GUILDERLAND — Five candidates are vying for three seats on the Guilderland School Board. Only one incumbent, Richard Weisz, is in the race.

Two of his challengers — Hy Dubowsky and Denise Eisele — ran unsuccessfully last year in a six-way race for three seats.

The other two challengers are Timothy Forster and Raymond McQuade.

Candidates had to file their petitions by Monday. The election is May 16, at the same time voters will be deciding on a $79 million school budget for next year.

Two long-time board members, both leaders — President Gene Danese and Vice President Linda Bakst — are stepping down, leaving two vacancies.

This year, just one of the candidates is a woman; all of them have children who are students in the Guilderland schools or graduates of Guilderland High School.

None of them oppose the budget. Two are business owners, one is a nurse, one is a lawyer, and one works on economic development for the state.

The board has nine at-large unpaid members who each serve three-year terms. The top three vote-getters will take office in the beginning of July.

Hy Dubowsky
Hy Dubowsky is making a second run for school board because, he said, "I really want to help our district continue to provide excellent education for the kids."
He went on, "The best way to do this is to make smart budget choices. I have over 25 years’ experience working with budgets and maximizing in tight budget times. It’s essential to link dollars to program outcomes."

Dubowsky works for the state’s Department of Labor as the economic development director. He holds five academic degrees: a bachelor’s degree in political science from City University; a master’s degree in urban studies, also from City University; two master’s degrees from New York University — one in public administration and finance, and the other in philosophy; and a doctor of philosophy degree in finance, policy, and organization from NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service.

In last year’s six-way race, he came in fifth, with 14 percent of the vote.
Asked his thoughts on the $79 million budget proposal, Dubowsky said, "We get what we pay for. I applaud efforts this year to make smart budget choices"We saved significant money but did not cut programs."

Next year, he suggested the district may be able to consider teaching foreign language in the elementary schools.
"I’m a parent of three kids," said Dubowsky. "You have to move programs forward. You have to look at the arts, enrichment, and foreign language at an early age."

Dubowsky chairs a committee that is considering alternative revenue sources for the district.
He concluded, "Guilderland offers an excellent education. That’s a fundamental value of my wife and I."

Dubosky’s wife, Carol Kaelin, a former Enterprise reporter, is now a partner in a news service. They have three children: Eric, a Guilderland High School and University of Rochester graduate who works now as a bond trader in New York City; Meg, a freshwoman, and Ryan, a junior, both at Guilderland High School.

The Dubowsky family lives on Highland Drive in Guilderland.

Denise Eisele
Denise Eisele said she is making her second run for school board "because, to me, it’s a natural extension of my involvement in the school district."

In last year’s six-way race, she came in fourth, with 17 percent of the vote.
"I really, really want to make it this time," she said. "I’m going to do much more campaigning door-to-door."
Eisele also said, "I think I’m well prepared to serve on the board of education."

Eisele, who has six children, has served as president of the PTA at Farnsworth Middle School and on the building cabinets at Westmere Elementary School and at Farnsworth. The cabinets are made up of parents, teachers, administrators and staff who help run the schools.

This year, Eisele served on the district’s alternative funding committee.
Asked her thoughts on the $79 million budget proposal, Eisele said, "I think the people involved worked really hard to contain spending. I believe in fiscal responsibility."

Eisele, who describes herself as a well-organized person, works part-time as a school nurse of the Early Childhood Education Center.

She is a graduate of Glens Falls High School and the Albany Medical Center School of Nursing.
"I’m an old-fashioned nurse," said Eisele, who is a registered nurse.

Eisele lives on Stafford’s Crossing, in North Bethlehem, with her husband, George, who is a physician. The couple has six adopted children: Stephan, 15; Jacob, 15; Meg 12; John, 11; Paul, 10; and Douglas, 9.

Timothy Forster
Timothy Forster, when asked why he was making his first run for school board, said, "I have six children and one on the way. My oldest is a graduate of Guilderland and at Oneonta now. The education here is fantastic. We’re really happy with the way the schools are educating our kids."
He went on, "I’m concerned that we not just maintain these standards but improve them...In the past I’ve said, ‘I wish somebody would do something.’"

So, said Forster, he decided to step up to the task.
Asked for his thoughts on the $79 million budget proposal for next year, Forster said, "That’s a huge budget....My concern is that the money gets spent where it needs to get spent."
He said, for example, that he thought $20 million was too much to spend for the recent renovation and expansion of Farnsworth Middle School. "We needed to put a cap on that," he said. "That’s too much; I voted against it."
He went on, "Money is being spent, maybe not frivolously, but without enough scrutiny."
On balance, though, Forster said he supports the $79 million plan. "It’s a desirable school district," he said. "That takes money...But the line items need to be looked at."

