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Harold Nicholson Jr., is one of eight candidates running for three open seats on the Whitehall School Board. Voting is Tuesday, May 19th.

Today, I post a candidate interview with Harold Nicholson Jr., candidate for the school board. I mailed candidate questionnaires to all those running in this year’s election and will post their responses in the order received. Below are my questions and Mr. Nicholson’s responses.

Could you please tell us about yourself and why you are running for the school board?

I have always felt a desire to help my community, born and raised in Gansevoort, but having lived in numerous places in the area, my wife and I settled in Whitehall and made this our hometown. I am running for a number of reasons, but mainly because I don’t represent any special interests other than the academic successes of all the students that attend Whitehall Central School District. I am running because I believe that we can return our school to the top, and that I am the man to help our school reach that goal.

Most people look back fondly on some aspects of their high-school education. Could you tell us what your favorite book from high school was? Why was it your favorite book and should it be required reading today?

As a child I was never one to just pick up a book, the outdoors provided more enjoyment than book work. One of the fist books I read was Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. We would read it along with watching the movie and it was the first time that I realized that the book is always better than the movie. The ability for literature to invoke such an emotional response resonated with me and started me on the path of becoming a reader. Losing a pet, a loved one, or someone you know is something that we all must deal with at some time and this book had beautiful portrayals of this loss. I cry just thinking about it. I don’t believe in required reading because that book may not be everyone’s cup of tea. I think that the key is catering to every child’s individual interests or background to engage them more.

There were big issues decided by the school board this past year. What do you think about block scheduling and the way the football program was handled?

The School Board will always be making big decisions, and sometimes those decisions will be unpopular, and sometimes they will be liked, regardless of this the Board should be doing what the people electing them have asked. The Board should always make decisions with complete knowledge of everyone’s point of view. You cannot make informed decisions without taking every factor and voice into consideration. I think the answer to improving our overall academic achievement is attainable by removing gaps in the curriculum, giving students the help they need to succeed at the youngest ages possible because if we lose them when they are young it’s impossible to catch them up, and wisely spending our money on the tools that our teachers and students need to succeed.

Many of the students educated in the Whitehall school district talk about leaving Whitehall once they graduate and going elsewhere to look for work. Does the school board have a responsibility to cut spending to make the local taxing climate more receptive to jobs and growth?

The School Board has a personal and legal responsibility to all taxpayers and students to create a fiscally responsible budget that doesn’t over burden the tax payer, but doesn’t short our students either. I have scanned and posted the budget from my Facebook page, at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Harold-Nicholson-Jr-for-Whitehall-School-Board/1456833224577414?ref=hl I encourage everyone to look at it and form their own opinions. The key to growth in Whitehall is something that needs to be looked at holistically and in collaboration with the village and town boards. No one with kids will want to come if our school is failing, but no one will come if there aren’t jobs and basic necessities. We have so many opportunities here in Whitehall to make this area great again; we just need to be brave enough to believe in ourselves. One of the issues I would like to look at is taxing percentages and how those are implemented. I don’t think it’s fair that Dresden and Clemons pay the majority of the tax in Whitehall, and if we brought in more industry it would alleviate that issue.

The job market today is a highly competitive one. Should the school district be doing something that it is not already doing or should it be offering additional classes to see that its graduates have the skills and education necessary for success?

The first priority of the school should be to do what is best for our students. We cannot expect our students to succeed until we can actually get them to grade level. We should have the majority of our students testing at or above grade level, but in Whitehall our students more often test below grade level. This is unforgivable, we are failing our students. Socioeconomics plays some part in this, but I refuse to think it is the only factor. I have friends that came from nothing and succeeded. My parents owned a small business and I am an attorney. With the right tools and the right instruction any student can succeed and we have a responsibility to our students to give them those tools. Once we have righted these issues we should continue to push our students with classes in nanotechnology, programming, networking, public speaking, writing, and other classes that will give our students the edge, but we can’t get there until we get them succeeding.

What is the biggest issue that children face today and what realistically can the school board do to address it?

There are a number of issues that face today’s youth that as adults we didn’t deal with. One of these issues is social media. Facebook, Twitter, snapchat, these may not be things that you have heard of but our kids have. Whitehall was in the news just last year facing this issue because of “sexting”. There are also aspects of bullying that come into play as we have all seen in the news. We as a community need to create a safe place for our children to learn. This is of paramount importance because if a child does not feel safe and welcome how will they concentrate on learning? School should be a safe haven from bullying, hunger, and neglect. We should be fostering teamwork and understanding. We are a small community and fostering that community spirit begins at school.

