An incumbent and two challengers are running for two open seats on the Pine Bush Central School District Board of Education. Their names will be on the May 18 ballot, the same day residents will vote on a $125,891,597 million budget, which includes a three percent decrease in the tax levy. School board positions are unpaid and carry a three-year term, running from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2024.

Ross Tompkins
Ross Tompkins is completing his first term on the board of education. He lives in the Town of Shawangunk and has resided in the district for 55 years. Tompkins attended SUNY Orange and SUNY Dutchess studying business management and human resources as well as real estate development. He graduated from Pine Bush High School in the Class of 1982. He has three children who attend district schools, two at Crispell Middle School and one at Pine Bush High School.
Professionally, Tompkins has more than 30 years in the banking and real estate businesses and co-owns Pineapple Day Spa.

Tompkins is an assistant scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 37 in Pine Bush, a committee member for Boy Scout Pack 41, a past president for the National Association of Professional Mortgage Women, a member of the Hudson Valley MBA and a member of Mountain View Methodist Church.

If elected again, he will help the board in their efforts to get students back to full in-person learning. He will work hard to make sure in-person school plays and musical performances return. Another one of his priorities is bringing kids who struggled with virtual learning back up to speed.

“We had a heck of a year and a half,” he said.

Marie Brevil
Marie Brevil has a dual doctorate in public health, education and community health promotion from Walden University. She also holds a master’s degree in healthcare management, a bachelor’s degree in business and an associate’s degree in management. A Town of Wallkill resident, she has lived in the district for eight years.

Brevil has an adult daughter in college and a son in the fifth grade at Pakanasink Elementary School where she has been a member of the PTA as well as vice president of the organization. She also volunteers for events in her son’s classes.

Brevil has volunteered for many youth-oriented non-profits, presenting at seminars on subjects such as child abuse, domestic violence and life skills. She also makes mission trips to Haiti where she educates residents on health-related and child-welfare issues. She is the co-founder of Shoes for Haiti, is a published author, is fluent in English, French and Creole and also speaks Spanish.

Brevil is running for a seat on the board of education, as she wants to make sure the schools in the district are funded properly. If elected, she will push for the district to hire more minority staff members. She also wants to be proactive and be a voice for change, as opposed to letting others make decisions.

“The important thing is we need to be involved more…,” she said. “I don’t like to be one of those people that sits on the side and complains and wonders why things are not different.”

Brevil noted that the decisions made by the board of education are of paramount importance, as the children are the future.

“These kids are gonna be the kids holding up your chart tomorrow to make decisions about your life,” she said. “We have a duty to make sure that these kids get the right education.”

Tasha T. Butler
Tasha T. Butler is the director of human resources for Independent Support Services. A Town of Wallkill resident, she has lived in the district for seven years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in education: curriculum and instruction. She is working on a doctorate in post-secondary education from Capella University.

Butler is a volunteer on the district’s audit committee, as well as with youth programs within the Agape Love Outreach Church. She has served as a board member for Leadership Sullivan, a trainer for Literacy Volunteers of Sullivan County and as a mediator for the Dispute Resolution Center.

Butler has been an instructor at Sullivan County Community College, a substitute teacher in Middletown and has held several positions at Sullivan ARC. She has two daughters, one a 2016 Pine Bush High School graduate and another who is in 10th grade.

If elected, Butler would help the board gather data on the learning gap that was caused for students by remote learning. She believes that gathering input from students, their families, teachers and administrators would be the best way to determine how to fill that gap.

“As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child,” she said. “The village will need to stick together and brainstorm ways to effectively close any learning gaps and come up with the best plan to accomplish this.”

Butler is interested in running for the school board so she could contribute her unique talents and passion for education. She hopes to be an effective contributing member of the board of education by assisting with setting policies that will be effective for children and the school.

“I believe I have sound judgement, a willingness to collaborate and a sincere interest in public education in this community,” Butler said. “I do believe the leadership skills and educational background I have attained throughout my professional career would be beneficial in the role of a school board member.”

She believes the board’s top priorities are to set and carry out the vision and goals for the district while paying close attention to the district’s priorities for academic achievement. Butler also noted that adopting policies that give the district direction to set priorities and achieve its goals, adopting and overseeing the annual budget and evaluating the superintendent are of paramount importance.

The election will take place on Tuesday, May 18 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. District residents of Shawangunk and Gardiner will vote at the Walker Valley Fire House. Crawford and Montgomery residents will vote at Pine Bush Fire House (Station 1). Mount Hope and Town of Wallkill residents will vote at the Circleville Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Lastly, Mamakating residents will cast their ballots at Mamakating Park in Bloomingburg.

Qualified registered voters will be permitted to vote in the school district election on May 18. To be a qualified registered voter, a person must be: a United States citizen, 18 years of age or older, a Pine Bush School District resident for at least 30 days before the vote and registered.