Fucheck seeks a return to the school board

Posted 5/12/21

Her nine-year, three-term tenure on the Newburgh Board of Education ended in 2014, but Dawn Fucheck says she is ready to return.

“I am seeking to return to the board currently to give back …

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Fucheck seeks a return to the school board

Posted

Her nine-year, three-term tenure on the Newburgh Board of Education ended in 2014, but Dawn Fucheck says she is ready to return.

“I am seeking to return to the board currently to give back to my community once again,” said Fucheck, who served as board president for four years and vice president for an additional two years. “It has been a very challenging year for our scholars, teachers, staff, administrators, parents, and our community. I would like to work collaboratively with ALL stakeholders to ensure the safe return for all to full-day, in-person learning, 5 days a week. As a result of the pandemic, our scholars will have educational learning gaps as well as social and emotional needs that will need to be addressed when they return full time. Our faculty and staff also may need support and resources to help them upon their return. I want to be part of the solution as we look at education post pandemic.”

Fucheck, who serves as a consultant for the New York State School Boards Association is eager to see schools return to in-person instruction five days a week.

“As a member of the Operation Reopen Task Force, I believe that our schools are ready to welcome all students back on a full-time basis. Based on the districts continued compliance with the NYS Department of Health guidelines, it is my opinion that this can happen safely,” she said. “ I feel it is important to, once again, provide our scholars with in-person learning, 5 days a week that would include sports, music and art programs, clubs, and other activities that we had available to our students prior to the pandemic. The education, physical, social, and mental well-being of our students has been detrimentally impacted over the last year. It is time for our scholars to return to ensure their well being and the future of their education.”

She also supports two propositions on the May 18 ballot, the $293 million proposed budget and the proposed $25 million capital reserve fund amendment.

“The district works diligently to keep cuts away from the classroom and educational programming. This means we can continue to provide an exemplary education to our scholars. The proposed budget is also cognizant of the taxpayer’s ability to pay.

Another goal is to increase Newburgh’s graduation rate, which, according to State Education Department figures, is currently 78 percent.

“Increasing the district’s graduation rate has always been and will continue to be a priority for me. We need to establish support for our scholars that may be falling behind for a variety of reasons. This should include early literacy instruction and intervention and continuous monitoring and assessment of all scholars to ensure we are addressing their needs. We need to support initiatives for middle level programs to better prepare students for entering as freshman,” she said. “We need to support the district’s efforts to match programs with the needs of our scholars. For example, NFA West was opened to address the needs of those students who had become disconnected and disengaged in a traditional high school setting. NFA West is not an alternative program, it is a non-traditional high school setting that addresses that specific need identified for some of our scholars. The district is seeing success with this program. We also need to continue to offer extended day and extended year programs. All these initiatives, I believe, will help improve the graduation rate.”

After a 7-year absence Fucheck said she has spent the last two year re-engaging with the district with the hope of preparing for a return to the school board. She currently sits on the Operation Re Open Task Force as well as the Accountability Team for Transformational Leadership, which is working on Imagine 2025, the district’s 5-year strategic plan.

“I have always been an involved parent and community member. In addition to being a previous board member, I also sat on the Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Newburgh and the Newburgh Armory Unity Center. I am currently a consultant for the NYS School Board’s Association whereas a leadership development facilitator I provide professional development for school boards throughout NY State,” she said “I have lived in the district for 30+ years while raising four children, all of whom graduated from the district. One of my children has remained here and is currently a teacher for the district. My grandchild will be part of the future of our district as he is attending school here. I once again would like to devote my time and energy to being a school board member in the district. I have extensive experience and I will continue to support the needs of our scholars and the teachers educating them.”

There are five candidates running for three open seats on the Newburgh Enlarged City School District Board of Education. Candidates Ramona Burton, Philip Howard and Shoy Colbourne have been profiled in previous issues of the Mid Hudson Times.