Katy Keohane Glassberg: Board of Ed Candidate
Today MyRye.com interviews Board of Education board candidate Katy Keohane Glassberg. Glassberg and Kendall Eganare running uncontested for the two open BOE board seats.
The vote for both open board seats and the school budget will be held next Tuesday, May 18, 2010. Polls are open from 7am to 9pm in the Rye Middle School Gym.
Your Name:Katy Keohane Glassberg
Why are you running for the Board of Ed?
Rye has excellent schools and we must work to maintain that quality of education, but we need to do so in a way that’s fiscally responsible and economically sustainable. I believe the District is headed in the right direction and I'd like to serve our community by taking part in the discussions, analysis and decision-making of the Board going forward.
What three things should every Rye voter know about your qualifications for serving on the Board of Education?
1. I’ve spent a great deal of time over the last eight years demonstrating my dedication to the Rye Schools by volunteering in lots of positions from Class Parent and Field Trip Chaperone to Book Fair, Gardening and Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Committee member; from Fair T-Shirt Chair to Character Education Committee and Silent Auction Co-Chair wrapping up most recently with a position on PTO Executive Board and then PTO Co-President.
2. I am an attorney.
3. I have lived in Rye for 14 years.
What should voters know about your track record at the BOE?
I have not been a Board of Ed member before but I have attended Board of Ed Meetings for the last three years as an interested parent and Milton PTO Co-President (for the last two) so I am pretty plugged in to what goes on in our District. I applaud the work this Board has done in delivering a very tight budget this year. Please do be sure to get out and vote on the School District Budget on Tuesday, May 18th at the Rye Middle School Gym!
What’s your day job?
I am fortunate that I am able to stay home with my kids. So given the ages of my kids now, as a friend of mine says, I work mostly the 3-11 shift: school pick-up – afternoon activities (orthodontist, little league, etc.) – homework and bedtime. After getting the kids off to school in the morning, I stay busy with PTO activities and the usual home and family stuff.
Do you have children in the Rye schools?
We have a 7th grader at the Middle School and a 4th grader at Milton.
Rye teachers have been without a contract since 2007. What is preventing an agreement between the BOE and the teachers?
Since negotiations have been kept confidential, I don’t know what the stumbling blocks are to an agreement. I think resolution of the teachers’ contract is the most important issue for the whole community. We need to find some common ground and reach an agreement that is both fair and economically sustainable. I offer fresh eyes and ears and my background as an attorney.
Who was your favorite teacher when you went to school?
This is a really hard question – I don’t think I can just pick one favorite! If absolutely pushed, I’d name two: Mr. Shepard, my second grade teacher, a 6’8” gentle giant who, with his humor and warmth, helped me overcome a pretty serious shyness issue and Gerry Dyer, my high school speech and drama teacher, who taught me how to figure out what I want to say and how I should say it. Everything these teachers taught me has come in handy every day of my life since.
How else are you active in Rye?
As a family, we’ve been members of the Nature Center and the Rye Free Reading Room. I participate on the Middle School/High School Caring Committee and am a member of the Middle School PO. We support the Rye Youth Council. I try to get to my son’s little league games and my husband Richy is one of the assistant coaches. I am in a book group, play a little tennis and a lot of fetch with our dog, Stilton.
Thanks Katy!
