Meet the Candidates: Board of Education

Two school board seats are up for grabs in the May 17  Pelham Board of Education election. Incumbents Will Cavanagh and Ted Howard join Marianne Gilland and Lester Kravitz in their hopes to gain a three- year term position. Patch spoke with all four candidates about their motivations to run, relevant experience and leadership potential.

Lester Kravitz

Attorney and owner of Kravitz Realtors, Lester Kravitz hopes to draw on his business acumen as a member of the Board of Education. “When you are running an enterprise or business, you can always find ways to save money. It could be something as simple as how you mail and distribute information,” Kravitz said. In addition to tackling the schools’ budget woes, Kravitz would also like the district to use less natural resources, so it can operate in a more green way. Kravitz’s daughters graduated from the Pelham school system, and he was “pleased” with the education they received. But now that he no longer has children in the system, Kravitz is eager to serve on the board, in order to reconnect with the schools. “As a non-insider, I want to have an idea as to what is going on and to be able to report back to the community at large," he said. Kravitz has served as a member of the Pelham Memorial High School Site-Based Council and president of the Pelham Chamber of Commerce.

Ted Howard

Business journalist Ted Howard has served on the Pelham Board of Education since 2008. Drawing on his communication skills, Howard focused his efforts on board tasks that involved writing, creative problem solving and consensus building. Howard’s daughters are currently enrolled in the seventh and fifth grades and he would like to continue to help improve the school’s curriculum and college preparation. “The schools are a reason people move to Pelham,” Howard remarked. “I wanted to support them and help maintain what makes our town so special.”

Marianne Gilland

After watching the documentary “,” Marianne Gilland decided that she had to speak up about the schools’ arbitrary grading policies and focus on standardized testing. Gilland joined the site-based parents committee last year and approached the Board of Education with her concerns about the  and academic policies. But, she still felt that her voice was not being heard. “We need to know that kids are getting a fair shake,” she said with regard to the schools’ grading system, “that there is some rhyme or reason.” Gilland’s two sons have already graduated from the Pelham school system and her daughter is a freshman at PMHS. She would like to pursue a number of initiatives as a board member, including fostering more openness within the community, with events like February’s Community Forum.  “I would like to keep as much of a local flavor in our schools as we can.”

Will Cavanagh

Since 2002, tax lawyer Will Cavanagh has served on the Board of Education where he has played key roles in developing the strategic plan, honing the curriculum, securing bonds for the middle and high school renovations, drafting budgets and enhancing community relations. Cavanagh hopes to draw on his breadth of experience to help the district navigate expensive new federal and state mandates, a loss of state aid and a possible tax cap. “I bring a creative, problem-solving approach to all challenges that we need to confront,” remarked Cavanagh whose son and daughter have both graduated from the Pelham schools. “Being a tax lawyer is about problem solving. You need that kind of skill as a board member in the school district.” In addition to solving budget issues, Cavanagh also aims to improve the instructional program and curriculum so that it “gives each student the tools to maximize his or her potential.”