Board of Education

Board of Education

A Message from the BOE President

On behalf of the Board of Education, welcome to the 2007-2008 school year. The start of the school year is a time for new beginnings as well as new challenges. As the Board of Education sets goals for the year, we will share them here. Until then, thank you for visiting our website. Thank you for choosing us to represent you and the students of the district. Most importantly, thank you for taking an interest in your child's education.

You probably know that leading a school district is an arduous, demanding challenge. The Board of Education strives to provide the students of the Hyde Park Central School District with the best quality education with the resources available. As all of us struggle with the manner in which schools are funded, we continually search for ways to improve our schools. We are committed to employing the best administrators, teachers and staff that we can afford to pay. Our superintendent, Carole Pickering and her team formally evaluate every employee of the district. Those employees who are not members of collective bargaining unions receive pay raises only if their performance proves worthy of merit. Every dollar the district spends is scrutinized and considered. We have an audit committee in place comprised of district employees, Board of Education members and community volunteers. Checks and balances are in place to ensure that all money is closely accounted for.

As we celebrate the kick off of a new school year, notice the improvements in all our schools. For the third summer in a row, projects were done in all school buildings. This is only possible through the support of our local taxpayers. This year, we were fortunate enough to pass the EXCEL (Expanding Our Children's Education & Learning) bond which enabled the district to make improvements at no cost to the taxpayers. As we move forward, the board through the dedicated work of the Facilities Steering Forum, has a facilities plan in place. With a plan for the future, we need your support to provide suitable facilities for our students. Join us in preserving the beautiful historic buildings we have while meeting the needs of tomorrow's students.

The Board of Education is always interested in parent and community member input. Board meetings are typically held the second and fourth Thursday of the month. Check the website for information or contact the District Clerk, Deborah Reutzel at 845-229-4005. We encourage you to get involved in your child's education. Show an interest in their friends and activities. It is only through all of our efforts, that our children will succeed.

Sharon Matyas

President, Hyde Park Central School District Board of Education

Description

The Board of Education consists of seven unsalaried, uncompensated individuals who are elected by the community for staggered three-year terms. Under the Education Law of NYS, the Board is a corporate body responsible for the education of students who attend the schools of the district; for the preparation of the annual budget; for district adherence to state law and State Education Department regulations; for the establishment of policies; and for the adoption of regulations concerning the conduct of the public schools. The Superintendent of Schools, is charged with the administration of Board policies,

The Board meets regularly on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month at 7:00 pm. All Board meetings are open to the public and district residents are urged to attend these meetings to be better informed about the operation of the school district. The meeting on the second Thursday of each month, beginning in October, will be held at one of the schools (consult the monthly calendar for these locations or call the District Clerk at ). The meeting on the fourth Thursday will be held at the District Offices ( 11 Boice Road, Hyde Park, NY ) unless specified differently.

The Board policy on public participation at meetings specifies that district residents or employees may publicly address the Board. Non-residents may do so in writing through the District Clerk. If a speaker wishes to present materials, they should be given to the Clerk for distribution. Written communication can be addressed to the Board at the following address:

HPCSD Board of Education,
PO Box 2033
Hyde Park, NY 12538-8033

At times, the meetings of the Board may be held in a location which is not easily accessible to the handicapped. If you have a question about accessibility, please call . If an individual cannot easily reach the proposed room, a new location will be established at an accessible site.

HPCSD BOE Goals 2007-2008 School Year

Adopted by the Board of Education: November 8, 2007

Academics

• By january 31st, develop a district-wide assessment tool that is capable of measuring the state of the district and a plan to deploy it.
• To strengthen the links among the board special education committee, the strategic planning committee, special education task force and special education department to improve student achievement.

Board Operations

• To begin work on a board operations document that captures board processes.

Budget

• To improve communication with the entire community that encourages the budget passage on the first vote.

Community

• To find new ways to reach the public.

Facilities

• To continue with our facilities plans and present information to the community on phases 2A and 2B.
• To pass referendums for phases 2A and 2B on December 13, 2007.

Personnel

• To create a human resources department that meets the needs of the district.

Policy

• To review all board policies on a 3 year cycle.

