Unopposed, Chappaqua's Kiesel Faces Big Issues for 2nd BOE Term

This year, Chappaqua school board President Alyson Kiesel is running unopposed for a second, 3-year term. Kiesel, who is the only one in our Q&A series for the district, grew up in Chappaqua and graduated from Horace Greeley High School in 1988. She moved back to the community in 1996 and currently does marketing work for law firm Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman and Dicker LLP. She has three kids in the district, in grades 1, 5 and 7. The interview has been edited for clarity.

The election is on May 15, at , from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Patch: Why are you running for re-election? 

Alyson Kiesel: There are a lot of things that need to be done and I feel I would be leaving unfinished business on the table if I didn't run.

Patch: What do you see as the most important priorities for your second term?  

Alyson Kiesel: Getting the district on a path of sustainability.

Patch: The board is proposing a budget for the coming year that does not require an override of the state-imposed property tax levy cap, which means that only a simple majority of voters is needed for approval. Do you believe the board will need to make an override request to the voters, which would require a 60-percent super majority to pass, during your second term? 

Alyson Kiesel: Good question.  I really hope we are able to maintain our breath and depth of program and stay inside the cap. But it is possible that we will be in a position where a cut would need to be made to keep us under a cap that would be unpalatable for the community and we might need to resort to that.  Our conservative operations and fund balance should help us stay under the cap for the next few years, but we will need help from our collective bargaining units if we are going to be truly sustainable.

Patch: The Chappaqua Congress of Teachers has another year on its collective bargaining agreement, with negotiations slated to begin during your next term. How will you handle negotiations next year? What would you like to see in a new contract?

Alyson Kiesel: I would like to see a true partnership between the district and the CCT.  We need to tune out rhetoric and politics. We are in this together for the betterment of our children and we need to focus locally on what we can do together to keep our schools healthy and moving forward.

Patch: The proposed budget has a large discrepancy in tax rates - money owed per $1,000 of assessed property value - for residents in the district's two towns. New Castle's tax rate would rise by 1.63 percent, but the rate for Mount Pleasant residents would , due to the equalization rate formula, which is used to apportion the tax burden between towns that don't assess property in the same way. The district's finance committee has proposed doing a countywide property revaluation to close this gap, which could lead to both towns having the same tax rate. Do you support the committee's findings? 

Alyson Kiesel: Obviously, the equalization rates are outside of our control as are the tax rates.  The divergence between the two towns is frustrating and it makes it hard for us to explain.  As we discussed when the assessors from both towns attended a board meeting, a county wide reval would solve the equalization problem, but might create others and would be expensive and time consuming.   It is not the magic bullet that would allow us to dial back the property tax rate. Still, this county has exceedingly high property taxes and I am in favor of exploring any and all options.

Patch: Chappaqua Crossing owner Summit/Greenfield is to the New Castle Planning Board to get site plan approval for the 111-unit housing development that the New Castle Town Board approved rezoning for last year, a smaller version than the 199 units requested. In 2010, when Summit/Greenfield was pushing for its 199-unit proposal, you . At the time, there was concern from the board about the proposal leading to higher student enrollment and rising costs as a result. What are your thoughts on the 111-unit version? Should the Planning Board approve the site plan if the application is submitted? 

Alyson Kiesel: I truthfully am not current enough on the issue to comment.  I will say that as a district, we desperately need to support efforts to grow the commercial tax base and I would love to see additional use of the site for that purpose.

Patch: Tied to the state's tax cap law is the establishment of a Mandate Relief Council, tasked with taking petitions from school districts that request relief from state requirements deemed to be costly. The law also directs the governor to act within 60 days of the council's findings. How optimistic are you that the council will be effective? 

Alyson Kiesel: Mandate relief is essential.  I am glad that the council was established, but any relief would still need to get through Albany.  I have little to no confidence that our state legislators will put campaigning and politics aside and address these issues to protect the children of New York. But there is always hope.

Patch: A common interest of the school board and the New Castle Town Board includes growing the town's commercial tax base for revenue. What role do you envision the school board playing in this issue? 

Alyson Kiesel: We are already working with them and hope to continue to work closely on this.  We have a common goal.

Patch: Board members have stated that they cannot get into specifics about the absence of Greeley football Coach Bill Tribou because it's a personnel matter. However, is there more room for discussing the topic, in a general sense, than what was raised at the May 1 board meeting? 

Alyson Kiesel: As a matter of policy we cannot comment on personnel issues.  We respect the privacy rights of our employees and students and need to ensure that the district is protected from legal liability.  We welcome public comments at all of our meetings and if we are able to provide additional information we will absolutely look to do so.

Patch: Finally, this year is drawing to a close at a time when the Chappaqua Education Committee for the Future (CEFF) is coming up with recommendations for Superintendent Lyn McKay involving for the district to go by in the future. In the meantime, do you feel that the district's current curriculum adequately prepares students for college, and eventually, for the job market? What about in the area of social support services? 

Alyson Kiesel: I am eager to hear from the CEFF.  I think our rigorous academic curriculum absolutely prepares our students for college.  As for the job market, that is tougher to determine.  We try to provide a breadth of courses so that students can be exposed to different areas of interest and find the area that clicks for them. My hope is that "click" is the spark that leads a student down an enjoyable career path, but there are so many exogenous factors that we cannot control along that path.