Forster’s father was in the military so, growing up, he said, his family moved frequently. He graduated from public high school in Georgia and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of West Georgia.
He now owns a public-information research company, Velocity Research and Corporate Services. "We do the behind-the-scenes research that lets our clients — lending institutions, mainly — put their finger on the pulse of businesses," he explained.

His wife, Laura, works for the state’s Office of Children and Family Services as a trainer, doing on-line distance programs, he said.

The couple has six children: Tabetha, 20, a student at the State University of New York College at Oneonta; Trevor, 16, and Valerie, 15, both sophomores at Guilderland High School; Travis, 13, an eighth-grader at Farnsworth Middle School; Rebekah, nine, a third-grader at Pine Bush Elementary School; and David, almost eight, a second-grader at Pine Bush.

The Forsters live off of West Lydius Street in Guilderland.

Raymond McQuade
Raymond McQuade served on the Citizens’ Budget Advisory Committee this year for the first time and said he learned that the current school board does not have "a lot of business experience."

Citizen volunteers spend a month reviewing the administration’s budget proposal and then make recommendations to the school board before it adopts its final plan.
"A number of members approached me," McQuade said about running for the board. He said he’d like to be "of some use" to administrators.
"I realized it would be hard for me to continue to criticize if I wasn’t willing to commit the time," McQuade said.

He believes his business background would be useful.
"The school district is a business," said McQuade. "Its business is educating children."
McQuade owns a technology company headquartered in Latham that sells "data-processing solutions" nation-wide, he said, explaining that he serves "a niche market," selling business software.

He holds two degrees from the University at Albany — a bachelor’s degree in math and a master’s degree in computer science.
Asked for his thoughts on the $79 million budget proposal, McQuade said, "I’m not necessarily in favor of the raise, given the reassessment," a reference to the town-wide revaluation that the Guilderland undertook last year. This year, both Bethlehem and New Scotland — towns with pieces in the Guilderland School District — are undergoing revaluation.
McQuade went on to say that he is "realistic," given rising costs beyond the district’s control, such as for energy.
"Other districts are at eight, nine, ten percent," he said of budget increases. Guilderland’s spending plan for next year represents a 4.41-percent increase over this year, with an estimated tax-rate hike of 4.18 percent.
The solutions that would have reduced that increase were "not attractive," said McQuade.
"I will support the budget," he said, adding, "The district can do a better job on how it’s spending the money."
McQuade concluded, "I’m looking to find common solutions that will be good for the district and will benefit employees."

McQuade’s wife, Laura, works in data processing, he said. They have two children: Kathryn, a student at Guilderland High School, and James, a student at Farnsworth Middle School.

The McQuades have been Guilderland residents for 30 years and live on Woodlawn Drive, which is near the town hall.

Richard Weisz
Richard Weisz is running for a third term because, he said, "I believe in public education and I believe I have something to contribute to keep public education strong and effective in our community."

During his six years on the board, Weisz said, he has affected the district’s approach on the fund balance, using more of it to reduce the tax burden. He broached the idea of discussing state-wide changes in the retirement system for teachers, something Linda Bakst pursued with the New York State School Boards Association.

And, Weisz pointed out, he continually pushed for the district to consider alternative revenue sources — such as through a foundation or from commercial backing. A committee was formed this year to look at such funding and will report to the board this spring.
"I think I’ve helped at keeping the district a cohesive place for discussions," said Weisz.
Wiesz supports the $79 million budget for next year, which carries an estimated tax rate of $19.12 per $1,000 of assessed valuation for Guilderland residents. "I think our tax rate is below the middle for comparable districts," said Weisz. "The increase is less than the law allows."
The budget, he said, reflects the view that, "when appropriate, employment slots should be eliminated."
Weisz went on, "I’m disappointed we couldn’t have more programming for the international world of the future." This would include teaching foreign language in the elementary schools and additional courses in world affairs at the high school, he said. Still, the budget is a good balance, he said.

Weisz, a lawyer, is a partner in the Albany office of Hodgson Russ, LLP. He has a bachelor’s degree in physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a law degree from Albany Law School.

He is married to Diane Rosenbaum-Weisz, who works for Parsons as director of the Child and Family Guidance Clinic. They live on Mohawk Trail.

They have two children, both graduates of Guilderland High School: Jessica Weisz is a junior at the University of Pennsylvania, and Joshua Weisz is a freshman at the University of Maryland.