Somers Board Of Education Position Paper for Candidate McPartlan-Hurson

By Mary J. "Maureen" McPartlan-Hurson

Academic Performance, Discipline/ Schools and Buses, Budgetary Line Item Transparency

Analysis, Efficiency, Transparency, Answers
1.) Academics--Standards of Excellence
2.) Safety First--Student Harassment District Policy- 3x Rule-expulsion from district bus/school
3.) District Fiscal Responsibility
4.) Professional Staff Ethical Conduct. No more excuses: "We'll have to agree to disagree," or "I'm sorry we failed to meet the needs of your child; there's always private school," and "Why are you the only one complaining?" We need answers.

Why, with an $80 million dollar budget, are our H.S. students the lowest performers on the N.Y.S. English and Math Regents in Northern Westchester? N.Y.S. District Report Card Comprehensive Information Report for 2006-2007: % of all students scoring 85 or better:

District H.S./ English/ Math

• Somers H.S./ 50/ 42
• North Salem/ 71/
• John Jay/Katonah/ 69/ 78
• Pleasantville/ 65/ 66
• Yorktown H.S./ 63/ 70
• Walter Panas H.S./ 57/ 48
• Lakeland/ 53/ 56

Immediate Review of District Mgt.:
1.)District Office/Bailey Court Rent -$240,000 a year! Find Free Campus Space/ Get a Trailer/Use useless acoustic stage in M.S. Gym
2.)Clarity in District Budgetary Line Items/Perks/Salary Freezes?/ Rent/Cnslt. Fees
3.)Managerial Qualifications Review and Policy Directives (10 yrs. Classroom mgt. exp. All Adm. , K-12). All Adm. Staff teach 1 course each.
4.)Establish Parent/Teacher Relationship-Institute Report card night for every report card . None exists for grades 6-12.

Somers Central School District Budget Vote/ Board of Ed. Elections Election Day-May 19, 2009 Debate May 11. 7:30 in M.S.

Experience:

• Professor of English (S.U.N.Y.) SR. ADJ.
• District English Consultant (B.O.C.E.S.)
• Hudson Rvr. Teachers' Ctr. Tcher. Instrtr.(B.O.C.E.S.)
• Wife/Mother of three children in Somers Schools
• N.Y.C. J.H.S. English Teacher (So. Bx. 8yrs.)
• Elctd School Bsed-Mgt. Rep./ Dsrt. 10, Bx., N.Y.
• Corporate Editor/Writer
• Global Scientific Research Data Editor/N.A.S.A.
• Newspaper Managing Editor/Writer
• Film Critic
• Fresh Air Fund Trip Coordinator
• Newspaper Columnist 2000-2009:
• Journal News
• a.k.a. Abigail Winston "On the Homefront" Columns: Pkskl Crtlndt Herald/ No. Cty. News

• N.Y.S. Permanent Certification English, 7-12, 1993
• Paralegal, 1985
• Court Appointed Guardian, 2008
• St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church Parishioner
• Member N.C.T.E. (National Council of Teachers of English)

• Boy Scouts of America--Cub Scout Den Leader, 2001-2006
• P.T.A. Mini-Grant Chair, S.I.S., 2001-2002
• P.T.A. Mini-Grant Chair, S.M.S., 2001-2002
• Boy Scout Troop 228 Committee Member--Publicity, 2006-Present.