Q&A With BOE Candidates Curtis and Magnus

Paul Curtis, who was elected to the Harrison Board of Education in 2008, will seek his second term on May 17 against challenger Joseph Magnus, who is seeking his first term.

The following is a question and answer with both candidates. The question will be listed at the top followed by answers submitted by each respective candidate. Voters will elect one of the two candidates to the board on May 17.

Patch: Tell us a little bit about yourself?

Curtis, 50, (pictured right): I have lived in Harrison since 1993 with my wife Celia. We have three children, two graduates of Harrison High School (Classes of 2008 and 2010) and a current freshman at the high school. I am one of eight children who grew up in a middle class family on Long Island. I have worked at Morgan Stanley for 25 years, am a certified public accountant and was a Little League coach for over 10 years.

Before I ran for my first term, I was extremely active and involved in learning how the district operates. I served on District Budget and Technology Committees and I was the chairman of the Harrison Educational Foundation (HEF), an organization that has raised over $2.5 million to fund curriculum enrichment programs without any cost to the taxpayer. Some examples of things funded by HEF are state of the art science labs, Smart Boards at all schools and a new auditorium at the high school. As part of the Foundation, I worked closely with teachers and administrators and gained an understanding of where to best put the millions of private dollars we raised. I also attended Board of Education meetings before I was elected - in person, for five years - so as to understand the workings of the district. As a result, I came in three years ago with an extensive working knowledge and hit the ground running.

Magnus, 49, (pictured left): I grew up in Westchester County and attended Fox Lane High School in Bedford.  I’m married with three “lax-bro” sons, all of whom attend Harrison schools. In my spare time I can usually be found on a sideline, cheering on one of my sons’ teams.

Patch: Why have you decided to run for the Harrison Board of Education?

Curtis: I am currently running for my second term as a school trustee. I am running again because I remain committed to motivating, challenging and supporting all children in the district and I want to continue the progress we have made. We have set high standards and expectations for every area of our operation including curriculum, instruction, financial management and student achievement and the results have been nothing short of remarkable. Among other things, we have been able to maintain our AAA Standard and Poor’s rating (a rating that is held by only 27 districts nationwide) in the face of a failing economy – this is due, according to Standard and Poor’s, to our strong management, long-range planning and conservative budgeting. We have opened doors for children and have increased the number of AP Scholars (those who earn a 3, 4 or 5 on a certain number of exams) by over 500%. This is an important number as it reflects the current board’s vision and philosophy, which supports rigor of instruction and access to that rigor for all of our students.

Under our previous system, the students who represent that increased percentage of AP Scholar would not have even been allowed entry into those classes. As a result of their great success, they have been admitted into more competitive colleges and have increased our college attendance rate from 66 percent in the early ‘00s to an all-time high of 92 percent this year (with an unprecedented number of top schools accepting our students). Do we have more work to do? Absolutely – in every area. We are not finished, but the process we have begun is, without question, reaping great benefits for our children and our district.

Magnus: I decided to run for several reasons. First, through my involvement in Harrison PEP I became aware of the poor performance of our district, particularly in how poorly we prepare our students for New York State Regents exams and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (“SAT”). 

Second, our district spends more per pupil than all but one district in our cohort group, and that is by less than $100. This high spend does not include the capital spending typically associated with school district budgeting, so, really, we’re way over any comparable district’s spending level.  

Finally, while compiling all this data it troubled me that it was effectively a “science project”.  We needed to go to many sources and spend many hours to compile data that should have been readily available. Our district’s lack of transparency needs to be addressed.  

Patch: Briefly describe your platform; what should voters know you stand for as a prospective Board of Education trustee?

Curtis: Excellence for all: I truly support opportunity and excellence for all. My philosophy is that eleven year olds should not be told they will be on the “regular” track and not the “advanced” track. Studies show that such an approach is harmful to virtually all children. Middle school children should share common core curriculum because only in that way are they equally prepared to take on the more rigorous offerings in the high school.

