Lipton Signs On for Another BOE Run

After six years on the Katonah Lewisboro school board, Mark Lipton is ready for three more. While fellow board member Peter Treyz had already declared his intent to run again, and new candidate Richard Stone joined the race a week ago, Lipton had been holding off on an announcement.

"It was a harder decision than I thought it would be. On one hand, being on the school board is a lot of work. But it's also incredibly satisfying. And we've made so much progress in the last six years. So it was some back and forth, but I definitely have my heart in it," he told Patch Monday.

There are now three candidates for three open seats. Prospective candidates may submit nominating petitions up until 5 p.m. April 22.

Lipton said he'd seen "tremendous changes" over his past two terms on the board—including a new superintendent, which tops the list, he says—and greater efficiencies in district operations, maintenance and transportation.

"The last big financial pieces we have to tackle are the collective bargaining issues, making our instruction more in-line with our ability to raise revenue, and our tax base's ability to afford the schools," he said. "If I leave now, I don't get the opportunity to work on that. While the work up until now was incredibly valuable, I'd love the opportunity to be a part of it what's to come."

Lipton said if he is re-elected, he would be willing to serve as president of the board again, but it was up to the trustees to elect a leader.

Of his accomplishments on the board, he said he was particularly proud of how the curriculum had advanced. Even while losing foreign language in elementary schools, a progam he's aching to see returned, he said he was pleased with  the progress on Response-to-Intervention (RTI) and a reduction in the amount of testing required of older students.

"Specifically, now kids are less stressed and taking a wider variety of classes, like AP classes or others that interest them, rather than racking up more Regents courses—which tended to be geared toward taking the exam. Those are all tremendous positives, done while managing the financial side," he said.

In addition to focusing on the district's financial picture and negotiating good contracts, Lipton said he was excited about other curricular opportunities coming up, such as looking at ways to make the last 60 days of a graduating senior's year a more meaningful experience, and making pedagogical and student support improvements in the absence of eighth-grade teaming.

"I think initially, we looked at cutting teaming as a cost-saver," he said. "But now it's a chance to say, how can we make it better, for less?"

The school board election and budget vote is on May 21.