Board Candidate: Rolv (Nick) Nicolaysen

• 13 years living in Peekskill
• Married 20 years
• One daughter  in 2nd grade at Oakside Elementary
• 50 years old
• Engineer by Profession
• My Positions have included Director of Engineering and Project Manager.
• I work with large scale industrial machines and construction projects:

• The Trans-Panama Pipeline
• Seaport-Canaveral 2.8M Barrel Fuels Storage Depot

I have spent a life time in construction projects, constrained within a budget.  I have seen first- hand how a simple decision at board level can affect changes good and bad. Up and down the production and or construction lines, as the implementation of the decision is carried out.  Surprisingly, many board members are unaware of the implication(s) a seemingly simple decision can have.  

My intent is to bring private sector thinking to the public sector.  It is my belief, that much of the Peekskill School System has forgotten it produces a product -- an effective education.  An education that should prepare and serve the student throughout his or her lifetime. It has become a main stay within our schools, not just the Peekskill School System, which the intent of the education is to pass tests; in order for the school system can gain more State and Federal monies.
 
This year's budget, much like last year's, was difficult to put together. There has been no attention been spent on conservation of resources. We seem to be throwing good money after bad with no regard to its lack of effectiveness.  We don’t even seem to care if the moneys seemingly disappear.  If we are to address a budget fully, then we need to address our faults as well as our strengths.  We need to look at how effective each dollar is being spent.  To paraphrase the old adage, “It's not how much money is being spent, it's how well you spend the money."

There is a great deal of things happening before the board of this year.  We have the charter school, the tax cap, and an the quality of our education are just some of the issues.  Added to these issues, are negative implications arising from a series of charges against our teachers and administrators of grade fixing.  Are these just isolated incidents, or is this something more systematic that infects our entire school system as a whole?  How does our school system rank at on a college level? How does the allegations of grade fixing affect our present and future graduates?  If the product of our school system is to be an effective education, how effective can an education be if a student's first experience outside the Peekskill School System is overshadowed by the appearance of impropriety?
 
Nick Nicolaysen