Board of Education Members

Board of Education Members 2006-2007

Member	Address	Phone	Term	Subcommittees
Sharon Matyas President	8 Spruce Road Hyde Park 12538	229-0463	2007-2010	Comprehensive Health Advisory Special Education Liaison to HPUE Clerical Liaison to HPAA Building Principals
Dan Duffy Vice-president	3 Albie Drive Hyde Park 12538	229-5378	2007-2010	Audit Personnel Special Education Liaison to HPUE Instructional Employees Liaison to ASPRN Employees (Nurses)
Doug Hieter Trustee	68 Rogers Road Hyde Park 12538	229-9606	2005-2008	Academic Audit Board Policy Board/Staff Communication Dutchess Co. School Boards Association Technology Liaison to Managerial Staff
Stephen Hughes Trustee	3 Hill & Hollow Road Hyde Park 12538	229-5660	2006-2009	Academic Board Policy Community Forum District Level Team Liaison Facilities Technology Liaison to HPAA District Office Administrators
Tim Liebrand Trustee	3 Mountain View Road Staatsburg 12580	889-8846	2007-2010	Academic Board/Staff Communication Federal Liaison Liaison to CSEA Custodial Staff Liaison to CSEA Transportation Staff
Sharon Myers Trustee	2 Melville Rd Hyde Park 12538	473-7146	2006-2009	Board/Staff Communication Community Forum Comprehensive Health Advisory Personnel Liaison to HPTA Employees Liaison to Confidential/Managerial Confidential Staff
Glenn Watson Trustee	40 Hudson Drive Hyde Park 12538	229-2041	2005-2008	Community Forum Facilities Personnel Liaison to CSEA Facilities Staff Liaison to CSEA Food Service Staff
District Clerk
Treasurer

Subcommittees

Committees meet as needed.

Staff Liaisons

Liaisons are board members designated to focus on the issues and perspective on the school district of a specific group of employees.

Board of Education Member Statements

The following statements are the personal opinion of the Board of Education and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Board or the District.

Daniel M. Duffy and his wife live on Albie Drive in Hyde Park. His eight children have all gone through the Hyde Park school system. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Manhattan College and attended graduate courses at Syracuse University and Union College. Mr. Duffy was employed as a Design Engineer with IBM for 32 years and as a substitute teacher in the Hyde Park Central School District for three years. He is currently retired.

His community activities include: Hyde Park Board of Education, where he now serving as Vice-President, former Coach for CYO basketball at Regina Coeli Church, Hyde Park Baseball and HydePark Soccer; former Treasurer of the Haviland PTA.

"I am seeking re-election to the Hyde Park Central School District Board of Education, where I currently serve as Vice-President. These past three years have been an intensive education in the operation of a public school system. I feel that this experience, as well as that gained while working as a substitute teacher for three years, will be of great value to the school district as we move forward.

Serving as both an officer in the Haviland PTA and a member of the F.D. Roosevelt High School Building Level Team and District Technology Committees, I have seen first hand the needs and wants of our district. During my current term I have been a member of the Personnel Committee, the Special Education Committee, the Technology Committee, and the newly formed Academic Standards Committee. The Board during this time has moved forward in defining the mission of how our children are to be educated, in expanding the educational background of our teachers and providing a sound budgeting process.

I will continue to draw on my personal experience of having eight children educated in Hyde Park. I believe that their participation in athletics, music, student government, SES programs, and honor courses was an integral part of their education. This broad-based education served them well as they went on to college. I will continue to work to assure all our students have this same opportunity for growth.

I believe the next three years are critical to the future of our district. The decisions made regarding the funding of increased state mandates and the change in our facilities will shape our district for the next decade. I want to represent your interests as these decisions are made."

Douglas H. Hieter resides with his family at 68 Rogers Road in Hyde Park. Currently he has one child attending elementary school and one child in the high school. He also has two other children who have graduated from the Hyde Park School system. Mr. Hieter graduated from Garden City High School (Garden City, Long Island), Class of 1958 and from Muhlenberg College (Allentown, PA) Class of 1962 with a BA in Psychology. Mr. Hieter served in the United States Air Force from 1962-1965 as an Aircraft ground control officer IBM SAGE System with a Medical Discharge. He has been employed by the IBM Corporation since 1966 as an Advisory Software Engineer. Positions held include: system programming for both large and medium systems, medical, banking and manufacturing application programming, display architecture, host system tools, and workstation tool development/deployment.

