Meet the School Board Candidates: David Graeber

Residents of the Irvington School District will take to the polls on Tuesday, May 21 to vote for two seats on the school board, as well as the 2013-14 budget.

There are two seats, currently held by Robert Grados and James McCann, up for grabs on the Irvington Board of Education. McCann is not seeking re-election, while Grados is. David Graeber of Hillside Terrace, John Montgomery of Meadowbrook Road and Seth Oster of Riverview Road have also submitted petitions to run a three-year term on the school board.

Voting in the election and on the budget takes from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Main Street School in Irvington, 101 Main St. 

Patch welcomes letters to the editor about school budget and school board elections. Click here for information on how to submit a letter to the editor.

Read below to learn more about your school board candidates.

Name: David C. Graeber 

Age: 41

How long have you lived in the village? Just over a year. 

Family:  I live with my wife Courtney and our two boys Stuart, 7, and Luke, 3. 

What do you do for a living? How long have you done this? 

I am an Education Administrator with the New York City Department of Education; I have worked in public education for the past fourteen years in various capacities from a middle school classroom teacher to Literacy Coach, and now direct the achievement and instructional initiatives for 30 schools across the city.  I am a Senior Common Core Fellow for the city and in that role help to lead the country in developing cost-effective resources for implementing the new standards. 

What is your education background?

• Ithaca College - Bachelor of Arts, English Literature,1993
• New York University - Master of Arts, English Education, 1999     
• Stony Brook University - Educational Leadership, SDL/SBL, 2011

Are you involved in any other community-oriented roles?

I coach baseball for the Irvington Recreation Department for the first and second graders. I am proud to work with Community School Districts bringing high quality arts programs to kids in schools, and I am a member of the New York Academy of Public Educators, whose mission is to promote the interests of urban education in the metropolitan area. 

How you ever ran or served on the school board before? No

School Board Compensation? None

No, it is a volunteer position of public service. 

Why do you want to join the school board?

My candidacy is about bringing an informed educational viewpoint to Irvington’s school board that isn’t present.  In a time of tremendous educational reform to standards, and the way we evaluate children, teachers and schools, I seek to add value to a strong administrative team and a board that would benefit from my ability to shape academic policy. 

Why are you an ideal candidate for school board? What do you think you will bring to the school board?

I am an ideal candidate for Irvington’s School Board because I am passionate about the work I do, seek to volunteer that passion and knowledge base and am highly qualified to partner with senior district administrators to improve on the quality of an already strong school system. 

I bring years of experience in liaising between a community’s stakeholders and its school’s, years of experience in working with school budgets to maximize spending in difficult fiscal climates and can leverage my knowledge base around the “unfunded or underfunded state mandates” to make sound decisions that will affect our schools for years to come. 

What are the biggest issues facing the school district? How would you address these issues?

Two of the biggest issues:

• Exceeding the tax cap:  I am in support of the budget going up for vote on May 21^st.  My experience in working with school budgets will help to put these dollars to best use.   I have years of experience in working with senior administrators to make sound decisions of how to maximize spending so that despite a raise in taxes, we can assure those being asked to shoulder the burden that it is money being invested into the community itself.   

• Standards and Teacher Effectiveness Reform: The “unfunded” or “underfunded” mandates represent the single largest education reform in the history of this country.  A school district as small as Irvington, despite its high performance cannot afford to maintain business as usual as the stakes for our kids get higher.  My professional experience would provide the district with a partner that can not only work with the administration on how to best approach these mandates, but also provide the community with a real sense of how this will affect their children. 

How would you describe the work of the current school board in recent years? Is there anything they’ve done that you strong agree with? Is there anything they’ve done that you disagree with?

The work of the current board has been tremendous.  I think that the commissioning of the program delivery study was a very smart investment, as we need to start thinking about how best to maximize space within the district in the face of rising costs.

What is your opinion on the district’s proposed 2013-14 budget?

I support it and ask that all consider a YES vote because we cannot afford the cuts that come with not getting it through.  Whether you have children in schools, or do not, maintaining a strong school system can only benefit the entire community in the long run.

What is the most important thing to you when it comes to the district’s budget?

Maintaining the integrity of instructional programs and supporting strong leadership and teaching without sacrificing academic rigor. 

What is your favorite thing about the school district?

I value the districts ability to adapt in times of change, its tremendous school spirit as seen in the PTSA and the IEF, and its commitment to excellence. 

Anything else you would like to add…

I want to thank the community for embracing me as a candidate and hope to sit on the Irvington School Board as your trustee! 

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