Michael Rocque is one of eight candidates running for three open seats on the Whitehall School Board. Voting is Tuesday, May 19th.

Today, I post a candidate interview with Michael Rocque, candidate for the school board. I mailed candidate questionnaires to all those running in this year’s election and will post their responses in the order received. Below are my questions and Mr. Rocque’s responses.

Could you please tell us about yourself and why you are running for the school board?

I am a Whitehall Native with 35 years of Leadership and Executive Management Experience.

• Former Member of a Corporate Board, Responsible for Providing Oversight and Accountability over a CEO

• Led and Managed Multiple Large Organizations of Several Hundred Personnel

• Commanded a Schools Company in the US Military; Highly Familiar with Curriculum and Scheduling

• Developed, Executed and Managed Several Multi-Million Dollar Budgets

• Led Human Resource Departments Responsible for Finding, Screening, Interviewing and Hiring Management Executives

• Developed and Executed Performance Counseling Programs for Public and Private Organizations

• Retired US Army Combat Veteran with over 20 years Active-Duty Service

• Education: WHS Graduate; University of Vermont, BA; Central Michigan University, Masters in Administration; Graduate of the US Army Command and General Staff College; Graduate of the US Department of Defense Armed Forces Staff College

Most people look back fondly on some aspects of their high-school education. Could you tell us what your favorite book from high school was? Why was it your favorite book and should it be required reading today?

There are several: some of the classics like JD Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye and I was always an avid science fiction reader, as the best sci-fi tends to be the best predictor of future scientific advances and technology development; authors like Asimov, Heinlein, Clark, etc..

There were big issues decided by the school board this past year. What do you think about block scheduling and the way the football program was handled?

Block Scheduling and the Football Program were totally mishandled by the WCS Administration and BOE, but they are NOT big issues! This big issues are: 1. The Academic Standing, Academic Performance and Scholastic Achievement of the students of WCS; 2. Finding, qualifying, screening, interviewing and hiring the best possible permanent Superintendent and Elementary School Principle to lead WCS into the future; and 3. Ensuring a budget is constructed for WCS that meets an end state of higher academic performance for our children and one that the school district can afford!

Many of the students educated in the Whitehall school district talk about leaving Whitehall once they graduate and going elsewhere to look for work. Does the school board have a responsibility to cut spending to make the local taxing climate more receptive to jobs and growth?

Unfortunately this question looks at things in too small a scope. In my opinion the level of school board spending will have NO impact on local economic growth and job creation. Whitehall’s economic woes are a symptom of our NYS Governments continued incompetence. Over the last couple of decades our state government has systematically driven corporate America out of NYS, with corporate tax rates that are some of the highest in the nation! That’s where all the jobs have gone (to 49 other states) and that’s why there is so much economic decay from Albany north to the Canadian border!

The job market today is a highly competitive one. Should the school district be doing something that it is not already doing or should it be offering additional classes to see that its graduates have the skills and education necessary for success?

We need to bring business leaders into the school to speak with students and give them first hand factual accounts of the types of jobs that are available today in our country and the world, and the skills they will need to be prepared and competitive!

What is the biggest issue that children face today and what realistically can the school board do to address it?

Probably the biggest issue our children will face as they depart WHS is job opportunity and availability. They need the academic foundation and skills to be competitive in a global economy. The biggest immediate thing that WCS needs to improve and accomplish is to rapidly increase the Academic Performance of our Students: 1. Instill and enforce better classroom discipline and make trouble-makers and their parents accountable; 2. Increase Academic rigor and standards……all of education and acquiring knowledge is not necessarily fun, some of it is just old fashion hard work. I believe I have the right qualifications, background and experience to make a difference at WCS and ask the citizens of Whitehall, Huletts Landing, and Dresden for their support and their vote on May 19 from noon to 9:00 PM. @ WHS. Thank You!

Marcia Rocque is one of eight candidates running for three open seats on the Whitehall School Board. Voting is Tuesday, May 19th.

Today, I post a candidate interview with Marcia Rocque, candidate for the school board. I mailed candidate questionnaires to all those running in this year’s election and will post their responses in the order received. Below are my questions and Ms. Rocque’s responses.

Could you please tell us about yourself and why you are running for the school board?

