Kimberly Wilder, 54, of Riverhead, is seeking her first term on the board. She has been a district resident for 10 years and is the mother of one child in kindergarten. She has a master’s degree in teaching English to speakers of other languages from Stony Brook University, a bachelor’s degree in English, with a minor in French, from Roanoke College, and a New York State Early Childhood Education Certification. She runs the parent networking/blog website Riverhead Area School Info and has had multiple jobs in education.
Why are you seeking election for the Board of Education?
I am seeking election to the Board of Education because I care deeply about children and families.
I had been serving the community through my social enterprise “Riverhead Area School Info/RASi” since October. When an extra board seat opened up, I decided to try to change from working outside the system, to volunteering to work inside the system, in order to make our school district the best it can be.
If elected, what will be your top three goals as a board member?
It is difficult to choose the top three goals. Each level of education – early childhood, elementary, and secondary – has its own unique challenges. And, our school district is so big.
Though, three important goals would be:
1. Constantly think about how we can better serve the students and make our schools and learning communities better with positive, proactive, long term solutions.
2. Improve the “customer service” aspect of the school district. Our whole community is entitled to cooperation and dignity when dealing with school district offices. (I have noticed that the current Superintendent cares about this issue. For example, I applaud the change of name from “Registration Office” to “Welcome Center.”)
3. I want to address concerns about safety and school climate at our intermediate and middle schools with long term solutions and healing strategies. We need to listen carefully to all stakeholders and also make changes that will genuinely improve safety and security.
What needs the most improvement in Riverhead schools? How would you work as a board member to improve it?
Some clues for what needs improvement can be found in the various school ratings services which I studied for my work with RASi. Some of our schools are on something like watch lists for low performance from New York State. Also, our four early elementary schools have wide disparities in their ratings.
We need to work hard to improve all of our schools. We need to give a few extra strategies and resources to our lowest performing schools, until things even out.
I believe that our district’s push for “dual language” or bilingual programs is one excellent way to accomplish some of these improvements. Bilingual programs serve the students and community better than only having “old-fashioned” English as a second language classes.
From a broad perspective, I would be careful to use my vote and my position as a school board member to support good work and good educational strategies, instead of constantly thinking politically or trying to “save money” in the short term.
Do you think there is a district policy that should change? If so, what is it, why should it be changed, and how would you work on the board to change it?
I understand that school boards do need to have private executive sessions for personnel and other sensitive matters. Though, I am concerned about how long our school board meets in private session. And, also, that they meet in private before the public has a chance to chime in on the agenda to help shape the board’s thinking. If I could attend the executive sessions, I could notice and report if all of the topics discussed required the privacy of an executive session.
Do you favor the district asking voters to approve a capital construction plan to increase classroom capacity in the high school? If not, how should the district deal with overcrowded classrooms?
We definitely need to deal with the overcrowded classrooms and the temporary classrooms. I think a capital construction plan for the high school is one solution to consider. I am also happy that our school district has created a pilot program for an alternative, evening high school. Another interesting option to consider might be to build another high school building, either as an alternative school or as a subject-based magnet school.
I graduated from Sachem High School. My graduating class was about 900 students. As an adult, I participated in the community meetings leading up to that district’s decision to split the high school and build an extra campus. I understand the process of considering community needs, identifying an array of solutions, seeking public input, and then seeking public support for the funds.
What skills or abilities would you bring to the school board and how would you put these to work to improve how the board functions?
I am certified as an early childhood teacher. I have my masters in TESOL from SUNY/Stony Brook. And, I have worked as: a substitute teacher, a lead teacher, a 1-on-1, and a teaching assistant. I respect and understand the job of education.
I also understand boards, committees, and organizations. As the interim coordinator of a nonprofit, I created board agendas and led board meetings. I know how to fight against stubborn, “group think” and to create positive, grassroots change in organizations. I understand systems and can often spot problems and solutions inside bureaucracies. I have done an informal study of nonviolent communication and of Donella Meadows’ systems theories. I know I would bring a lot to the table at Riverhead Central School District.
On that note, I would be excited to be part of the executive committee meetings and try to understand if some of that business could be brought to the public more. (Yet, I do realize – from my experience as a coordinator and from working on a diversity scholarship committee – that there is an important need for privacy with some matters. And, I respect that privacy and trust.)
Have you accepted contributions, either financial or in-kind (such as accepting the donation of literature, signs, phone bank staffing, social media services, advertising, etc.) from any source? If so please identify source, type and amount.
I have only received financial contributions from individuals – from family members, friends, and supporters. I received these funds through a crowd sourcing service and through person-to-person contributions. The detailed lists will be made available through the financial reporting that goes to the district and the state on May 11th. So far, my biggest contributors have been a relative of my husband’s and a relative of mine: Each one contributed $500 to my campaign.
The survival of local journalism depends on your support.
We are a small family-owned operation. You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Just a few dollars can help us continue to bring this important service to our community.
Support RiverheadLOCAL today.