Croton School Board Candidate: Jason Stern

On May 21, Croton school district residents will vote on a $44.5 million budget proposal and elect two new school board members. Below is a brief bio for school board candidate Jason Stern.

Stern is an attorney in a private practice. He is married and has two children -- son Dakota, 8, and daughter Summer, 4. He moved to Croton in 2003 and has served two terms as member of Village's Water Control Commission and as member of Town of Cortlandt Tax Grievance Committee. He has also been a Little League manager for the past four years. Stern has also worked as a teacher in the New York City public school system; a New York City Administrative Law Judge; and New York City Department of Education Impartial Hearing Officer. 

What strengths will you bring to the board? 
My impartiality and independent thinking, my ability to cut through political nonsense, deliver straightforward answers to straightforward questions and deliver transparency to the community.

What issues facing the district do you feel most strongly about?  
The cutting of the sports program and the lack of accountability from the teachers to the parents. Sports are an integral part of creating happy and successful adolescents and teenagers. Learning to lose and finding the determination to deal with setbacks and overcome adversity are life lessons we learn from sports and issues that deeply affect many of our troubled youth. The ball field, the park and the playground are healthier places for our children than sitting in the living room with an iPhone.

Describe the quality of education you think students are getting in the district. Are there measures you would take to improve upon it? 
Many students are getting an excellent education but in speaking with parents, I am hearing nearly an equal number who are deeply disappointed and dissatisfied with their children's educational experience. It all starts with doing a better job of hiring passionate teachers who love children and love to educate. When that passion is absent from the classroom, the children pay the ultimate price.

Patch: This was another tough year for the district in terms of developing a budget. Are there any areas you would consider cutting during next year's budget process to stay under the tax cap? 
The logical thing to do when it comes to making tough decisions and making cuts is to focus on the programs that attract the least amount of student participation and interest. We also need to take a hard look at our administrative salaries and non-essential expenditures.

What do you think the long-term impact of the tax cap will be on Croton schools? (Do you support or think it's hurting public education?) 
It's not helping, but it is also forcing school boards to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions to budget problems. In the end, the community itself must take responsibility for the schools. Fundraising efforts, grants, sponsorships and gifting are the means by which private schools everywhere and public schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District fund a large number of programs. The key is to jump-start these efforts BEFORE facing a shortfall and being forced to cut programs.

Patch: What do you think about the Common Core standards? Will they benefit Croton students?  In any given field, raising standards is always the best way to raise performance, so I believe that the Common Core standards are a positive thing. What disturbs me is the enormous pressure being placed on children to perform well on the tests. I don't think anyone wants to see parents of third-graders hiring tutors to improve test performance. 
 
Patch: Is there anything we haven’t asked that you would like the public to know about you or your candidacy?  I am not a politician and I come to this position with no political agenda -- I am simply a concerned parent who wants to listen to the community and implement those changes that reflect the concerns of that community. I am thrilled to have met so many wonderful parents and members of the community and would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to speak with me.