A rigorous course of study and access to that course of study must go hand in hand or we will remain what we were for decades – a school district in which the top students did well, but the middle and lower achieving students underachieved. I also believe in adding multiple pathways for students so that they may excel no matter what level or type of learner they are. This is what is being done in Harrison today and as a result of this approach, we have not, contrary to our opponents, hurt the top students, but rather, have increased their numbers.

Fiscal responsibility: Our district is one of only three in the state of New York and 27 in the nation to have achieved a AAA rating for excellence because of our conservative budgeting, long-range planning and strong management. We maintain a long-term strategic plan that includes financial forecasts and a capital plan. We have formal policies regarding reserves and investments, and we diligently adhere to these policies. As a result, we have been able to expand our academic offerings even while we keep costs down. Because of the long-term planning we employ, over the past four years, our budget-to-budget increases have averaged 2 percent and our tax levy increases have averaged 1.4 percent, well below the Governor’s proposed cap. This year’s budget to budget increase is 1.96 percent, one of the lowest in district history and the tax levy increase is 1.62 percent, again well below the proposed cap. My skill set is financial and along with being a board member, I am a taxpayer. I am very mindful of the struggles many of us are having and I always seek the lowest tax rate increase possible without hurting our program. We have made sacrifices and will continue to do so, however.

Magnus: It’s time for adult supervision at the Board of Education. We spend more per pupil than all but one district, and our performance metrics are at the bottom of our cohort group. Yet these issues are never seriously raised at any BOE meeting. The board instead focuses on AP exams taken, as though putting a kid in a seat to take a test is a true measure of academic progress. These false metrics are harmful in that they distract from constructive conversation about how to improve our curriculum for the betterment of all of our students, not just the elite few who do well on AP exams. 

We need to get our budget under control. Our infrastructure is outdated and needs to be restored, however there’s no way this can be addressed until we bring our budget numbers into line with reality. You simply cannot go to the taxpayers of this district and ask for more. You need to demonstrate that you’re going to be responsible with their tax dollars.  

Patch: What would you bring to the Board of Education? What skill set do you offer?

Curtis: My personal and professional background is consistent with our district’s long term goals. Professionally, I have worked for a large, well-managed organization for the last 25 years. My skill set includes a broad and extensive understanding of economic conditions, fixed income securities, financial accounting as well as consensus building. Over the past three years, I have brought these skills to the board and they have been of great value in helping to prepare responsible budgets (we have remained under the Governor’s proposed 2 percent tax cap for the last three years) and to advise the district generally. I have been exposed to a culture of integrity, performance, respect and professionalism and I will continue to foster and encourage this same culture within our school district.

Magnus: I offer significant municipal finance background. In fact, the MBA program at SUNY Albany is recognized as a pre-eminent school in turning out public finance professionals. And when the BOE touts its financial statement’s recognition by the GFOA, well, I was one of the guys who figured out what was important in financial statement reporting to bestow such recognition.   

Patch: How would you rate the quality of education given at Harrison's schools as a whole?

Curtis: Our school district prides itself on providing each student an equal opportunity to succeed. Because our students share a common core curriculum through middle school, they are equally prepared to take on the more rigorous offerings in the high school. Once there, our curriculum allows our students to select courses and pathways that are personal, relevant and challenging. I am proud of the wide range of course offerings that we provide to address the diversity of interests and abilities of each of our students. I am equally as proud of our commitment to ensuring that all students are appropriately challenged and supported.

Magnus: Our test scores demonstrate that as a whole, the district is failing its students. Harrison schools have been structured to accommodate the elite. If you are very bright, or if your parents can afford to spend a lot of money on tutors, then Harrison is a great place. We offer a tremendous number of AP courses, and will soon have an IB program that will admit roughly 30-60 of our brightest students per year. But this focus on the top has come at the expense of the majority of our students.  

Patch: If you could change one thing about the district what would it be?

Curtis: We are constantly looking to improve all areas of our operation and are never satisfied with the status quo.

