Are Our Public Schools Challenging Enough?

Three of four candidates faced a small audience in John Paulding's gymnasium for Tuesday night's Board of Education forum. The forum was sponsored by the League of Womens Voters of Westchester and the EPTA.

Carol Banino, who was not present, submitted a quick statement which moderator Carolyn Stevens, former mayor of Scarsdale, read. Banino addressed what she called a widely discussed need for a more challenging program.

In opening remarks by incumbent Board of Education member Vincent Nadile, a similar theme emerged. Are our public schools (unlike perhaps those of Scarsdale, for instance) academically challenging enough for our brightest students?

Nadile said students with the means are opting to go elsewhere, which perhaps provides an interesting contrast to the big issue discussed lately on Patch and at a recent Board of Education meeting of nonresident students coming here.

If given the hard choice, Jennifer Green says she would have to opt to bolster academic programs over the arts and sports. One of her biggest wishes on that front: smaller class size.

Finally, John Paine weighed in that he would argue for bookended strengths: put our best resources into the kids starting out and concluding in the system. He wanted the most money and energy going into the pre-K, kindergarten and first grades, and then again through high school when students prepare for careers and college.

Watch each candidate discuss in these clips; more topics to come in further Patch Clips.

What do you think? Do you have kids in the system who aren't getting challenged enough or have you been satisfied with their education so far? Have you decided to enroll your child(ren) in other schools instead of our public schools or do you supplement their education through other programs? Share in the comments.

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