Monroe-Woodbury School District Board of Education candidates

The Photo News asked the eight candidates running for the four seats on the Monroe-Woodbury School Board in the Tuesday, May 18, election three broad questions as a prelude to the contest.

Voters will elect four members: two for three-year terms, one term from May 18 to June 30, 2024; and one term from May 18 to June 30, 2022.

Those questions were:

Personal information. This can include information about work, family, community service, what is (are) your passion(s), etc.

Why are you seeking this position?

What is the most critical issue facing the district and what do propose doing about it.

There was a 200-word limit to their responses. Keep in mind that a writer can cover a lot of ground within 200 words: The Lord’s Prayer, for instance, is 66 words while the Gettysburg Address is 286 words.

The candidates and their responses are presented in alphabetical order.

Anthony Andersen

My family and I have been part of the Monroe-Woodbury community for over 21 years. A large part of why we moved here was the excellent school system and we’ve been fortunate to have our two children attend school in the district.

It’s truly been an honor to serve on the Board of Education for the past six years and to give back to our community. Helping ensure our students receive a quality education experience has and always will be my highest priority. As School Board Trustee, I’ve been part of the team that helped guide the district through some complicated issues, including a computer virus attack and the global pandemic.

Under the ever-changing, extremely restrictive state guidelines, we often had to make difficult decisions. But we always put the children’s educational needs first and did as much as possible under the circumstances to provide quality learning opportunities and activities.

Moving forward, I believe the Board’s primary objective should be evaluating the effects that long-term remote learning has had on our students and identifying the best options we can use to improve their academic opportunities and achievements in the future. I humbly ask for your vote on May 18th.

Alicja Andruszkiewicz

My name is Alicja Andruszkiewicz. I have moved to Central Valley in 2019. I have two children that attend schools in the district. My educational background is in legal studies and public administration. In my free time I like to travel with my family. Currently I’m working on opening up children’s play and party space in Central Valley.

My passion for public service is the reason why I’m seeking to become M-W board of education member. My diverse background, knowledge and experience can be an asset to the school district. I’m very motivated, hard working and goal driven and I’m looking to bring in that passion, energy and good work ethic to the board. I will work hard to represent the needs of families from the district.

The current most critical issue facing our school district is ensuring that in 2021/2022 school year children are able to attend school in person full time. I propose expanding health education in schools to teach children about healthy and active lifestyle and how to prevent or stop the spread of the common viruses.

Stephanie Conklin-Cole

My name is Stephanie Conklin-Cole and I have lived in the Monroe-Woodbury Community for all of my life. I am a graduate of Monroe-Woodbury High School, having also attended Pine Tree and the MWMS. I have two children; my daughter graduated in 2020 and is currently attending college, and my son will graduate in 2022.

I have been an active member in the PTA since my daughter was in Sapphire, actively working on various committees. I am also the Coordinator for the Monroe-Woodbury Community Coalition – which strives to address the issues related to drug and alcohol use and create a healthy and safe environment. The coalition is comprised of students and community members, and actively working with the M-W School District.

The most critical issue facing the district today is the social/emotional component for students. My focus has always been and will always be student’s overall success on all fronts – academically, socially, psychologically, mentally. The social/emotional piece is often forgotten and spoken little of.

I am honored to have this opportunity. I would proudly serve this community and use my experiences in business as well as being a single parent to help make proper decisions for the Monroe-Woodbury School District.

Jamell Evans

Since moving here in 1991, I’ve had the benefit of being a child, a student, an employee and a homeowner in our beautiful area. I’ve seen the growth and transformation in all aspects. Through it all, I’ve seen living here as a privilege and a blessing.

Monroe-Woodbury has helped to raise me. Now, it’s going to be a large part in raising the next generation. Being on the Board of Education and providing my time and effort to helping in any way I can is my way to give back.

Also, I’d like to instill the belief in our district that instead of just having a child graduate, we should aim to provide the proper foundation for them to build off of.3

The most critical issue I see at a high-level is when it comes to identifying issues in our district. There’s not enough transparency and communication with students, teachers and parents. I’d propose we proactively create more opportunities for outreach to our school community to better understand where our time and budget should be spent.