Magnus: I would eliminate Universal Acceleration.  Currently our district pushes all of our eight grade students into ninth grade Regents Algebra. Last year roughly half the students did not achieve a grade indicating solid competence (NYSED’s characterization, not mine), and in most years more than two-thirds did not. 

We need to think of our children as individuals and provide multiple pathways to success. What’s amazing is that most of our kids continue on in math, to Geometry and Trigonometry. This shows how committed our kids are to their own education. What’s interesting is that the competence level remains static over these years. How much better would our kids do if they were afforded another year to master the basics before pushing on to more difficult material? Comparisons with other districts that offer multiple pathways indicate that a significant number of kids would do better if given this foundation.

Patch: Name one issue you plan to address in the next three years, how do you plan to do so?

Curtis: One thing that will need a significant amount of attention is the implementation of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. We will need to work hard to ensure that our high school students are well-advised as to the requirements for certificates of study or for the IB diploma itself. This is especially true during the program’s infancy in our district. Because of our raised expectations for students, we are already seeing more of an interest in this program than we anticipated. The culture at the high school has been transformed into one in which all students have the desire to achieve and as a result, many students are stepping up to this newest challenge. This is to be celebrated, but logistically, will need to be managed carefully.

Magnus: Transparency. I cannot fathom how a public institution can operate without providing fundamental metrics to its constituents. When I join the school board I will demand the same level of transparency and clear objectives that I have provided to my boards of directors in the past. Let’s discuss what we’re not doing well, come up with plans to address these issues, and measure the success of these plans. And let’s do it in public, so that people can see what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.

Patch: Do you believe in the use of cut scores for advanced classes at the high school level? What are your thoughts on open enrollment? What would you change about the current pathway system at Harrison High School?

Curtis: No. Studies have shown that tracking “reinforces inaccurate, and ultimately damaging, assumptions about intelligence.” (Carnegie Report). In addition, research tells us over and over that students’ achievement is a function of the opportunities they have been given. We have raised expectations for students by allowing them, along with their parents, teachers and guidance counselors, to decide on appropriate academic choices. It is a process that we constantly evaluate, re-evaluate and refine and as a result, the program improves every year, affording our students more choices and pathways.

An example helps illustrate the damage that can be done by tracking. Take a hypothetical boy, who through ninth grade, did not pay much attention to his studies. Suddenly, at the end of his freshman year, he wakes up. He wants to go to college, which requires a certain “track” of academic courses. Under the old system, it would be too late for that boy at the young age of 14 or 15. He wouldn’t have taken the “advanced” middle school offerings, would not have taken Algebra as an eight grader, and perhaps did not achieve grades of 90 (or whatever the cutoff was) in ninth grade. He would be kept from the two AP courses we offer in 10th grade and, frankly, may be discouraged from trying to get himself on the “right track.” He would now need to get 90s (or whatever the cutoff was) in his sophomore year class work for the chance to get into an advanced class in junior year. But, he has to wait a whole year and he’s ready now. Under our current system, that boy has a chance. Together with his parents, teachers and guidance counselors, he can choose the path he wants in a reasoned way. His ability to succeed will not be based on some arbitrary grade on his report card from the previous year or other such cut-off, but on his commitment to doing well and wanting to succeed.

Colleges and universities invariably say they want to see that a student has taken the most rigorous course of study available in their high school. They want to see AP or IB classes and if doors are shut to students to those courses because of cut scores, something our opponents have called for, those students are automatically at a disadvantage in their college quest. This was the case in Harrison for many years. It is not the case now and the incredible breadth and depth of our college acceptances reflects the change.

Our multiple pathways and course choices address all students’ abilities and interests from the science and math cited above to English to foreign language to fine and performing arts to creative writing and journalism to computer science/engineering toBOCES and business.