Mr. Hieter's community activities include: Member of Board of Directors-SpaceShip Discovery Science Center, volunteer for Dutchess County Coalition for the Homeless: IBM volunteer as Hyde Park School District coordinator for National Engineering Week. Member of the Hyde Park School District Technology Committee. Member of the Netherwood Elementary School Technology Committee. Active in the Reformed Dutch Church of Hyde Park. Served as Deacon of the Blue Mountain Reformed Dutch Church for 8 years. Past president of the Nine Partners Lions Club. Pee Wee Baseball and Soccer assistant Coach.

"I believe that a quality education is one of the most important 'gifts' we can give our children. It is the rock upon which their future is built. These are very challenging times and the Hyde Park School District must be ready to meet these challenges. The school infrastructure is badly in need of upgrade and repair. Overcrowded classrooms are the norm and not the exception. The new Regents requirements are an additional strain on our administrators and teachers. Budget constraints threaten valuable programs. I believe I have both the temperament and the experience to help meet these challenges and to insure that our children get the best education possible. I would like to see more community involvement in the budget process. I would like to see more partnerships with local colleges and businesses. As a computer professional, I would like to see technology become more integrated into the classroom curriculum. And lastly, I would like to be an advocate for the gifted and talented students in our district."

Stephen C. Hughes resides at 3 Hill & Hollow Road in Hyde Park with his wife and two children: one in the middle school and one in the high school. Mr. Hughes graduated from Poughkeepsie High School, Class of 1971; with a BSEE from Clarkson College of Technology in 1975; and, a MSEE from Stanford University in 1976. He is employed as a software engineer with IBM and is currently employed as the Town of Hyde Park Webmaster. Community activities include: past Pack 80 Cub Scout Den Leader, BSA Troop 37 (Hyde Park) committee member, GSA Troop 98 (Hyde Park) adult member, National Engineering Week participant and a volunteer for the Netherwood Ice Cream Social Dunk 'O Rama. He is a Hyde Park Board of Education Trustee, a member of the Hyde Park Central School District Technology Committee and is the Hyde Park Central School District Webmaster.

"In the past three years our district has made strides toward the two primary goals I had when I first ran for the Board of Education in 2000: improving communication with community members and integrating technology into the academic and administrative aspects of district operations. However, we have not made as much progress as I would like to have seen. In the area of communication, our Community Forum this past January was well-received, but the Board of Education needs to demonstrate that it heard and will be guided by the discussion that occurred during the forum. I would like to see the forum become an annual event, but more importantly, I would like community input to be a more formal component than simply allowing public comment at BOE meetings. We need to establish subcommittees on a more regular basis and actively solicit community members with the appropriate expertise and interest to serve on those subcommittees.

We are woefully behind in our commitment to technology in our district. Aside from enhancing the attractiveness of our district to both prospective residents and employees, a solid technology infrastructure can deliver improved quality at reduced cost for both our academic program and the administration of our district. Reduced paper, reduced wait time for documents (both classroom documents and office documents) and the ability to share resources are all potential efficiencies. Because the technology infrastructure (by this I mean the hardware components such as computers and networks and using technology to deliver instruction and run the district) affects and is affected by so many different areas, we need someone whose responsibility is solely the technology, how to implement it, how to maintain it and how to incorporate it efficiently into all the areas where it can provide benefits.

I realize that these are not the only issues that will face next year's Board of Education, but these two, if solved properly, have the potential to lay the foundation for making other issues easier to solve."

I sought election to the Hyde Park Central School District Board of Education to change the atmosphere that currently existed. I have noticed that both the Administration and the Board of Education that oversees them have turned a deaf ear to the members of the community that they serve. The Board of Education appears to work for the Administration instead of the Administration working for the Board of Education. Both are supposed to work for us but don't.

I am tired of the "blame game" that the reason for huge tax increases is the fault of "Albany" but gives their administrator huge double digit raises while cutting services for the students that they apparently forget that they serve.