I was born and raised in Whitehall and am a 1982 graduate of Whitehall High School and a 2013 graduate of Hudson Valley Community College where I received my Associates in Nursing degree. I currently work for the NYSDOC at Great Meadows in Comstock NY. I’m also an alumni of SUNY ACC, Fulton-Montgomery Community College and, Ulster County Community College. Prior to becoming an RN I worked in the telecommunications industry in central NYS for 15 years as a supervisor. I have a background in management, labor, marketing, budgets, finance and, communications. I reside in Whitehall with my children Madisen Coso who is a 2013 graduate of WHS and Hunter Coso who is a member of the 2015 WHS class. The reason I am running for school board is because I see a serious need for change within our district. Whitehall is my home. It is where my family and my heart reside. I truly want to take part in making our school district better for our kids.

Most people look back fondly on some aspects of their high-school education. Could you tell us what your favorite book from high school was? Why was it your favorite book and should it be required reading today?

My favorite book has always been “To Kill A Mockingbird” by author Harper Lee published in 1960. This Pulitzer Prize winning book is one that I read every year and I also watch the movie every year as well. It is a book that speaks to many difficult and highly controversial topics especially for the timeframe in which the story takes place. For me, the main character Atticus Finch has always been heroic and is clearly a man that is way before his time. The story itself tells of racial inequality, misjudgments, injustices and, intolerance during a turbulent time in American history. The main character never stops trying to break down the walls of intolerance and stand his ground while fighting for what is right. He does this all while teaching his children life lessons on what is right and what is moral. Should this be required reading today? Absolutely! The lessons and values the book speaks to are just as important today as they were 55 years ago.

There were big issues decided by the school board this past year. What do you think about block scheduling and the way the football program was handled?

I think that as a district we needed to do in depth research regarding block scheduling before allowing anyone to institute it in our school. Block scheduling can provide greater learning opportunities for students if used and organized in the correct way. There are many districts using it successfully today. I believe that block scheduling still should be an option the district considers and potentially implements. However, the pros and cons of this system must be examined from all sides with students, parents and teachers all being part of the decision process. Because I do not know the basis or reasons for which the current board made its decisions regarding the head coach and the football program it is difficult to speak to this topic. While the decision caused a great deal of pain for the players and outrage from our community, I believe this is something we need learn from and not dwell on. This is merely one of many issues we have faced and this is why change is imperative at this time.

Many of the students educated in the Whitehall school district talk about leaving Whitehall once they graduate and going elsewhere to look for work. Does the school board have a responsibility to cut spending to make the local taxing climate more receptive to jobs and growth?

I think that when students speak about leaving Whitehall upon graduation they are referring to not just leaving the community but, in fact leaving the state. Sadly, New York ranks as one of the highest cost of living states in the nation. The issues of reduced spending and taxation need to come from a level that goes above the community and school district level. Our schools across the state have already made major budget cuts and this is all being done at a cost to our children’s education. The economy in New York needs to change in order for all children across the state to want to stay. That being said, are there fresh and innovative ways districts can look at budgets and spending while still keeping quality education and the interest of the tax payers in the forefront? I believe the answer to that is yes!

The job market today is a highly competitive one. Should the school district be doing something that it is not already doing or should it be offering additional classes to see that its graduates have the skills and education necessary for success?

This is a great question! Above and beyond all the educational classes we provide to our children to prepare them upon leaving high school, I would love to see a class that teaches the fine art of conversation, interviewing skills and, how to write a resume. While many of our children will go on to college, many will be going directly out into the working world. While technology can be an amazing thing in today’s society it can also be a curse. With the job market being so competitive we need to teach our kids how to properly converse and not by means of a cell phone or computer. The art of conversation truly is an art and one that is slowly going by the wayside as technology grows by leaps and bounds. We need to prepare those children that may be going directly into the workforce how to ace a job interview or how to prepare a resume that will get potential employers attention.

What is the biggest issue that children face today and what realistically can the school board do to address it?

There seems to be so many more issues children are facing today that we as parents never did when we were in school. Since submitting my petition to run for school board I have put my ears out into our community to hear what students, parents and, teachers are saying about what they face every day. There are hard topics out there such as bullying, there are controversial topics out there such as common core testing and, there are sad topics out there such as students coming to school hungry or dropping out of school all together. There are however the wonderful topics such as our students succeeding in sports, music, and arts. Many of our seniors have been accepted into colleges and many have jobs waiting for them upon graduation because of participation in vocational programs. Above all of these topics, the one that rises to the top continues to be quality education. Our children are our future…it’s that simple. That they ALL get a quality education will always be the top priority.