Unopposed, Bedford School Board President Talks Issues

Next week Bedford Central community members will vote on the districts and elect three board members. : Susan Elion Wollin and Andrew Bracco are seeking to renew their three-year terms, and Lee Goldstein is running to replace Graham Anderson.

Below is a brief bio of Wollin and her responses to a set of questions submitted to all candidates. 

Susan Wollin has lived in Bedford Village for 20 years with her husband Marc Wollin, a T.V. writer/producer/director, and their two sons, Matthew and Dave, both of whom attended BCSD K-12.  She attended Bedford Central Schools, graduating from Fox Lane in 1975 and obtaining a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College, class of 1979.  Wollin's mother taught math at for over two decades. 

As an executive search and staffing consultant, Wollin served on several school district committees prior to her election to the school board. Her son Matthew, a Williams College class of 2009, is an Associate Manager/Producer at a talent management company in New York City and an award-winning filmmaker and published author; Dave, a volunteer firefighter and EMT with the , graduates from Colby College this May, majoring in Government with a minor in Russian Literature, and is planning a career in Emergency Management. 

Patch: What motivates you to continue to serve on the Bedford school board?

Wollin: To help provide leadership continuity, knowledge and perspective as we continue to focus on the business of educating children balanced by our community’s ability to support the school budget.  Quite simply, I am deeply committed to the students of Bedford Central and to our community.

Let Patch save you time. Get great local stories like this delivered right to your inbox or smartphone everyday with our free newsletter. Simple, fast sign-up here.

Patch: What have been your major contribution(s) to the board?  

Wollin: I am proud of the direction the Board has taken – prudent governance and financial planning, unprecedented transparency, strong, on-going, two-way communication with the public while keeping the focus on our students’ education, first and foremost -- and that while we have controlled spending, we continue to strive for a well rounded education, as evidenced by the district’s extraordinary offerings of student programs, such as music, the arts and Science Research.  This all culminates in the impressive list of very unique and different types of colleges that Bedford Central students successfully attend.

In collaboration with my Board colleagues and Superintendent Dr. Hochman and his leadership team, we have significantly reduced the percentage increases in property taxes the last three years, we have slowed down the expenditure growth of all employee contracts, in part through the cooperation of our unions and staff to help reduce the trajectory of salary and benefit increases, and we have taken measures to work more productively, prudently and efficiently, while still maintaining the high-quality educational values and core programs our community values.

As a Board member, I have worked actively to bring together all points of view with the goal of identifying the best solutions for the common good and have established rewarding and productive relationships with a wide sector of community residents, local and state officials that help to advance the work of our school district.

I am closely involved with The Westchester-Putnam School Boards Association (WPSBA) and currently serve as VP, Current Affairs for this organization that represents 54 area school districts and 150,000 school children.  My WPSBA work has heightened Bedford Central’s presence and legislative efforts locally, regionally and in Albany. I have demonstrated a tireless commitment to advocating for legislation that supports public education and unfunded mandate relief; as a district, we clearly are in the forefront on a range of critical issues.

I have a demonstrated track record of effective Board leadership  -- collaboratively introducing Board governance protocols that help assure strong Board dynamics and teamwork, facilitating and strengthening processes that continue to enhance productive relationships among Board members, administration, teachers, students, parents and the community at large and helping to implement an inclusive, broad-gauge Superintendent performance appraisal tool. 

I am pleased to have been Board president during the search process that led to the hiring of Superintendent Dr. Hochman and continue to be proud to lead such a knowledgeable and exceptionally well-balanced Board.

Patch: What issues facing the district do you feel most strongly about?

Wollin: Ensuring we can sustain our full commitment to our students, our district’s culture of exceptional learning for the entire school community, our citizens’ ability to support the school budget while continuing to actively advocate for legislation that supports public education, Bedford Central and pressing for unfunded mandate relief.

As we all well know, this is a challenging time for public education.  Financial resources are dwindling and expectations are on the rise.  We seek higher proficiency and greater competitiveness for our graduates in a global economy while unfunded mandates are imposed that divert funds away from, rather than toward, student learning.

A few examples of the ambitious work ahead: the implementation of a new elementary mathematics curriculum; the execution of the Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) Education Law Section 3012-c that reinforces our district’s high professional standards, enhances student learning and educates the community about reasonable expectations; the Capital Plan; collective bargaining; budget development in year two under the tax levy cap law; long term budget forecasting; supporting our teachers and staff who continue to work diligently, who continue to learn to stay on the cutting edge of pedagogy, and continuing to work to earn community confidence and trust.

Patch: Describe the quality of education you think students are getting in the district. Are there measures you would take to improve upon it?

Wollin: I am committed to our culture of exceptional learning and maintaining our school district’s traditions of providing an array of extraordinary student programs for “every single student, every single day” and support the ongoing effort to both address the achievement gap between Hispanic students and other students and the engagement of non-English speaking students.

Patch: You're running unopposed. Why do you suppose more people don't get involved, and what would you say to voters, parents, community members to encourage engagement around school issues?

Wollin: No doubt, school Boards are a meaningful example of democracy in action and that community engagement does matter in public education.   Bedford Central enjoys remarkable community involvement in our schools.  Hundreds of people respond to our surveys and attend our engagement sessions.  We have increased the number of citizen Advisory Committees and welcome the new folks who are getting involved.  Our PTOs and PTA are doing tremendous work supporting our children and our schools and learning about the financial and other challenges the district faces.  And, we are seeing more and more school district inspired, parent guided efforts in fitness, wellness and sustainability.

Patch: Is there anything we haven’t asked that you would like the public to know about you?

Wollin: One of my favorite moments of being a Board member is when students present to us at Board meetings.  No matter what the topic is, it is always refreshing to hear first hand that our policies and decisions transcend to the good work of our teachers, staff and students.

It is an honor to serve on behalf of the students and citizens of the Bedford Central School district and I am gratified by the community’s support.