Ossining voters go to the polls on May 20 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Ossining High School gymnasium to decide on the proposed 2008-09 school budget. Three candidates are running for three seats on the school board. School board terms are three years.
Here’s a closer look at the candidates.

Amanda Curley
Amanda Curley has served on the Ossining school board for the past three years and has lived in the school district since 1992. Her three sons, Ben, Dylan and Scott graduated from the district in 1997, 1998 and 2001.

She works as the assistant director of school improvement for the Yonkers Public Schools and serves on the board of the Westchester-Putnam School Board Association and is a member of the New York State Education Department Academic Intervention Services (AIS) Committee.
“Our schools are for our children and also represent the voice of the community,” Curley said. “It is my understanding that the community wants us to be conservative and cautious as we construct our budget. We must respect their wishes while ensuring that we are offering the best we can for our children.”

Curley wants to view the programs in place through a more critical lens. “Our current goals have provided the opportunity for many students to excel. Yet not everyone has. Why? Additionally, why do we have students who are performing poorly? What isn't working for them?”

Lessening the cost of education for taxpayers is a continuing goal for her. She said the board needs to better understand whether or not the community has reached the point where the cost exceeds its capacity to pay.

Curley has two masters' degrees in education, one in curriculum and instruction, the second in school administration. She began as an educator 23 years ago as a United Nations ESL teacher working in a camp for Vietnamese refugees.

She has taught from 1st grade to adult night school, from teaching students to teaching teachers, teaching in both parochial and public schools.

Charles Cooks
Charles Cooks has lived in the school district for four years. He works as a senior procurement manager with Deloitte & Touche. Cooks has been very active and involved in various education related activities.

He was a founding member and now serves as vice chairman of Ossining Parents Advocating Collectively for our Children (OPACC) and was a member of the Roosevelt School Parent Advisory Council from 2005 to 2006 among other service. His son Kellen is in the first grade at Park School.

“I possess a strong belief in community involvement and participation, and education has always been a passion and priority to me and my family as exemplified by my background,” Cooks said.

Cooks has a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and a minor in business administration from Penn State, and an MBA from Yale School of Management. He served on the Ossining Elementary Enrichment committee from 2005 to 2007.
His 18 years as a supply chain manager, management consultant and strategic planner provides varied experience base to draw upon in addressing the many complex issues and opportunities facing the Ossining school district.

He plans to provide a voice for some under represented groups on the board such as minorities and parents of children at the early elementary level.

“My wife and I chose to live in Ossining because of its cultural diversity and solid educational offerings for our son. Becoming a school board trustee will enable me to play a role in helping others see Ossining as a destination,” Cooks said.

Alice Joselow
Alice Joselow is a third-term Board of Education member seeking a fourth term. She has many years of community and civic experience, including serving as the Board of Education president from 2007 to 2008.

She is currently the School Board liaison to the Ossining Public Library, PTA Council, the Ossining Teachers Association Staff Development Center and the Discipline Committee. She is a founding board member of Ossining MATTERS educational foundation.
Joselow has lived in the school district for 19 years. Two of her children attend Ossining High School and her third graduated and is currently a sophomore at Harvard. She works as the coordinator of Ossining Communities That Care.

“I have had the honor and the privilege of serving on the board of education for the past nine years,” Joselow said. “As such, I have the knowledge and the experience to hit the ground running. I am also a strong community advocate. Hence I bring a long track record of promoting collaborations and partnerships between and amongst the schools and other community organizations.”

Among her goals are increasing the public perception of the Ossining schools. “There are so many things that we can be proud of – we must publicize the positive achievements of our schools.” She also wants to balance the needs of the students, faculty and staff while being sensitive to the taxpayer and improve the academic achievement of all students.