Three candidates vie for seats on Webutuck school board

WEBUTUCK — Come Tuesday, May 18, residents of the Webutuck Central School District (WCSD) will have their choice of three eligible candidates to fill the open seats on the Webutuck Board of Education (BOE) in this year’s school district election.

As posted on the WCSD website, www.webutuckschools.org, there are actually four seats up for election on the BOE, including two seats for three-year terms, starting Thursday, July 1, through June 30, 2024. One is to fill the vacant seat of outgoing BOE member Nikki Johnson, one to fill a seat being sought by incumbent BOE candidate Richard Keller-Coffey; one to fill the vacancy left by outgoing BOE member Jay Neman, who resigned before his term officially expires on June 30, 2023; and one to fill the vacancy left by BOE member Steve Abad, who sudden resigned last year. Abad’s term was to officially expire on June 30, 2022.

This year, current BOE members Keller-Coffey and Jessica Deister will be campaigning against former BOE member Joanne Boyd for the open board seats. One seat is not being actively campaigned for, though a write-in candidate can still seek the position on Election Day.

Richard Keller-Coffey

Campaigning for his third term, Richard Keller-Coffey said despite the limitations school districts are facing nowadays, he is impressed he is by how Webutuck administrators and teaching staff overcame the challenges they’ve faced to better serve the students, especially during the COVID crisis.

Having dedicated his entire career to children — including 30 years of teaching in the Poughkeepsie school district — Keller-Coffey said he has an “understanding of schools from the bottom up.” By asking questions and learning about various school operations, he has learned about Webutuck’s day-to-day functions as well as its students and incentive programs.

“It’s what I’ve dedicated my life to, so working in the Webutuck community, it seems like an easy thing to do to stay dedicated to kids and education,” Keller-Coffey said. “So many things have happened in the district that it feels good to be a part of that, supporting them or making it happen.”

Along with anticipating cultural changes and different academic needs, he said the district is looking to maintain healthy school buildings. As far as what he’d like to accomplish if elected to another term, Keller-Coffey said, “Keeping taxes down is always a huge concern, but related to that is spending money wisely so that it benefits kids, benefits the school community, while not overburdening the overall community so much.”

Jessica Deister

Though she only joined the Webutuck BOE as a new member this past fall, Jessica Deister said there’s a huge learning curve for new BOE members, and she feels incredibly grateful for the insight she’s gained over these past eight months.

“I feel that, in my short time on the board, I have gained a significant amount of knowledge about the district and look forward to continuing to develop this knowledge so that I can make informed decisions that are in the best interest of our community,” she said.

Even with the challenges and uncertainties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Deister said she is incredibly proud of the hard work Webutuck’s administration, faculty and staff have put in to give students some sense of normalcy. As she’d like to see students make up for lost time, she’s aiming to be an advocate for students district wide and hopes to be a motivating factor for positive change. Furthermore, Deister said she wants to ensure Webutuck students and staff have all the resources they need to promote “a challenging academic program enriched with diverse course offerings, extracurricular programs and sports.”

In addition to having a comprehensive plan in place for repairs and updates to the school buildings, Deister said it would be wonderful for the local towns to attract new young families to the area, though she said this can’t happen without a strong reputation for Webutuck’s pre-k through 12 program.

Joanne Boyd

Having previously served on the Webutuck BOE more than a decade ago, Joanne Boyd said she is prepared to make efficient use of her time serving her community on the school board.

Before moving to Amenia — where she has resided for more than 30 years — Boyd previously worked as an educator in Westchester County and New York City. She also worked at Maplebrook School in Amenia for 10 years, and while she’s officially retired as a special education teacher, she still tutors.

Boyd recalled a quote from a past BOE member who compared Webutuck to “a diamond in the rough.” When she first moved from the city to Amenia, Boyd marveled at the ease with which community members could walk into the superintendent’s office, have a conversation and get to know their children’s teachers.

“I just think a school district has a lot of challenges, but it also offers so many opportunities for individuals,” Boyd said, “and that’s the ideal.”

Along with her perspective as both a past BOE member and a Webutuck parent, Boyd cited her openness to hearing all sides, her goal-oriented work ethic and her ability to work well with others as strengths for her candidacy. Remembering when Eugene Brooks Intermediate School was first built and how the goal was to make it a sanctuary in the community that included different organizations, she said she’d like to continue moving in that direction if elected.

Voting details

Webutuck District Clerk Tracy Trotter reminded voters that this year’s election will have in-person voting. Unless they are on the permanently disabled list, voters will not automatically receive a ballot in the mail. Furthermore, Trotter said voters who want to mail in their ballots must immediately request an absentee ballot for this year’s school budget vote, which is on Tuesday, May 18.

For more information on the budget vote, the BOE election and absentee ballot voting, go to www.webutuckschool.org.