Tom LaColla — candidate for Nyack Schools Board of Education

My name is Tom LaColla. I am writing to ask you for the privilege to represent our community as Trustee on the Nyack School Board. For those of you who do not know me , my family resides in the Village of Nyack. My wife Kira and I have two children; a son, Ty, in Kindergarten and a daughter, Cassidy, in the third grade. We will be part of the Nyack school community for the next twelve years and I am committing myself to being a collaborator in its leadership and participating with all of you in its success.

We all want better schools and a strong community in which to live. I applaud and thank the current board for their hard work and diligence throughout the past term. There were and are tough issues to navigate. Our schools have performed but we can improve. Collectively the community, the students, the administrators and our valued educators need to do their part to create an inclusive atmosphere where our children can prosper amid an efficiently run school district.

I believe the board’s priorities need to recognize not only the students in its decisions but the whole school community: its educators, administrators, students, parents and those in the community who do not utilize our educational system but contribute through their tax dollars to the success of our system. All of these constituents need to be considered, respected, and appealed to when the board is making the tough choices they undoubtedly face throughout the year.

I earned my degree in Business Management at Salve Regina University in 1992 and have been enjoying a career in banking. Since 2000 I have been a member of the Trade Finance Committee of the Bankers’ Association for Finance and Trade in Washington, D.C. My career focus is International Trade and my experiences have been rewarding. I have worked hard to structure financing to help underdeveloped nations improve infrastructure like water treatment facilities, light rail systems, power plants, agricultural equipment and quality of life projects. Often times these projects would not have been possible without the ability to work in cooperation with multilateral government agencies.

Locally, I was a member of the Board of Directors of the Rockland Parent Child Center (RPCC) from 2000-2004. RPCC is an important resource for parents in our community.

These days we hear an awful lot about the lack of resources available to implement all of the projects needed to make our schools perform as expected. Friends, there are no easy answers to these issues and in many ways the board is in a very unenviable position. The School Board needs decision makers to make hard choices. Choices are going to be made that will not make all constituents happy or satisfied with the state of the system or its prospects. We need individuals that can add value to the process without conflict, without bias and with full disclosure to the community. Additionally, we need individuals dedicated to the inclusion of all members of the community when debating the issues affecting all of us.

As of the release of this message, I am beginning an online Blog for school and community related issues. Please contribute your questions, concerns, advice and thoughts about Nyack Schools. If you are interested in helping my campaign succeed, please feel free to contact me at once.

I am dedicated to the success of our community and schools and look forward to debating the issues and conducting myself with civility and calm throughout this process. We are all friends and neighbors and no matter what your views, no matter where we may disagree, no matter the outcome of this election, my respect and devotion for the community and my colleagues will remain paramount.

Thank you and please vote on May 20, 2008.

Note: More information is available at the candidate’s Web site, www.TomLaColla.com)