Robert Martin elected President of the Mamaroneck Board of Education
Will it be a Year of Continuity?

At their July 2 reorganization meeting, the 7 members of the Mamaroneck Board of Education chose Bob Martin for President, Susan Spencer for Vice-President and Celia Felsher for Secretary. Amy Levere, recently elected to her first term, took the oath of office and joined her colleagues at the Board table.

Bob Martin first joined the Board in 1997 when he was elected to a one year term to replace a member who could not finish out the usual three year tenure. In 1998 and again in 2001 he was elected to three year terms. To prepare for his new position, this summer Martin will be reading Educational Philosophy books borrowed from his daughter Laura, a Junior at Brown University. "This is a nice father-daughter project," for Martin.

Martin's predecessor, Ronda Lustman, saw her tenure as six years of change. (See related article.) Martin, meanwhile, is predicting a period of continuity. He plans for the Board to continue pursuing its two goals related to challenge and equity and will focus particularly this year on the issues curriculum consistency, minority achievement and gatekeeping and tracking.

Martin suggested, "There is some tracking that occurs at different levels and we want to be sure that if it's done, it's done by design and not by accident." He offered an example of "accidental tracking" as the grouping that occurs when students in an advanced 11th grade calculus class end up together for English, history and other courses due to inflexibility in the scheduling options.

Other new goals set at a June 15 Board retreat include ending the year with a new teachers' contract and revisiting Special Education, which has not received a detailed Board study for a few years. There is concern that the number of special education designations are on the rise and there is an appreciation that newly hired staff may have an opportunity to reengineer programs for the better.

New Board President Martin recognizes that "My background is not in education, it's in business." Only seasoned Board member April Farber comes from an education background. "We're trying to have a board that will work cooperatively and collaboratively. We all have a lot to learn about education."

Martin also credits the recent community conversations for impacting this year's Board goals. "We've had three community conversations. There are two more tentatively scheduled for October 2 and October 7, one with the Hispanic community and one with members of the faculty. The Board will continue to reflect on what we've heard from the community."

Retiring President Ronda Lustman "has done a terrific job for two years," reflects Martin, "and I hope to build on that by continuing an open and collaborarative management style. For example, we will continue to allow the community to comment during study sessions. We hope to continue our visits as a Board to the Schools. We're examining our liaison relations to see if they're as effective as we can be."

"The Board-Superintendent relationship is very good and I certainly expect that to continue. The Board has been relying on Dr. King for all of her outstanding educational leadership and passion, particularly in the areas of minority achievement and curriculum consistency."

One item that will certainly change for Martin as he moves from the side of the Board table to the middle seat with the gavel: the work load. The President's job carries even more responsibility than a regular board position. Nevertheless, Martin reports, "My family is thrilled that I am able to continue working in an area that is so exciting and rewarding for me."

With his daughter off at college now, Martin admits "It is far more difficult to gather the student perspective, but I am in a position to bring some knowledge from my five years of experience on the Board. The world of education is so different than all the other worlds I've worked in - I find it fascinating."

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