Meet Those that Wish to Fill NECSD Board Seats

By Sheryl Jones

NEWBURGH – On Tuesday, May 16, Newburgh residents will vote for who they want to fill three of the nine Newburgh Enlarged City School District (NECSD) School Board seats.

Five candidates are running, including incumbents, current President Carole Mineo and Darren Stridiron. Former school board member Mark Levinstein, former candidate Sylvia Santiago, and William Walker are also competing for the seats. Each seat is for a three-year term.

Carole Mineo is the current president of the NECSD School Board; she has been on the board since 2014. She has a bachelor’s degree in secondary education and Spanish, a master’s degree in elementary education, and a C.A.S. degree in educational administration from SUNY New Paltz. She worked for 33 years in the NECSD as an educator and retired as the principal of Gidney Avenue Memorial School. Mineo received an endorsement from the Newburgh Teachers Association (NTA).

Incumbent Darren Stridiron also has an endorsement from the NTA. Stridiron has been on the board since 2014. He has an A.A.S. degree and owns a business, Heritage Land Surveying.

During his time with the NECSD School Board the graduation rate increased by 10%, literacy rates improved in the K-2 grades, and Temple Hill School was taken of the list of “struggling” schools.

Former school board member Mark Levinstein has lived in Newburgh for over twenty-five years and his children went to school in Newburgh. He earned an associate degree in business from OCCC and owns his own business. As a board member, he will strive to make sure that students are college or career ready.

Former school board candidate Sylvia Santiago has a B.S. in Accounting from St. John’s University and has been a Controller at HyperPointe. She has served on several committees, including the Newburgh Education Advisory Team and the Newburgh Equity Team.

“I’m an advocate for education fairness and student achievement,” said Santiago. Newcomer William Walker is a retired English Language Arts Teacher with over 40 years of educational experience teaching elementary through the university level. He was Disney Teacher of the Year nominee and an Education Beat Reporter for The Bergen Record. He earned a BA from Baldwin-Wallace College and an MS from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

As a board member, he plans to focus on curriculum and teacher development, diversity recruitment, and raising the reading, writing, and analytical skills of all students. He has also been endorsed by the NTA.

The NECSD School Board approves the district’s budget, adopts policies and curriculum, ratifies collective bargaining agreements, and evaluates the superintendent. The Board represents the people of the school district.

Newburgh residents are invited to meet the NECSD School Board Candidates at The Newburgh School District Candidate Forum on Thursday, May 11th at 6:30 pm at Calvary Presbyterian Church at 120 South Street in Newburgh, NY. Childcare, translation, and refreshments will be provided.