School Election Guide 2023: Yorktown Board Of Education Candidates

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article has been modified from its original version to include a statement from Conrad McKenzie, the fourth candidate for the Yorktown Board of Education. Patch was initially given an outdated email address for McKenzie, and as a result, he was not aware of the deadline for submission of a candidate statement.

YORKTOWN, NY — When voters in the Yorktown school district go to the polls to decide on the $115 million budget for 2023-24, they will also be voting for school board candidates.

There are two seats that are open for full three-year terms. That includes a vacant seat that resulted from the March 1 resignation of Anthony D’Alessandro.

Voters may cast ballots for up to two trustee candidates.

When the votes are counted, the highest vote-getter who is not an incumbent will be elected to the vacant seat and is eligible to join the board immediately following the certification of the results.

Four candidates are running for the two openings. In alphabetical order, they are:

• Ron Fedele
• Michael Magnani
• Conrad D. McKenzie
• Catalina Tyndal

Patch invited all four candidates to submit statements about why they are running and provide some biographical information.

Here are the responses that were submitted by the deadline for publication.

Ron Fedele

I have lived in the town of Yorktown for over 40 years. Currently, I reside in Mohegan Lake with my wife Stephanie, my two sons (Vincenzo, 10 – 4th at Crompond & Domenick, 15 – 10th at YHS) and my 96-year "young" mother. I hold two NYS Teaching Certifications and have over 35 years of educational experience in a wide range of school-based and private settings helping a gamut of students, many with learning differences. Most of my free time is devoted to the PTA: I currently serve as Co-President of the Crompond PTA and President of the District PTSA. My work schedule has afforded me the privilege of serving as a PTA President 11 times over the last 10 years. I have also recently started coaching baseball again and love to be back on the field with the kids! Please visit www.RonFedeleforBOE.com for more information about my candidacy.

“Building on success while committed to transparency and oversight”

I am confident that my experiences have made me a highly qualified candidate for the Board of Education. To quote several people in this district: I have an impeccable reputation. I am humbled by the fact that multiple people have told me that they have been waiting for me to run for years and are thrilled to finally be able to vote for me.

I have been deeply moved by the kind words at Board of Education meetings when my volunteer service has been recognized. The best thank you, however, has always been the smiles and laughter of children at events that I have organized.

I am running for a seat on the YCSD Board of Education to serve the community and support our children — which I have been honored to do for many years through the PTA and other organizations. Serving on the Board of Education will afford me the greatest platform yet to enact positive change in our district.

For 10+ years I have worked closely with teachers and staff, building principals, our administrators, and the superintendent to bring safe, educational, and fun events to the schools. I look forward to continuing to work with our educators and superintendent to develop goals and policies that create a comprehensive action plan to guide the district toward continuing success and ensure our students have access to their strongest educational foundation in a safe and accepting environment.

I am profoundly committed to fiscal responsibility and cognizant of the tremendous responsibility of balancing a $110+ million budget. I will ensure YCSD's budget remains below the NYS Tax Cap and the District maintains its AA+ credit rating. In addition, I will strive to enhance transparency and public communication district-wide to strengthen trust and community involvement.

My name will be in Position #4 on the ballot — you can vote for TWO candidates. I thank you in advance!

Michael Magnani

I am a 50-year resident of Yorktown and my 3 children graduated from YHS. I have 3 grandchildren and the oldest is currently a student at Brookside Elementary School. I have been a board trustee since 2006, Vice-President since 2016, chair of the Fiscal Advisory Committee, involved in the Steering Committee and a member of the District Emergency Response Team. I have spent 33 years in the financial services industry as a Certified Financial Planner and I am Managing Principal of my own firm.

During my tenure as trustee, the district has earned many prestigious recognitions, including National Blue Ribbon Award, Newsweek’s Top Stem High School, US News & World Report’s America’s Best High Schools, National School District of Character, NYS Education Department Award for School Academic Excellence, Champions of Change, and National Promising Practice for ESTEAM. Our focus on educating the whole child supports award-winning and extraordinary sports and arts programs. We continue to expand our curriculum offerings to include courses in engineering, data sciences, app development and architecture. We have accomplished this while maintaining a fiscally sound budget, maintaining annual tax rate increases below the tax cap every year and earning an AA+ credit rating from Standard and Poor’s.

Over the past 17 years we have significantly upgraded all buildings and grounds. More efficient lighting, air conditioning in large spaces and classrooms, new athletic fields and bleachers, a beautiful main auditorium, a completely redesigned high school gymnasium, district wide wi-fi and technology upgrades are just a few of the many projects we have accomplished.

One of the biggest challenges we face as a society is protecting ourselves and our children. I remain fully committed to the safety and security of our district. Yorktown has been on the leading edge of school safety initiatives for many years, and we continue to invest in technology and personnel to ensure the safety of our students and staff. This year we are adding two additional School Resource Officers (SRO) to support Mohansic and Brookside Elementary Schools. SROs will now provide on-site support for our emergency response teams in each of our schools. In addition, SROs assist with ongoing safety training for our staff and review security enhancements on all our campuses.

