By Art Cusano

Two candidates will vie for a single seat on the Putnam Valley School Board when voters go to polls on May 20. Valerie Fitzgerald, co-president of the PTA, is challenging incumbent board member Marie Zarcone.
Here’s what the candidates had to say about the issues:

Marie Zarcone
Marie Zarcone is the owner and director of the Putnam Valley Medical Center. She is a former English teacher and also wrote for several women’s magazines. Zarcone is a 40-year resident of Putnam Valley seeking a second three-year term on the board.

Zarcone was formerly the school board liaison for shared services, a member of the Putnam Valley Business association and the president of the Putnam Valley Concerned Taxpayers group. She was also the first woman to serve in the Putnam County Legislature.

“My main goal is keeping taxes down,” Zarcone said. “We must raise academic standards and keep taxes low.” She said she was proud that the board kept the school budget as low as it did and also favored the proposed Cahill Bill, which would tie taxes to income instead of property value.

Zarcone sang the praises of two programs the district has seen implemented under her watch. “Tech Path,” a system that helped teachers track the curriculum online and “curriculum mapping,” a program that allows instructors teaching different grades to know what was taught in previous grades and how prepared the students are.

Zarcone also said the pairing of younger teachers with a mentor teacher has been a great success for the district, giving neophyte teachers guidance and saving the district money.
Zarcone also said she hopes the district can cut costs by sharing services and hopes to find ways to increase the revenue stream by renting school space at night to tenants, such as local community colleges.

Valerie Fitzgerald
Valerie Fitzgerald, co-owner of a plumbing and heating company and a former registered nurse, seeks her first term as a member of the Putnam Valley school board. She is the current co-president of the Putnam Valley PTSA and has three children currently in the school district.
Fitzgerald grew up in Putnam Valley and said she moved back to the town because she loved the community. She was formerly involved in the steering committee of the school board and the budget advisory committee.

“I am an involved parent, and when parents partner with children they do well,” Fitzgerald said.
“I understand the tough economic times we’re headed into,” she said. “I understand finding balance between kids and taxes. I believe in fiscal responsibility and working with the community. All I want is to get the correct info out there so people can make the right decisions.”

Fitzgerald praised the academic standards of the district, and was particularly proud of the laptop initiative which gives every Putnam Valley student a laptop computer, calling it a “wonderful tool to help the learning process.”

Fitzgerald was also proud that Putnam Valley is one of the few districts that use continuity maps, or curriculum maps, that are implemented by the district. They allow teachers and parents to see what is taught at each grade and what students are expected to know.