Patch Candidate Profile: Josh Kaye For New Canaan Board Of Education

NEW CANAAN, CT — Election Day on Nov. 4 is fast approaching, and there are a number of key races on the ballot.

Patch reached out to candidates for office to get more information on their campaigns and the issues that are facing their towns.

Candidate's Name:

Josh Kaye

What office are you seeking?

Board of Education

What town do you live in?

New Canaan

Campaign Website

Party Affiliation:

Democrat

Occupation:

I've been practicing law for the past 18 years. I spent most of my career as a litigator and now have a joint legal and business role.

Family:

My wife Megan and I have two children. Our son is nine and in 4th Grade and our daughter is six and in 1st Grade. They both attend East School.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No.

Previous public office, appointive or elective:

I have served as an appointed member of the Ethics Board in New Canaan for the past three years, and have served as Chair of the Board for the past year.

Why are you seeking this office?

New Canaan's public schools are excellent and I want to do my part to keep them that way. With Penny Rashin, currently the only attorney serving on the Board of Education, retiring, I hope to continue providing the Board of Education with the unique perspective a lawyer can bring to the table.

As a member of the Board of Education, I will make sure that our teachers have the training and resources they need to do their best work for our students, work collaboratively with our administration, partner effectively with parents and members of our community, and always focus on what will best serve our students and our community.

The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ____, and this is what I intend to do about it:

One of the biggest challenges the Board of Education will face over the next several years is how to address our growing student population and limited space in our elementary schools. We have to be smart, focused and pragmatic in how we address this issue.

There is currently a proposal to build a fourth elementary school in the northern part of town. While there would be many benefits to building a North School, including bringing the fifth grade back to the elementary school, the project would be a huge investment for our community. And to make the best decision for New Canaan, we need to have all of the facts.

In particular, we need a better understanding of not only the construction costs, but also the recurring expense of operating an additional school. Schools cost money to operate. A North School would need its own administrators and support staff and have its own physical plant to maintain. And there are other concerns that have been raised that should be addressed as well, including about the suitability of the property because of wetlands and how traffic will be managed on the surrounding roads.

We also need the Board of Education to dive deeper into exploring alternatives that would address growing enrollment and aging schools. If elected to the Board of Education, I will not be afraid to ask the hard questions, such as what are the possibilities for expanding one or more of the existing elementary schools? If we did not build or renovate, what solutions could we look to, if any, to manage student population? What do parents and tax payers want?

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I'm the only lawyer among the candidates for Board of Education this year and, if elected, I would be the only lawyer among the nine members of the Board. One of the great strengths of our Board of Education is having members with different perspectives and skill sets. Lawyers are trained to ask questions, find facts, analys issues and consider a variety of perspectives. I believe having that training and skill set on the Board of Education will be useful.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

Our schools are consistently ranked first in the state and among the top schools in the nation. An important part of why I am running for the Board of Education is to maintain that excellence. Schools like ours cannot be taken for granted. We need a Board of Education that recognizes the many things that are working in our district and, through competent administration and governance, avoids unnecessary disruption that does not serve our schools or community.

With that said, we always need to be looking for areas for improvement and innovation to maintain excellence in our schools. One area that I believe needs continued attention relates to changing technology in two areas in particular.

First, advances in artificial intelligence in the last few years have been dramatically changing education. In the immediate term, we need to make sure that the wide availability of AI isn’t getting in the way of our students learning fundamental skills like reading, writing and research. But we also need to recognize that AI is likely going to be part of the working life of almost every single New Canaan High School graduate in one way or another. In the medium and longer term, we should be thinking deliberately about how we might incorporate AI into our curriculum so that our graduates are well-equipped to succeed.

Second, I’m very pleased with the progress our school district has made in limiting access to phones in schools. I want to continue evaluating whether further steps to limit the availability of phones in schools would be beneficial and be vigilant about the detrimental impacts of social media on our kids, including cyberbullying.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Aside from my work as a lawyer, I pride myself on being a concensus builder who puts partisanship aside and focuses on the work. On the Ethics Board, for example, although there are three Republican appointees and two Democratic appointees, I serve as Chair because I have shown myself to be commited to the work and have been studiously non-partisan in the application of our ethics rules.

We need that mission-focused non-partisanship on our Board of Education now more than ever. We are in one of the most divisive periods in national politics in recent memory. New Canaan students aren’t served when that division spills over into decision-making on our Board of Education. Every decision the Board of Education makes should be based on an analysis of what our students need and what is best for our community. The Board of Education should never be used as a platform to take a stand on national issues. As a Board of Education member, I will do my part to foster a collaborative, non-partisan atmosphere where there is a respectful exchange of differing viewpoints in service of decision-making that best serves our students and our town.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I grew up in Wilton and moved to New Canaan with my family a little over five years ago. Since moving to town, I’ve been actively involved in our community. In addition to serving on the Ethics Board, I am on the Board of New Canaan Chamber Music and recently began a term as Chair.

I also enjoy spending time volunteering in activities centered around my kids. A few of my favorite activities this year include coaching my daughter’s kindergarten softball team and volunteering at the East School Field Day, where I was in charge of the three-legged race.