If not, we run the risk of looking like decisions are being made in a silo.

Dr. Sergey Koyfman

Dr. Sergey Koyfman is serving his first term on the Monroe-Woodbury Board of Education. He is a head and neck surgeon and a partner at ENT and Allergy Associates LLP. He completed his residency training in ENT at Michigan State University and a fellowship in Head and Neck Oncology and Microvascular Reconstructive Surgery at Indiana University. He serves as a Medical Director of Head and Neck Oncology, Chairman of Department of Otolaryngology and Ophthalmology and member of Medical Executive Committee at Garnet Health. He also is an associate professor of Otolaryngology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Dr. Koyfman and his wife Edith are members of Columbia University Global Mental Health Council. He resides in Chester and has two children. His oldest son is a graduate of M-WHS. His youngest son is a M-WHS freshman.

Why do I do it: To children, education is an irreplaceable commodity that will follow them for the rest of their lives. It shapes them. We have a unique window of opportunity to introduce them to this world of knowledge and watch them become great.

The biggest challenge is to assure that the pandemic year does not have a long lasting profound negative impact on our children. We will need to bring them back not only physically but also emotionally and help them achieve.

Jeff Reynolds

Personal information:

Currently the West Point Chief of Protocol with more then 20 years of service to the Army.

Previously served as the Executive Officer for Strategic Communications with oversight of the Band, Public Affairs and Marketing offices.

Served as a Recruiting/Admissions Specialist for Army Athletics.

Earned a B.A. from MSMC and a Master’s in School Counseling from LIU.

Volunteer for the M-W Building Leadership Committees.

Has five children in the district ranging from elementary to high school.

Why are you seeking this position? Because our community deserves experienced transparent leaders who will listen to all voices, be accountable, and hold others accountable.

What is the most critical issue facing the district? The critical issues our district faces are COVID and class sizes. We need flexibility in dealing with COVID to ensure our children are safely being educated in the classroom for five days. My experiences/skills can help bring a new and different perspective to our board.

Large class size influences the quality of the education our children receive. We need to find the fiscally responsible way to reduce class sizes to help ensure our students learn in the best environment possible. We do this by reallocating resources to give our teachers the support they need to educate and inspire our students.

Dawn Tauber

My name is Dawn Tauber. I have lived in the Monroe-Woodbury community for more than 17 years with my husband Alan and our children. My son, Jaden, is graduating from Monroe-Woodbury High School and is attending Cornell University this fall. My daughter, Kayla, will be a junior at the High School.

Since the pandemic began, children and adolescents have higher rates of anxiety, depression and stress. And of even greater concern, experts say the effects of the pandemic on students are likely to be felt for years to come. Social and emotional health of our children is always at the forefront of decisions and conversations for me.

In 2018, I worked with the High School administration to create and chair M-W CARES, the largest character education program of its kind in the state.

I support the district’s overarching intent to create a culture of Compassion, Acceptance, Respect, Empowerment and Success for our children. Social and emotional learning is an integral part of education.

On May 18, I once again humbly ask for your trust and support in re-electing me as a trustee.

Amy Whitmore

My name is Amy Whitmore. I am a lifelong Orange County resident. I was raised by great parents who instilled in me family values and the idea of giving back to you rcommunity. I have worked in the medical field for 25 years.

I have lived in the district for18 years and I am extremely grateful for the education and opportunities my two children have been given. I am constantly amazed at their knowledge and desire to learn. This is a result of our administration and teachers’ dedication.

I am kind, compassionate and hardworking. I am running because of this challenging past year. I wanted to be involved in the conversations and decisions being made.

There are a number of issues facing our school district. I support the passing of the budget. We should continue to maximize aid and reimbursements.

The core focus should be on the children while balancing mandates and requirements. I am eager to serve and will do my best to seek out information, gain community feedback and work toward decisions that improve our school district. I humbly ask for your vote on May 18.