Letters to the Editor in Support of K-L School Board Candidates

To The Editor: Re-elect Janet Harckham To School Board

I am writing to add my voice of support to urge to voters re-elect Janet Harckham to the Katonah Lewisboro Sch0ol Board.

I have known Janet for fifteen years and our children have been in the same grades since kindergarten. I appreciate her passion for providing top quality education meant to bring out the potential of all our children.  I also know how hard she’s worked to reduce costs associated with our school system. She’s saved us tens of thousands of dollars annually by making our buildings more energy efficient and reduced administrative overhead.

As the mother of two children involved in athletics, I can’t tell you how happy I am to see on the two new fields at AP Farms. Janet was part of the team that worked with Adam Rose and Peter McQuillan to facilitate those badly needed fields to solve the chronic shortage of fields that has hampered our children

Janet Harckham has made a positive difference in her first term on the School Board. I urge voters to re-elect her.

Sincerely,

Jackie Jadow, Katonah

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To the Editor: Write-in Mark Dembo

On Tuesday, May 17, I’ll be writing in the name of Mark Dembo on my school Board election ballot.  I encourage all voters to do the same.

Mark is a smart, empathetic man with a personal investment in the Katonah-Lewisboro school system and professional experience that will be a great asset to our Board.  As a homeowner, taxpayer and parent, Mark understands completely the delicate balance our community needs to maintain of excellent, forward-looking education and sound fiscal policy.  As a successful strategic business consultant, Mark knows the value of strong, assertive leadership balanced by inclusion, transparency and a climate of partnership among stakeholders.

Our district will never be of one mind about how to answer every difficult question put to the school Board.  The Board will always have to make tough choices that significant numbers of people will dislike.  But a Board member like Mark Dembo will help ensure that confidence in our Board will not be diminished because of disagreements about policy.

A vote for Mark Dembo is not a vote against any person or policy.  A vote for Mark Dembo is a vote FOR a passionate, accomplished candidate with a fresh perspective and the professional success to back it up.

It will take extra effort to write-in Mark Dembo’s name, but our children, teachers, and fellow taxpayers — and our Board — deserve a little extra effort.

Sincerely,

Christopher Roberts, Katonah

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Dear Editor: Support Janet Harckham

I support Janet Harckham’s re-election to the Katonah-Lewisboro School Board.  Ms. Harckham is committed to our students.  She has worked hard to ensure that every student can receive a quality education and graduate prepared to contribute to our society.  She has urged the district to embrace sustainability principles, helping students learn how individual choices can preserve our natural resources for future generations.  

Ms. Harckham is relentless in seeking opportunities to improve district operations, such as energy efficiency upgrades, that will improve its bottom line.  Finally, her role in the search for a new superintendent demonstrates her leadership among her fellow board members, all of whom supported her recommendation to hire Dr. Kreutzer. 

Ms. Harckham’s experience, judgment, and vision are invaluable, and I urge voters to re-elect her to the school board.

Laura Rossi-Ortiz, South Salem

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To the Editor: Mark Dembo is a Practitioner of Transparency

There is only one candidate to vote for at the Katonah-Lewisboro School Board election, write-in candidate Mark Dembo.  He is a practitioner of transparency as well as a believer in collaboration.  Mark will look at all options when tackling cost savings.  His vision for the district is a long range one. 

As a COO of a small business, Mr. Dembo employed the Open Book Management approach with his company.  The result was $1,000,000.00 in savings for a $15,000,000.00 company. This philosophy allows employees to view themselves as partners in the process and understand how the company functions as a whole—a tactic our district  needs.

Write-in candidate Dembo believes in meeting with members of the school community from parents, teachers, and staff, to the senior citizens and administrators.  He continuously states,  “All voices need to be heard, not just at board meetings, but at open community gatherings.”  Dembo also says that conversations need to take place on the possible sharing of services. He explains there is a “large pool of talented, ambitious people within our district.” The candidate knows the importance of having the involvement of community members when shaping our district.   

Most important is Mark Dembo’s personal side.  He moved his family to the district to ensure that his two children receive a Katonah-Lewisboro education. Mark is the only candidate or present school board member to have children attending elementary school. Of all the candidates, his children are impacted the greatest by the actions of the board. Ask an official at your polling place for assistance on how to cast a write-in vote on May 17th  for write-in candidate Mark Dembo.

Jonathan Monti, Goldens Bridge

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Dear Editor: Write-in Mark Dembo

Among the many reasons to regret the recent appointment of Dr. Paul Kreutzer as Superintendent of the Katonah-Lewisboro School District is the violence it has wrought onto the reputation of the KL School District.

Our district has all the elements and standards of performance to be considered one of the premier districts in Westchester County, and should be mentioned in the same league as Scarsdale and Chappaqua. 

We have excellent academic and co-curricular opportunities, the demographics, the New York State test scores, the SAT scores, the college placements, the highly qualified teaching staff, and the per-pupil spending to compete with the very best districts in the county and the state.

Yet again and again the school board reinforces our unfortunate reputation for conflict and contention.  If the Board felt it was imperative to choose a controversial candidate, wouldn’t it have been wiser to take the time to allow educators and local stakeholders to meet with Dr. Kreutzer and become comfortable with him?  The appointment could then have been made without the enormous amount of negative publicity that the flawed installation of Dr. Kreutzer caused.

Given the clumsy handling of this appointment, the reputation of our district and, thus, the property values of every homeowner have suffered.  Whether your opinion is left, right or center on this issue, your house is worth less today than it was a few weeks ago. Homebuyers move to Westchester County for two reasons: the quality of the schools and the ease of the commute.  There is nothing we can do about our placement on Metro North, but we can cease to shoot ourselves in the foot by undermining the reputation of our own school district.

 If the Board had taken the time to build a consensus around its candidate, this unfortunate controversy could have been avoided. 

It’s in the interest of every homeowner to alter the dynamic of the Board.  This can be done with a pencil on May 17 by voting for write-in candidate, Mark Dembo.  He brings professional experience in organizational management, a rational approach to decision making, and a commitment to building consensus which our district clearly needs.

Val Ondes, South Salem, NY