Questions for Candidates: Beacon School Board

Voters in the Beacon City School District on Tuesday (May 21) will decide between four candidates to fill three seats on the school board: newcomers Chris Lewine, LaVonne McNair and Meg Phillips and incumbent Flora Stadler, the board vice president.

The candidate with the most votes will join the board immediately and serve a three-year term, filling the seat of a member who resigned. The other two winners will begin their three-year terms on July 1.

What are your qualifications?

Chris Lewine: I’ve been an educator for my entire 15-year career. I believe deeply in the power of public schools to educate our young people and bring communities together.

I started as a math teacher and was later a principal at a diverse high school that ensured that over 95 percent of our graduates were accepted to at least one four-year college. I then worked for nonprofits focused on supporting public schools to meet the needs of every child.

With degrees in economics, education and public administration, and having led and supported schools across the country, I’ve acquired skills that are directly applicable to board service and a strong understanding of what works in education and how schools and communities can work together to provide the best experience for our young people. 

LaVonne McNair: My skills in legal work provide me with a strong foundation in research, organization and understanding of legal matters, which is valuable for reviewing policies, contracts and regulations as a board member.

As a community volunteer, I have demonstrated my commitment to public service and understanding of community needs, which is crucial for representing the diverse interests of students, parents and educators.

Lastly, being a graduate of the local school system, I have firsthand knowledge of the education system’s strengths and weaknesses, enabling me to advocate effectively for improvements. Combined, these experiences equip me with the skills and perspective necessary to contribute meaningfully to the board.

Meg Phillips: I am a widowed mother of two boys, ages 4 and 6, who are just entering the Beacon public school system. I’ve been working in education in some capacity for almost 20 years.

I’ve approached the classroom academically, studying various international educational philosophies, and experientially, working in seventh- to 12th-grade classrooms for six years in various roles, from one-on-one aide to lead English language arts teacher.

I have a master’s degree in secondary education, a master’s in English literature and am licensed to teach grades seven to 12 in Massachusetts. Further, I have a background in grassroots campaigning and have worked to develop my skills around organizing, fundraising and directly working with communities on outreach and education.

I will have only been in New York state for two years this August and believe I can bring a fresh outsider’s perspective to the challenges facing our community.

Flora Stadler: This would be my third term on the school board, so I bring six years of experience as a board member and a few years as a board officer. As a board member, you spend a lot of your first term learning how things work and how to navigate different processes. I’m more informed and more focused now.

I’ve served on several committees, including as chair for the Public Relations, Advocacy and Legislative Committee. My focus has been legislative advocacy, including as the board representative to the Dutchess County School Boards Association and the voting delegate for the New York State School Boards Association.

I understand how laws and policies can impact the district, and how we can collaborate across districts and organizations to advocate on critical issues. I also bring experience as a communications professional, which often starts by listening and asking questions. This drives my advocacy and helps me understand the complex issues boards must address.

How can the board improve students’ experience in the district? 

Lewine: The board has been doing a great job stabilizing the district. It has hired the longest-serving superintendent in decades, overseen an impressive expansion of extracurriculars, launched free pre-K and passed strategic budgets that put us in a position to weather the negative changes in state funding. The board can do even more to improve students’ experience by focusing on well-being, rich instruction and effective governance.

If I am on the board, I will push us to provide resources and pass policies that help our children navigate the mental health crisis by supporting healthy, whole-child development. I will help ensure that curriculum and instruction inside the classroom serve the needs of our students, including increasing academic achievement. And I will work to increase the ways we have to hear directly from students and families about how we can improve their experience.

McNair: By fostering strong partnerships with parents, families, teachers and the broader community to create a supportive network that enhances students’ educational experiences.

Phillips: All of our children have been through a lot recently. Speaking for myself, since 2018, I have been married, widowed, had two children, moved across the country twice and experienced COVID and the sudden death of my husband in 2022 when my boys were 1 and 2 years old.

However, I recognize that this singular experience is part of our greater collective experience. Our communities across the world are all still reeling from the trauma of disruption and the loss of so many loved ones. Appropriately, the board’s top priority for supporting students’ academic and social experiences should be addressing mental health.

Stadler: I’ll talk about both what the district has started doing and what I’d like to see more of. First, community surveys that include student feedback offer a way for students to share their ideas and concerns. Second, there’s the inclusion of student school-board representatives, who are such great resources.

More than once they’ve brought a perspective that never would have occurred to me. Being in the school district is their day-to-day experience, so they’re best positioned to speak to it. I’d like to see more structured discussions and education around media literacy, including phones and social media. This kind of education is part of helping students become productive, healthy adults. These are tools students will likely be using in their adult lives, and so we shouldn’t underestimate the impact of media literacy.

What should the board’s top priority be in the next year?

Lewine: The board should prioritize setting a clear and compelling vision for teaching and learning. It sounds basic, but even though our children spend most of their school day in classrooms, the strategic plan that the district released last year says very little about what that classroom learning should look like.

If I am on the board, I will use my experience as an educator to make sure we get clearer on our instructional vision and give teachers the time, trust and resources they need to implement it. Our children deserve rich, joyful and rigorous learning experiences in every classroom every day.

McNair: Enhancing communication and collaboration between parents, students, teachers and administrators.

Phillips: I believe that the board can address mental health as a priority by focusing on three factors that directly affect it: access/availability of services, cellphone usage in secondary schools and sleep.

In terms of access, the ratio of students to social workers at Rombout Middle School is 330:1. I think we need to find money in the budget to increase this number significantly if it is to be a priority. Sleep has a direct impact on everything related to mental health; we need to flip the elementary, middle and high school schedules to reflect the current research on sleep.

Finally, employ the research on cellphones and social media use at young ages to mitigate the damaging effects on critical thinking, self-esteem and depression. Focusing on students’ mental health in these specific ways will, over time, significantly decrease the anxiety and depression that are skyrocketing among our youth.

Stadler: There’s never just one top priority! But if I had to choose one for the board, it would be keeping our eyes on next year’s budget. One of the board members’ biggest responsibilities is to be good stewards of the budget. Based on this year’s budget, state aid feels less certain and districts may be working with less than expected moving forward.

I’m proud that the Beacon City School District prioritizes budget planning so students don’t notice a difference. It’s important that the academic and extracurricular programming we’ve worked to expand isn’t lost to state cuts. Prioritizing this as a board member means advocating at the state level and supporting budget planning at the district level.