I am tired of the atmosphere where more money every year is spent outside the classroom then inside the classroom. I am tired of being told that to save money we must hire someone in a new position. I am tired of hearing how great we are doing but unable to prove it in state standardized scores. I am tired of the Administration and the Board feeling that are above the rest whether its staff members or the public. It's time for change.

Sharon Matyas

Sharon Matyas lives on Spruce Road in Hyde Park with her family. She has 2 children at Hyde Park Elementary. A native of New Jersey, she graduated from the Academy of St. Elizabeth's and earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Bryant College in Smithfield, Rhode Island in 1990. For the last 10 years, Ms. Matyas has been the Special Events & Community Relations Manager at The Culinary Institute of America. She is involved with the Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce and the Poughkeepsie Area Chamber of Commerce as well as the local sports leagues.

"I sought election to the Hyde Park Board of Education because I believe every child deserves an equal opportunity to an exemplary and complete education. My goals are:

1. To maintain and develop high-quality staff and administrators whose primary concern is the achievement and well-being of all students.
2. To assist in the implementation of a strategic plan to get current facilities to a safe and acceptable level while looking ahead to the future needs of the district.
To maintain an open and honest relationship with the local community so everyone understands the importance of investing in education while keeping expenses in check.

With these thoughts and more, I look forward to serving the community and making the Hyde Park Central School District better than its ever been.

Sharon Myers

Ms. Myers was born and raised in Hyde Park as were my parents. She graduated from FDR and Dutchess County BOCES CTI, obtaining a Cosmetology license in 1984. She attended Dutchess Community College (Business Administration)and Suny Oswego.(Vocational Education - New York State Public Teacher Certification) Her husband Scott, works for the Highway Department in Hyde Park and they stay very active with their two sons, Craig who attends FDR and Tyler who attends NES. Both of their children participate in sports and have shown an interest in art and music.

In 2006, Ms. Myers went back into business for herself. She had been in business before and was successful. In the past she taught Cosmetology and is a substitute Teacher at Dutchess CTI. She intends on getting back into education in the near future. Her activities include NES PTA where she has held two board seats over the years and now stays very active. She is also on the board of Hyde Park Little League.

"In serving on the School Board for Hyde Park I would like to see more community involvement in all aspects of "our" children's education. Education is the only way to ensure a future and our children are our future. They deserve the best individualized education that "we " can give them. I believe that we need to continue to address the facilities of our school district and that we forge forward to extend to our students, our children, our grandchildren the opportunities that they deserve. I also see the need to encourage the residents to write to Albany and see that the money in New York State is allocated properly and that the educational mandates that they set forth have financial backing.

I want to convey my personal thanks to everyone of you who voted for me, I deeply appreciate your confidence in me and will do my best for the students, residents(tax payers), personnel and all whom I represent on the school board. Let us "ALL" work together to educate the students in the Hyde Park Central School District."

Glenn Watson is a graduate of North Park Elementary, Haviland Middle, FD Roosevelt, Nasson College, Technical Career School - Associate of Applied Science

He has worked as an HVAC Tech at Port Authority of NY-NJ, Temp Control Tech at Westchester University and is currently self employed at Watson Temp Control

Mr Watson is a USA Swimming Official.

A school district that provides a quality education assists not only our children but our community. I believe that a quality school district is essential in attracting and retaining taxpayers in the area. As such we need qualified and motivated teachers and administrators; programs which reflect changing technologies; opportunities for students to participate in the arts and sports and safe and maintained facilities.

At this time, the board is working on a comprehensive plan to provide the adequate space for the growing student population which is a critical issue facing our district. This was also a critical issue in the 1970's when the board had to make decisions about meeting the growing needs of the district. As a graduate of the Hyde Park Central School District during this time period, I bring a rich history and perspective to the board.

I sought re-election to the Hyde Park Central School District Board of Education so that I can continue to use my experience and knowledge to assist in creating and maintaining a district which strives for excellence.

11 Boice Road
Hyde Park, NY 12538
(845) 229-4000
For Emergency Information (845) 229-4001
District Fax: 229-4056
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