CORRECTION: The previous draft of this article that appears in the May 12 edition of The Spotlight incorrectly describes the current race for Bethlehem Central School District’s school board. There are two positions on the board for which each of the candidates is running.
DELMAR —Katherine Nadeau and Willow Baer were each presented the same candidate questionaire, similar to those provided to their peers in previous elections for the Bethlehem Central School District’s school board. Each candidate was asked to limit their answers to within a specific word count, affording both the same amount of space in this week’s edition of The Spotlight.
The budget vote will take place on Tuesday, May 18.
Editor’s Note: Delmar resident Katherine Nadeau is attempting her first term as a trustee on the Bethlehem Central School District’s school board.
She is deputy director of Catskill Mountainkeeper, a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that advocates for the Catskills and statewide environmental policies.
She is a nine-year resident of Delmar, where she lives with her husband and children.
Why are you running for a seat on the School Board?
A school district is a community’s centerpiece; it’s a reflection of our community’s values and our commitment to the next generation. I am committed to: providing a strong academic experience for Bethlehem’s students; ensuring they have great facilities; equity and justice throughout our district; and creating an environment that fosters compassionate and exemplary teaching, administrative, and support staff. As our community navigates the challenges of the Covid-19 crisis together, I will prioritize student wellness by working collaboratively with parents, the administration, and our teachers to address our district’s challenges head-on with an eye toward building our post-Covid-19 future.
What type of experience or skill set will help you fulfill your role on the school board?
I manage campaigns and projects from inception to completion, including staff, budgets, and external communications. I’m driven by a vision for equity, justice, strong communities, clean air and water, and healthy food—all of which are critically important for a thriving school district. I am a collaborator, accustomed to working with individuals, organizations, and constituencies from different backgrounds and viewpoints to address big challenges. I’m an advocate and an organizer, ready and willing to dig in and work a problem until there’s a solution, and then iterate until we have a solution that really works.
What do you think are some challenges the school district has been facing?
The challenges posed by Covid-19 are innumerable—establishing remote learning and in-person classes, working to ensure our most vulnerable students and families are getting the services and support they need, and navigating everchanging public health guidance is a superhuman job, and one that our families, teachers, school board, and administration have tackled head-on. On top of the day-to-day work of teaching and operating schools in a pandemic, our school board and community must face the challenges of maintaining and upgrading facilities, working for racial equity and justice, and managing a budget despite heightened fiscal uncertainty.
How do you plan to address these challenges?
As a school board member, I’ll actively engage in, and seek out, conversations with families, teachers, support staff, and administrators to address the myriad challenges our school district faces. I’ll advocate fiercely for policies that support our students and our community, and work to ensure the values of exemplary academics for students of all backgrounds and abilities, top-notch facilities, and racial justice are at the core of the board’s decisions.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Being a school board member is an exciting opportunity and a big responsibility, and I hope you will support me. Please vote to elect Katherine Nadeau and vote yes for the budget on May 18.
Editor’s Note: Willow Baer is the lone incumbent in this year’s race for two open chairs on the Bethlehem Central School District’s school board.
The attorney is a five-year resident of Delmar. She seeks her second, three-year term on the board in this election.
Why are you running for a seat on the School Board?
Wrapping up my first three-year term on the Board of Education, I remain passionate about public education and about its role in the community at large. I have had amazing opportunities over the last three years to effect policy change and to help ensure that Bethlehem continues to excel. The district faces many new and sustained challenges following the COVID-19 pandemic and I believe my leadership and expertise will continue to add value.
What type of experience or skill set will help you fulfill your role on the school board?
As an attorney with 15 years of public service, I have experience in policy development and implementation, advocacy for vulnerable populations, risk mitigation, budget preparation, administrative management, and regulatory compliance. My skills include communication and facilitating consensus, and I am experienced at having to represent the best interests of many types of constituents at one time.
What do you think are some challenges the school district has been facing?
The last fourteen months of life within a pandemic has created unimaginable challenges for our district. Our “return to normal” in the next school year will present a wide breadth of obstacles, including the transition of students back from a virtual learning environment, increased health and safety protocols, enhanced need for academic support, and the need to support our students and our staff in their physical and mental health.
How do you plan to address these challenges?
Hard work will continue throughout the summer to address the ongoing transition back to school-based learning, including how to maintain student and staff safety while creating additional opportunities to return to more traditional school events and activities, and how to address the disruption to so many students’ academic paths. Not only have I served on the Board and on the District’s COVID-19 committee over the last year, but I also served on the State Education Department’s school reopening task force and drafted hundreds of pandemic guidance documents for NYS. This District set the standard for school reopening in the fall and I am confident that the 2021-22 school year will be no different.
Anything else you’d like to add?
It has been a true honor to serve my community on the Board of Education for the last three years and I am excited to return for a second term. I hope the community will show its full support of the District and Library budgets, and associated proposals, on May 18th at the High School. I am grateful for your support!
