VOORHEESVILLE — , 36, is making her first run for the school board because this is a time for changes in the district.

She is campaigning with Cindy Monaghan.

Gravino hopes to foster communication within the district and with the community, but ultimately, she said, the board serves students.

She supports the recently proposed budget and would have made no changes to it.  She highlighted transportation as an issue, saying, “My kids ride those buses,” and, as a taxpayer, she added, maintaining a sturdy fleet is worth the cost.

Gravino had no answer for handling the cliff-year budget, and explained that one of the reasons she is running is so that she can learn more.

Another reason she’s running, she said, is because of the new administrators who are bringing new ideas and possibilities to the district.

Last year, Gravino had a child in kindergarten and was wholly in favor of a full-day program, but, at this point, she wants more information on its potential benefits.  “As a working mom, it would have been better to have full day,” she said, putting herself at 75 percent in support of the initiative.

Student achievement is the number-one priority, she said, but “communication does need to be improved.”  More people should be included in the decision-making process, she said.

Gravino, who has a Ph.D. in counseling psychology and runs a practice in Schenectady, has two children in Voorheesville’s elementary school.

She wants to be leader on the board and foster openness.  “There are tough decisions to be made,” she said.