Meet the School Board Candidates: Seth Oster

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: Seth Oster

Age: 44

How long have you lived in the village? I’ve lived in Irvington since December 2011

Family: I live with my family—my wife, Gloria, as well as my daughter, who attends Main Street School, and my son, who is at Dows Lane.

What do you do for a living? I am a senior corporate communications executive with more than 20 years of experience in both the public and private sectors, including within government, the entertainment industry, organized labor and financial services.  I am currently the Chief Communications Officer for KPMG, the global tax, audit and consulting firm.  My position at KPMG brought my family to Irvington in 2011.  Before that, I was a presidential appointee in the Obama administration, where I ran public affairs for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  For many years prior to that, I was an entertainment industry executive in Los Angeles and also served as an aide to U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein of California in Washington, D.C.

What is your education background?

I grew up in the New York public schools system as a Brooklyn native.  I am a graduate of The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications.

Are you involved in any other community-oriented roles? I have always been dedicated to public service and served on numerous boards during my professional career.  In Los Angeles, I was Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bright Star schools, one of the city’s most successful schools organizations, which today serves nearly 2,000 inner city students.  I am a former board member of both the Jewish Big Brothers of Los Angeles and Spoken Interludes, and am currently a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy.  I have been involved in many local political campaigns, including for mayor, city council and U.S. Senate.

How you ever ran or served on the school board before? I served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bright Star Schools in Los Angeles.  I have not previously served on the Irvington School Board.

School Board Member Compensation: No

Why do you want to join the school board?

• For every child in our community, including my children in Dows Lane and Main Street School in Irvington, there is there is nothing more important today than ensuring they are prepared for a 21st Century world that offers both tremendous opportunities and great challenges. Our schools are strong—and because they are so strong, they demand good, stable, independent and transparent governance to keep them strong for our children and our entire community.  By serving on Irvington’s school board, I can continue my commitment to public service and my history of involvement with schools at the board level—and use my years of experience managing organizations and large budgets to be an independent voice for our community.

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

• Throughout my life, I have been guided by the idea that each of us has an obligation to give back to our community in some way.  As a result, I have gained extensive and broad experience that I would bring to our board. As the former Chairman of the Board of Directors of one of Los Angeles’ top performing school organizations, as well as through my years as an executive in the private sector, my work in the U.S. Senate, and most recently as a member of the Obama administration, I’ve spent over 20 years managing organizations, large staffs and multi-million budgets. I understand that leadership at the board level requires knowing when and what questions to ask; how to set policy and define budget priorities; and how to hold an administration accountable, while letting the experts we’ve hired do their jobs.  I will be an independent voice on the board to help ensure our schools and community stay strong.

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

• There are several critical issues facing Irvington’s schools, some of which are shared by schools throughout New York State. The first is the budget.  We must keep our budget and our taxes under control, and our goal should be to maintain them as low as possible while ensuring that our educational programs and administration remain among the best in Westchester.  That takes flexibility, knowledge and critical thinking in approaching our budget process. 

• The second is unfunded mandates.  They have a disproportionate impact on smaller communities like ours. We must be proactive and smart about making our voice heard at the State level, and use the power of a well-respected and prominent community to have an impact on policy debates.  Having worked in the federal government and with extensive experience with local government, I know the impact unfunded mandates can have.  On the board, I will work with my fellow members and our administrators to deal with this issue proactively and aggressively. 

• The third is transparency and communications at the board level.  Our board must be transparent in its work and proactive in its outreach to our community.  We must encourage greater participation and attendance at our board meetings in order to further invest every parent and taxpayer in the idea that strong schools translates into a strong community.

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?

• I believe the current board has done a good job for our community.  They have kept our taxes among the lowest in the county, hired a strong administration, and fostered a stable, productive and solution-oriented board environment that has produced a responsible budget.

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

• I am in favor of passage of the budget.

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

• First and foremost, the community must be engaged—and the board must take the lead in generating that community engagement.  We have to work together, both parents and taxpayers, to identify our priorities.  The strength of our schools is inextricably tied to the overall strength of our community.  That will ensure our board makes budget and investment decisions that are smart, strategic and fiscally prudent. As a board, we have a responsibility to the community to protect their tax dollars. 

What is your favorite thing about the school district?

• My favorite things about the school district are our teachers and the community’s shared commitment to keeping our schools strong for our students, parents and taxpayers. Having the active involvement of the Irvington community has been a foundation for success.

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