To the editor:
When things are going well, it’s important to keep your foot on the gas.
For that reason, and in the strongest possible terms, I write this letter to respectfully encourage my neighbors to vote for the reelection of Ian Rowe and Michael Owen-Michaane to the Pelham Board of Education.
By brief way of background, I previously served as a trustee on our board of education for three years. Prior to that, I served for several years on the Pelham Citizens Nominating Committee (CNC), which is designed to help recruit and vet school board candidates.
As election day approaches, I think it is important to step back and remember that just three short years ago—before Rowe and Owen-Michaane were elected—our school district was in a remarkably different place. Among other things, Covid-19 had severely disrupted learning in our district, board transparency was at an all-time low and divisive national political issues had muscled their way into the administration of our school system. Making matters worse, it seemed, at least to many of us, that the district leadership was not properly focused on core educational priorities—with little attempt to refocus at the board level.
I don’t miss that time. I don’t think any of us do.
Our community responded by electing Rowe and Owen-Michaane. We were right to do so.
Without doubt, I think most in our community would agree that our district has come a long way since those troublesome days and that we are in a much better place on many fronts. But that did not happen by accident. It was the result of leadership. Deliberate and thoughtful leadership by Rowe and Owen-Michaane.
Take the issue of transparency—a core value in Pelham. Just two years ago, the board and superintendent were still uniformly refusing to answer questions from community members during the public comment section of board meetings. Parents were often forced to wait hours, on school nights, to speak before an unresponsive board and administration. Stunningly, parents were even chastised at these meetings when they dared to applaud speakers who criticized board decisions. Hardly an ideal state of affairs for a robust and engaged community like Pelham.
Upon being elected president and vice president of the board, Owen-Michaane and Rowe immediately reversed this detrimental approach in order to encourage community engagement with the board. Anyone who has watched these meetings understands that they are now vastly different—and vastly improved. There are, of course, still some situations where the board cannot respond for legal reasons or because it is still gathering information and formulating a response, but that is a far cry from where we were previously.
The above is just one small example of how Rowe and Owen-Michaane have helped us set a new and more positive course. There are many, many others.
While I fully support Rowe and Owen-Michaane, I am compelled to note that after watching the recent candidates forum, it is abundantly clear that the two challengers are smart, caring residents who are interested in improving our district. I applaud them for having the courage to run and thank them for doing so.
However, I think the debate made clear that Rowe and Owen-Michaane have an extraordinary level of experience—both because of their accomplished professional lives and especially because of their time on the board—that would be difficult to replace. I encourage everyone to watch the debate and am confident that you will arrive at a similar conclusion.
Indeed, it is critical to remember that Rowe and Owen-Michaane are the two most seasoned members of the board. The other trustees have served on the board for just one or two years. Based on my time as a trustee, I can tell you that experience on the board—and with New York’s vast regulatory morass—is a critical prerequisite for exercising meaningful board oversight.
If you don’t understand how things work, you cannot determine whether they are being done properly and whether they can be improved. Candidly, most board members spend their first two years just learning how things work. Without Rowe’s and Owen-Michaane’s experience, we would needlessly and significantly be handicapping our board’s future ability to perform one of its core functions.
In my humble opinion, our district has come a long way over the last three years—much of it due to active and appropriate board oversight. I respectfully suggest we keep our foot on the pedal and continue with the two leaders who helped us reset and move forward.
Pete Liaskos
10 Ridge Place