For instance, a student in our high school can choose between five or six math or science pathways. Our math choices range from an “applied mathematics” strand, for students who wish to be exposed to rigorous math programs but at a less intense pathway, to our Syracuse University accredited course in Multivariable Calculus, the most challenging math program offered on the high school level. Harrison High is the only school district in New York State to offer this course.
With the introduction of the International Baccalaureate Program, our students will be able to choose between Regents level classes, “standard level” IB classes, “high level IB classes,” and the remaining AP classes (of which there are varying levels – i.e., AP CalcBC is much more demanding than AP Stat).

Our pathways are constantly changing. We re-evaluate throughout every year and we discover things that may not have been obvious the year before. We make refinements and additions very regularly. We believe that the sustainability of our program requires adaptability.

Magnus: I don’t believe in cut scores, I do believe in open enrollment, and I do advocate multiple pathways to success.  Currently our district limits students to two pathways, and once taken it’s very hard to move up from the lower path. We need to provide intermediate pathways that allow students to move from one level to the other in an effective way.

Patch: Describe your feelings toward the way Harrison has budgeted in the past, would you eliminate more to reduce the taxpayer burden or bring back some of the programs recently affected by budget cuts. What would you like to see more money invested in? What would you like to see less money invested in?

Curtis: Our school budgets are the result of multiple years’ planning—we do not take a short term approach to our finances and that is why we have managed to maintain program in a terrible economic climate. Specifically, during my time as a board member, the district has controlled expenses by allowing in-house professionals to perform the necessary maintenance and improvements throughout the district. Our outstanding labor relations have also resulted in substantial cost savings and cost sharing for the district. This includes all employees increasing their contributions for active health insurance and health insurance into retirement. We also reached a historic settlement with our teachers association that recalibrated the entire salary schedule. I believe that these negotiations balanced well the needs of the taxpayers with the needs of our employees.

We have created partnerships within the Sound Shore Consortium, a group of eight districts that utilizes economies of scale to reduce costs; we will seek to expand such partnerships with other districts and municipalities.

Unfunded mandates, underfunded pension costs and the significant increase in the cost of energy, all outside the control of the district, have placed extraordinary burdens on our district. Unless we receive some sort of relief, these items will bring new sacrifices in the next budget year.

Magnus: Harrison Central School District’s budget process is a debacle. This year’s budget was finally made available to the public at 3:00 on the day before the public discussion of the budget. It’s all part and parcel of the lack of transparency of the current board and administration. I specifically asked Mr. Salierno, the assistant superintendent for business, if I could get a spreadsheet version of the budget for analysis. His response was that they don’t do that because they don’t want people to be able to “manipulate the numbers”.

Unfortunately, the budget in its current form makes it impossible to identify which expenses are tied to which programs, or even, absent hand keying the entire 58 page budget into a spreadsheet, the aggregate expenses of each individual school.

Harrison has recently been accepted as an IB school, do you support this move? 

Curtis: Absolutely. The IB program is an internationally recognized course of study that offers more depth and a more thoughtful approach to learning. IB prepares children for college and for life long learning in a way that AP cannot and does not. It offers both the option of earning certificates in IB level classes (just like taking an AP class, but courses are delineated as standard level (SL) or high level (HL)), or an IB diploma for the student who truly wishes to be challenged. Students can take a variety of IB classes, constructing a schedule with the level of rigor that is appropriate for them.

Magnus: The IB program is yet another expensive program targeted for the elites in our district. At a time when budgets are being cut, and key fundamentals are not being taught, does it really make sense to launch an expensive program that will serve fewer than 10 percent of our students, especially when programs catering to these students are already in place? I don’t think so. And let’s be clear: being “accepted” as an IB school essentially means that you’ve cut the check to the International Baccalaureate and committed resources to the program. It is not a measure of district academic achievement.

What additional ideas/changes would you consider bringing to the school district if any?

Curtis: We need to do a better job of helping New York state legislators understand what a huge financial burden the state places on school districts with unfunded mandates. For example, the taxpayer cannot bear the burden of poor investment performance in employee retirement funds.

Magnus: I’ve proposed: eliminating Universal Acceleration, introducing multiple pathways to student success, academic and fiscal transparency, and fixing the budget. If I get all these done in three years, that will be success.