Editor’s note: This campaign statement was provided by school board candidate Sid Burke. The Pelham Examiner publishes campaign statements in the form received as a service to the community.

A note from Sid Burke to my Pelham neighbors –

I’m seeking your support for my re-election to the Pelham Board of Education because I’m proud of my contributions to our school system over the past three years, and believe my decades of experience as a transactional lawyer will continue to be valuable in helping to shape the District’s strategic direction. 

In my day job, I represent companies and investors in mergers, acquisitions, and other complex business transactions. Clients hire me partly for my legal advice, but mainly for my judgment, temperament, and creativity in working with other parties to find common ground for their mutual benefit. I bring those qualities, along with a legal perspective, to my work on the school board as well. 

My experience on the school board has mirrored the advice that my wife Kristen and I received about raising kids when we moved to Pelham in 2010 as expectant parents: “the days are long but the years are short.” Somehow, three years have flown by in the blink of an eye, but we have accomplished a lot in that time, including having: 

• developed, adopted, and begun to implement a new Strategic Plan; 
• determined our highest-priority facilities needs, obtained voter approval for a generational investment in our physical plant, and are now working with the community and the District’s architects to turn those proposals into reality (hammers will start swinging this summer);
• improved school rankings (currently ranked 4th in Westchester by niche.com) and continued student recognition (including AP Platinum Distinction, and numerous national merit finalists and Regeneron Talent Search Top 300 winners);
• negotiated contract extensions with the District’s largest unions on favorable terms;
• reviewed/revised ~80 policies during the two school years that I’ve chaired the policy committee;
• obtained voter approval of tax cap compliant budgets each year.

This year, the District ranks in the top 5% of NY school districts academically, while keeping total expenditures per pupil below the NY State average.

Some Areas of Focus

• Financial planning and priorities: unless money starts falling from the sky (I’m not expecting it), the tax cap is going to continue to squeeze the District’s finances. At some point, we’re going to have to decide whether to pierce the tax cap or more meaningfully reduce our programs. To date, we’ve been able to avoid doing that, but each year the choices become more difficult and the cuts get closer to our students’ experience. And, at the same time, there are many worthy academic, athletic, and artistic activities that the community would like to see added to the District’s offerings, and special education costs continue to rise. This calls for judgment and creativity to determine priorities and find alternatives.
• Student safety on the way to Glover: after years of inter-governmental discussion, community input, and planning, NYMTC produced a number of potential proposals to improve pedestrian safety for students travelling from PMS/PMHS to Glover. This includes a proposal to reroute pedestrian traffic at reasonable (but still meaningful) cost. Given Glover’s location, this project will be complicated to fund and implement, and will require convincing multiple municipalities to participate. I’ve helped push this forward to date and intend to continue to do so.
• Sustainability: Energy efficiency and sustainability (which can be good for both the environment and the District’s finances) have been important topics as we consider the development of the bond projects. I intend to continue to be a voice for thoughtful attention to these considerations on the Bond Steering Committee. I also volunteered to be a District representative on the new Town Sustainability Board, which is just kicking off this month. I look forward to working with representatives from the town and villages to coordinate initiatives throughout the town.

• Academic Success: The district’s motto is “Inspiring a Standard of Excellence for All Students.” I remain focused on achieving that standard for all students, and continuing to refine how we define and measure success.

I’m excited by the opportunity to continue to work with the Pelham community to serve all of the children in our schools. I look forward to speaking with many of you in the coming weeks – at community events, on the soccer and lacrosse sidelines, at the train station, or on my frequent walks around town (these days, often accompanied by our new puppy!). 

All the best – 

Sid Burke