Q&A with Vivek Kamath, Board of Education Candidate

Welcome to the MyRye.com Q&A series with your seven (7) board of education candidates. Seven candidates are running for two open seats. The seven candidates are James Culyer, Vivek Kamath, Pooja Kotecha, John Leonard, Petra Nemeth, Mia Schultz and Tom Stein.

Election ballots will be mailed to voters automatically. You do not need to submit an absentee ballot application for this election (you do need to submit an absentee ballot application for the June 23rd primary elections). Ballots must be received in the school district offices by 5pm on June 9, 2020.

You will be voting on the proposed school budget as well as the board of education candidates.

Today we are pleased to present the MyRye.com Q&A with board of education candidate Vivek Kamath:

Your Name: Vivek Kamath

MyRye.com: Why are you running for school board?

I am a strong proponent of the public education system and I want to build upon the success of Rye schools. I believe my expertise in finance and the education technology sector can be beneficial to the board as we navigate a new landscape post Covid-19. Over the next several years there will likely be many difficult decisions to be made regarding the budget and the prioritization of resources, and I believe my background will help solve these challenges and help create opportunities that everyone in the district will benefit from. This includes a commitment to providing effective professional development for our teachers, leveraging data and analytics to improve student achievement and increasing productivity within the schools through a deeper use of technology. I believe the best education system will benefit not only our children but everyone in Rye.

Why are you running for school board now?

I came across an ad in the local paper seeking candidates for the two open positions and I thought could leverage my domain expertise in education and finance to help the board and community solve the new challenges we will face in this post Covid 19 landscape.

Yes or No: did you support and vote for the $80 million school bond that passed in 2019?

Yes

Yes or No: do you support and plan to vote in favor of the current as-proposed school budget of $92 million going to vote on June 9th?

Yes

What are three ways Rye schools may need to adapt in the wake of COVID-19?

1. First and foremost, we will need to make students, teachers and parents feel comfortable that the school will be safe and conducive for a positive learning environment. We will need to have a flexible just in time plan that will account for the various scenarios that we will inevitably face. (e.g. temperature checks, reconfigure classrooms, alternative drop off schedules for pick up and drop off.)
2. We will need to implement a hybrid learning environment that includes distance learning that is effective, a modified blueprint for in classroom instruction, and a strong supplemental set of resources for students that require additional remediation or assistance.
3. We should provide parents with additional resources and assistance in the event children need to stay at home (access to library resources, project based learning activities, streamlined access to teacher created materials)

What are the three biggest opportunities / challenges facing the Rye schools over the next 3-5 years?

1. I believe implementing some of the best practices from the Challenge Success initiative the district initiated in 2018 is a great opportunity to create an atmosphere that is challenging and rigorous while maintaining a more balanced academic and personal environment for our students.
2. We have invested significant resources and capital into building a great school system with outstanding results, we should continue to take advantage of this foundation and invest in curriculum and extracurricular programs that align with 21st century skills requirements, (STEAM, Next Generation Science Standards, access to more AP courses)

What are the three biggest areas for cost containment with the Rye schools over the next 3-5 years?

1. The district should evaluate working with other districts in the state to create co-op purchasing opportunities to drive down costs in areas such as insurance, benefits and transportation costs.
2. The district should consider administrative back office technology solutions to help manage costs and improve efficiencies around areas such as physical plant, energy and maintenance.

What is your favorite book? 

Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Albom

What are you watching these days?

Homeland (Showtime)
Billions (Showtime)

How many years have you lived in Rye?

3

Thanks, Vivek!

Vivek Kamath’s social media:

LinkedIn
Twitter (n/a)
Facebook (n/a)

Official bio provided to MyRye.com:

Vivek Kamath has lived in Rye for 3 years. He has a young daughter that attends RPNS and his wife of almost 10 years is a pediatric gastroenterologist. Vivek is a Partner and Managing Director at Tyton Partners, a specialized advisory firm that serves clients across the education, information and media markets within the global knowledge sector. He has over 20 years of experience as an investment banker focused on representing clients in the for-profit and non-profit sector that serve the K-12, higher education and corporate training market segments. He holds a BS from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University. Vivek is an active member, speaker and participant in many of the leading education technology conferences in the world.