts – theater, music, visual, to aid in creating well-rounded students.
Christine Woodcock Dettor
Professional experience: I am an attorney and partner at Bousquet Holstein PLLC, a 40 lawyer firm in located in downtown Syracuse. For 20 years I have practiced in the areas of trusts and estates, charitable planning and not for profit organizations.
Education: I attended Cazenovia public schools in the 1980s, then graduated from Manlius Pebble Hill School in 1988. I earned a B.A. in Economics from Wellesley College in Wellesley, M.A. in 1992 and graduated with a J.D. from the Syracuse University College of Law in 1996.
Organizations/groups involved with: I am currently a member of the Board of Directors for Loretto. I have served as past board chair of the Central New York Community Foundation, where I presently serve on its Professional Advisors Council and its Audit Committee. I serve on the Executive Committee of the Trusts and Estates Section of the New York State Bar Association.
Why do you think you would make a good member on the J-D Board of Education?
First and foremost I am an advocate for the J-D District. My husband and I are raising our three children in the J-D schools. We have a graduating senior, a sophomore and a seventh grader. I have had experience with both public and private schools and I could not be more impressed with the quality of education that J-D provides. I have served on many community boards over the years and would like to contribute my time and talents as service to our community and for our most important community asset, our school children.
Please list the top three problems you believe J-D faces and how would you address these as a board member?
The first issue J-D faces is the ability to adequately fund the quality of education that the J-D community has come to expect. Each year the board must adopt a sound budget, one that balances the available school tax dollars with those from the state funding formulas while being mindful of monitoring reserves and the annual budget. In short, a sound business minded approach to the school district finances continues to be of critical importance.
As the first suburban district to the east of Syracuse, J-D is a very diverse community. The school board and the administration must ensure that all our students have the skills necessary to achieve at the highest level after high school. We must attract a staff that reflects the diversity of our students.
J-D strives to offer cutting edge programs to insure our students are college and career ready in the 21st century. We must support our staff with professional development in order to do so. This is especially critical to prepare our teachers for the constantly changing mandated state standards and testing.
What is your philosophy on education?
Teachers have one of the hardest jobs in the world, in my mind probably second to parenting. Teachers are the key to connecting with our kids to guide each of them to reach their full potential. We must encourage and foster the development of lifelong learners and global community citizens. Education provides the foundation for the lives and opportunities our students will have in the future.
