NEW CITY, NY – Phillip DeGaetano, a lifelong Clarkstown resident, parent of three children who went through the Clarkstown Central School District, and a former President of the Clarkstown Central School District Board announces his candidacy to run for Clarkstown School Board. He has one child who graduated and another currently at Clarkstown North High School. His son who has special needs graduated from Rockland Boces, which Mr. DeGaetano described as “one of highlights of his life.”

We spoke with Mr. DeGaetano about his candidacy.

Why are you running for School Board?

“I know how challenging it can be to effectively balance the responsibilities of the job. The district must be accountable to its taxpayers; it needs to attract and retain quality teachers; and most importantly, it should provide a top-tier educational experience to its students.”

The excellent reputation of the Clarkstown Central School District is perhaps the single most important reason why people choose to buy homes in Clarkstown. This means everyone here has a stake in ensuring that our district maintains its outstanding reputation and its stellar programming. We have an obligation to provide our students with a solid foundation on which to build their own paths toward successful futures.

I have no illusions as to what it takes to accomplish these goals. It is a difficult and sometimes thankless endeavor. But I strongly believe that getting the right candidates to serve on the Board of Education is of critical importance to our community. And, I believe my experience, knowledge, and understanding of the nuances of negotiations are critical assets at this juncture in the district’s history.

If elected, what are your top priorities?

Making our children the top priority is the reason I am running for the Board of Education. During my initial tenure on the board, times in Clarkstown were highly contentious. We were a divided group of people with varied opinions on how to best meet the needs of the community at the time. We had many issues that needed to be resolved.

Could you talk about your time as a former School Board member?

I fought hard and passionately for our students, staff, and taxpayers. The results speak for themselves. My years on the board of education are marked with numerous steps forward for students, staff, and taxpayers.

Our budgets reflected a careful balance of needs. As President, I lead the board to broker a 5-year labor agreement with all bargaining units. The unions gave back over $40M in concessions, we saved the jobs of over 60 teaching assistants, and had zero layoffs for three years. This was all accomplished while staying under the tax cap. Every budget presented under my tenure was passed by the voters because the budgets were responsible and sensible.