The following is a board of education candidate statement from Ray Schmitt. What do you think of Ray Schmitt as a candidate? Please leave your comments below.
Shortly after moving to Rye in 2002, I began attending Board of Education meetings, at times sharing my views on school budgets and other topics. From 2004 – 2008 I served as a volunteer on BOE committees. Over these four years we analyzed the district’s budget, recommended changes to clarify budget presentations, and reviewed bond issuance and refinancing alternatives. With an engineering degree from MIT, an MBA from Columbia University, 23 years of experience at JPMorganChase, and 4 years of school district committee experience, I feel prepared to manage the challenges our district faces. I will stay true to our mission by focusing on every child, ensuring equitable consideration across schools, abilities, genders, and needs. I will strive to manage budget growth at trend levels below those of recent years. I will actively plan for the bubble of students approaching middle/high school in a sensible manner. I will encourage the “greening” of our infrastructure, reinvesting generated savings for necessary capital improvements. In this manner I hope to foster the ideal environment for our professional educators to do their best and our children to flourish.
Ray has a proven track record with his experience serving on both the Finance and Budget boards of RCSD. He personifies all the qualities we need for a canditate for the BOE. Give him your vote on May 19th.
Absolutely spot on, Cliona. AND Ray is the only non-incumbent who apparently feels that the budget is sufficiently important to show up at an actual budget hearing and speak his piece. None of the others have done that.