I am a firm believer, and beneficiary, of public education. Our ability to provide outstanding opportunities for all students to learn and grow, while remaining sensitive to taxpayer needs, truly sets Yorktown apart.

I look forward to continuing working with my fellow trustees, the administration, faculty, and staff to continue to advance the excellence of Yorktown.

Conrad McKenzie

My name is Conrad McKenzie, I am 44 years old. I live in Yorktown Heights with my amazing wife and my two beautiful children, one of whom attends Mohansic Elementary School, and the other in preschool.

I hold a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and help manage and oversee a successful family business.

I appreciate and have a family full of public servants which include teachers, guidance counselors and a principal. I have served as a firefighter for over 17 years with the FDNY and its Special Operations Command.

I am running for the YCSD School Board of Education because I am passionate about Yorktown, our education, the entire community being heard, the needs of our residents and the safety and health of our children. I want to help ensure that the District has the trust of the community.

The points I will be focusing on are:

• School safety and transparency
• Teacher support
• Allowing all of the community to have a voice
• Responsible budgeting and allocation of resources
• Balanced, fair and independent execution of Board duties

I can and will provide independent and fair execution of my role on the Board. I do not have any pre-existing relationships which could in fact and do in appearance cloud balanced judgment. Board members must commit to avoid any situations which may call into question the integrity of the management or operation of the entire District to promote public confidence and achieve district goals.

The Yorktown School District has an annual budget of over 100 million dollars. The sound management of the District is paramount to sufficiently support our teachers and afford the opportunity for all students to achieve at the highest possible level while keeping a responsible eye on the community tax burden.

I feel it is imperative that Board members have business experience and business acumen. I bring to the table a degree in business administration, a history of successfully managing a family business and over 17 years of public service as a firefighter.

The Board of Education must oversee and manage the community’s public school system and ensure the public schools are responsive to the needs of the entire community and our District staff. I am accustomed to being amongst the community and listening intently throughout my public service. I look forward to the opportunity to bridge the gap between the community and the Board. Listening should often be our first step. We must listen to our seniors, guardians, teachers, district staff and our students closely.

I am a calm consensus builder, I do not have pre-existing relationships which could cloud judgment and destroy public trust, I possess business acumen, I am emotionally intelligent and have a passion to serve ALL our community members and district employees. I am well poised to execute sound decision-making on behalf of our community and its voice. I will work hard for our community. I believe in Yorktown and all we are and can be; together. Together with capable, intelligent, fair, balanced, ethical and representative thinking for the greater good.

Please follow me on Facebook to hear more about my thoughts and views and how I can help Yorktown succeed. You can find more info and updates on Facebook at “Conrad McKenzie for YCSD School Board.”

Catalina Tyndal

Why Do I Want To Run?

I would like to introduce myself as a candidate for trustee member of the Yorktown Central School District Board of Education. My name is Catalina Tyndal and I am running to make a difference.

I have been a resident of Yorktown Heights since 2010 with my husband of 17 years, John Tyndal, a Police Detective in Westchester County. We have three children; our eldest, John, is a 10th grader at YHS, our son, Jayden, is a 9th grader and our daughter, Sofia, is a 4th grader at Crompond Elementary School. The strong sense of community and the reputation of the Yorktown Central School District makes me proud to be raising our children in Yorktown Heights.

I hold a dual certification in general education and special education birth-8th grade. I began my career as an ABA therapist over 15 years ago. In 2009, I became a special education teacher in the NYC Department of Education, District 75. Since 2013, I have been a K-5 special education teacher in Bronxville Elementary School. I also serve as Bronxville’s Districtwide Crisis Prevention Intervention Trainer.

I am an active member of the PTA. I have served as chair for Crompond fright night and currently co-chairing the KJK play at Crompond. Last year, I also co-chaired the eighth grade dance and facilitated fundraisers throughout the year to lower costs for the 8th grade families.

For the past two years I have worked alongside amazing parents in multiple sports as a team mom. As a football team mom, you can find me under the Friday night lights in the food truck at Yorktown High School. I am also a team mom for cross country, track and field and JV lacrosse. I have also been a YAC Cheer coach for the past 5 years.

My experience as a special education teacher for over 15 years makes me uniquely qualified to serve on the board. I understand the challenges that teachers and students face every day and want to continue to build upon the excellent work of the district teachers, administrators and the Board of Education. I am dedicated to ensuring that all students receive a high quality educational experience and that teachers have the support they need to serve our kids.

As a mother of three YCSD students, I understand the importance of listening to students and their families, and will work in partnership with everyone on the Board and in the community to navigate challenges and help our children be successful in the never-ending evolution of education.

I believe that I can be a valuable resource to the school board because I understand education. If I am elected to the board, I will be listening and learning from the faculty, staff, other school board members and most importantly, the community to determine how I can help educate all children. I promise to work hard, my passion is education.