Timothy Forster, making his first run for school board, says he has no set agenda.
"I’m not going in to take over...I’ve looked at the meetings. I have a lot to learn," he said. "We should all be learners."
Forster, who owns his own business, went on, "I have the ability and desire to make sure things get done right. I’m not in a hurry. I want to listen and learn so I can be effective.
He has learned from his campaigning, Forster said. "I’m encouraged to find out the community really cares and they’re paying attention...The parents and taxpayers are really concerned about where their money goes. They want to hear board-of-education members have good heads on their shoulders."

Forster is both a taxpayer and a parent.
He owns a public-information research company and his wife, Laura, works for the state’s Office of Children and Family Services. They have six children and "one on the way," said Forster. Their children range in age from eight to 20 — David, Rebekah, Travis, Valerie, Trevor, and Tabetha.
Forster said he’s not putting up election signs. "I don’t want to become like a politician," he said. "I just want to talk to the people in my community."
Asked who he would serve as a school-board member, Forster said, "The function of the school board is to oversee the administration, to be sure its moving in a direction to benefit the students."
He went on, referring to the superintendent, "Dr. Aidala is doing a superb job, leading the school district to where it is today. I would support the superintendent."
Forster also said, "The responsibility of the board is to indoctrinate our students as life-long learners, and to encourage our teachers and our staff. That sort of makes the taxpayers into the engine to drive this. The fuel is the money. I believe in making the most of our resources."
He concluded, "We have to keep our eye on the ultimate goal — to indoctrinate our students to be American citizens who are respectful and involved...These things have become the responsibility of public education. We can’t rely on parents; we’re all so busy."
On the proposed budget, Forster said, "The people I’m hearing from say the budget is so big...I believe it will pass, though. People are concerned because that’s a lot of money. I’d like to see something quantifiable...With education, that’s not easy to do."
If the budget were to be voted down, Forster said, he would recommend "resubmitting it for a second vote, maybe with some alterations."
Also, Forster said, at the middle-school level, he’d like to have children work more on defining career paths. "They do aptitude testing, but they should do more," he said. "Choices in high school should be directly related to long-term goals."

He also said he is a firm supporter of teaching foreign language at an early age.
But, Forster said, "My main concern in the school district is the physical security of the buildings...I’d like to see physical security ramped up, not in a fear-mongering way but to keep us safe from random events, from threats within and without."
He went on, "We need better and more security — not passive security....Cameras are not much of a deterrent. We need an active deterrent, someone there at each door."
He concluded, "Spending a lot of money on passive deterrents sounds good but is not very effective. Spending it on active deterrents — locked doors with a monitor — would be better."
On teaching to the test, Forster said, "I’m opposed to it; it’s a dumb thing to do. It’s a disservice to every student out there. What students need are critical thinking skills.
"Standardized tests are an inextricable part of schools today but we shouldn’t ignore the wealth of knowledge out there to get the test scores up. Test scores are not the golden barometer....
"Broad-based knowledge is what we need as citizens...The cookie-cutter mentality is no good for Americans; it’s why we’re falling behind," he said of competing globally.
On alternative revenues, Forster said, "Outside funding is a mistake. It has to be looked at carefully because you’re allowing outside agendas, outside influences — whether it’s Pepsi or Fox News. It’s a way the school-district is giving the green light. It’s the wrong way to go....That kind of revenue is insidious."
He concluded, "I like the idea of a foundation to act as a buffer between the money and the students....Extra money may be nice — but at what cost" It can’t be at the cost of the students’ right to get an education free of bias, free of outside agendas. We’ll raise our children to Guilderland standards."
On health insurance, Forster said, "The committee process is probably the best."
While Forster said it would be "out of place" for him to offer opinions on specifics the board has decided upon, he did say, "Obviously, health insurance is an important benefit for our staff and teachers. It says, ‘Here’s how we value you. We want you here to enrich our students.’
"We have to make sure the coverage is adequate or better than adequate...It’s very important the staff knows they’re valuable to the school district...We have to take care of them if they’re sick or injured."
Forster said he "definitely supports full-day kindergarten."
"The children are in a safe learning environment...a gentle, loving environment," he said of being in a Guilderland kindergarten class. "It gets them prepared for 12 further years of this schedule."
On the elementary-school day, he said, "It should be longer, yes, but not extraordinarily long. I’ve always felt the elementary days are a bit too short...They should go till at least 2:30 — a six-hour day. That’s not asking too much.
"The busing is a big issue in Guilderland. It’s a big budget expense. It’s hard to get drivers who are reliable. Lengthening the school day might make it a lesser burden, and take pressure off the busing staff."