Good morning Irvington,

There has been misuse of data and a misrepresentation of facts regarding the budget and my independent candidacy.  Just as I am not certain where Ms. Camp got her information, I’m not certain whom Mr. Oster is characterizing in his most recent letter.  He is quoted as saying:

"There are those in this race, and those who support them, who have advocated that acrimony, dissension and disagreement among board members is somehow productive for our schools and our community."

I'd like to be very clear here: I run on my own, on the merits of a professional dedication to public service and do not stand for acrimony in the name of children and schools.  My supporters and I are advocates for children and a strong, united community.
I’d like to give my stance on these issues so that we can have real dialogue- rather than mudslinging- about how to work together on getting this budget passed.  
 
I support the budget.  By exceeding the cap, the board must have a strong plan to ensure that, educationally, we are maximizing that spending.  The District has provided a terrific FAQ that should clarify for everyone the actual financial impact of the proposed budget:

 http://www.irvingtonschools.org/files/_oCAda_/bdaa82212deaf32f3745a49013852ec4/2013_2013_IUFSD_Budget_FAQ.pdf
 
Mr. Oster has called for “an honest discussion about this budget that maintains and builds on the strength of our schools.”  Let’s talk – and not just in generalities - let’s talk specifically about what building on the strength of our schools actually means.  Let’s talk transparently about it. 
Our board has frequently referenced the term “unfunded state mandates” without any definition beyond the terminology APPR, Common Core and our obligatory, uncontrollable expenses in the form of pension costs, teacher salary increases and health insurance.  
 
Let’s talk honestly and specifically about how APPR is actually a very critical piece of the puzzle in ensuring that we are maximizing some of those uncontrollable costs – The Annual Professional Performance Review (http://usny.nysed.gov/rttt/teachers-leaders/) seeks to secure the highest quality instruction and leadership from teachers and administrations at both the district and building level.  This is a mandate that benefits and empowers school leadership to protect its instructional core.  In turn, the community has a tangible metric by which to determine the quality of its administrators and teachers and can clearly gauge the effectiveness of our school’s program delivery.  It allows us as a community to guarantee that these uncontrollable salary increases are being earned.  It also provides our teachers with a system of feedback that will enable their professional growth as outlined by Dr. Kor at this past weeks board meeting.  
 
The Common Core is NOT a curriculum.  It is a set of more rigorous, internationally benchmarked standards that even our high performing students need exposure to.  However, the cost of implementing these standards can be intimidating, but is necessary – rigor has been nationally redefined and with it, curricular demands have changed dramatically.  Managing the costs of this change is complex work that our administration needs to do with support from a governing body that understands its needs. My specialized knowledge of educational budgets is what separates me from my peers.
 
I’d also like to address what has been most recently referred to as “meddling in the areas that are the purview of the School Administration” – this comment concerns me because it shows that there are members of the community that do not understand the role of a school board and its relationship to its administration.  It is the job of a school board to partner with and help manage academic policy. I am trained and licensed to understand how a board and its administration function together and have been successfully doing so for many years. 
 
Irvington is fortunate to have 4 candidates running this year who all place children first as reflected by our unified stance on this years budget passage.  Team Bob has said it, Mr. Montgomery was quoted in the Enterprise as saying it and I continue to be clear about where I stand.    
 
I urge you all to vote for the budget to allow the district to build upon the work it has started.  I also urge you to strongly consider my candidacy as the most sound choice for school board trustee- I have a long track record in partnering with school districts to improve the quality of high performing schools.

I thank you all for taking the time to read this, and ask for your help in distributing this to as many people as you know! My campaign is "green" and I do not have a paper trail.   Have a great Mother's Day weekend.

Thanks,
David C. Graeber