Raymond McQuade says a lot of people have told him that serving on the school board is "a thankless job."

He is making his first run for the post nevertheless because he believes his business expertise would be valuable for the board.
"I would be sensitive — coming at it from a business viewpoint," said McQuade. He went on to give an example of how a businessman’s perspective would work.

With the Campaign for Fiscal Equity winning its suit, requiring New York City schools to receive more funds, the Guilderland schools should plan ahead, in case the governor’s appeal is unsuccessful, McQuade said.
"New York State is on the losing end of a billion-dollar settlement," said McQuade. "Should the challenge not be successful...either our payroll taxes will go up or money will be shifted from upstate.
"We should be thinking about contingency plans should that occur," McQuade said, alluding to the $500,000 in additional state aid the district received this year.
"My view of the board of education is similar to the role that a board of directors would play in a privately-held company," said McQuade. "The board represents the investors in that company. The CEO serves at the discretion of the board...It’s not the board’s role to run the company.
"The board of education is the watchdog....We need to hold the administration accountable," he said of the role of school-board members.
Commenting on which constituency he would primarily serve as a board member, McQuade said, "There tend to be two camps — supporting the administration or reducing taxes....Seldom do you hear the most important piece — that’s the students. Unquestionably, if I had to choose, it would be the students."

McQuade owns a technology company and his wife, Laura, works in data processing. They have been Guilderland residents for 30 years and live on Woodlawn Drive near the town hall.

The McQuades have two children, both in Guilderland schools — James is at the middle school and Kathryn is at the high school.
In return for the education of his two children, McQuade said, "I feel I owe something to the school district."

McQuade, who served this year on the Citizens’ Budget Advisory Committee, said he supports the $79 million plan.

A number of the changes he advocated — such as cutting both elementary assistant principals next year or reinstating the social worker — were adopted by the board in the final plan, he said.
"I would have liked to have seen some of the teaching assistants restored, but I understand why they were not," he said.
"They did work hard to get the budget down to 4.2 percent," he said of the increase. "Getting an additional $500,000 in state aid allowed them to drop the increase."
If the budget were to be defeated, McQuade said, "I would go right to the contingency." He said, since debt service isn’t counted in figuring the state-set cap, Guilderland, with its recent $20 million expansion project at Farnsworth Middle School, is likely in upcoming years to again have its budget be lower than the state-set cap.
"This is all the more reason for the board to have business-minded people to insure the money is spent wisely," said McQuade.
On school security, McQuade said, "I wouldn’t want to see more than has already been put in place." He also said, "I wouldn’t want to come up short....It’s a sign of the times," he said of school security.
He added, "To buzz people in seems to me to go overboard."
And he asked, "Unless someone is looking at the video monitors, what purpose do they serve""
On teaching to the test, McQuade said, "This falls under the category of finding a balance point. There is not a clear cut between the two."
In relation to special education, he said, "Teaching to the test does not necessarily prepare people for the outside world."
He went on to say, about students in general, "Colleges are looking for test scores...The testing also provides standards for the district to meet, which is not a bad thing. You let the administration run with that and you hold the administration accountable."
About alternative revenue sources, McQuade said, "This is going to be important in the next 12 months. You have to look at alternative sources to be thorough."
He went on, "I’m not sure I could support advertising...School is not the appropriate forum."

He said, though, that he could probably support pouring rights and a foundation.
On health insurance, McQuade said, "I’d like to think the board took some of my advice."
During discussions at the citizens’ advisory sessions, McQuade said, he was the first to use the term "Cadillac plan," to describe Guilderland’s coverage, a term which was reiterated frequently.
"I reviewed policies with independent brokers I deal with to see why it was higher than what I pay as a small businessman," said McQuade. "I suggested an employee buyout for those who do not need insurance, to entice them to drop out."
He went on to say, "There are things that could be changed. The committee does need to alter its format. It did a disservice to employees," McQuade said.
Since Guilderland employees pay 20 percent of their health-insurance costs out-of-pocket, they were hurt by the "high-end" plans that offered services they didn’t need, McQuade said.
"I definitely think that changes could be made to benefit both the district and its employees," he said.
McQuade said that, while serving on the budget advisory committee, he heard contrasting opinions on lengthening the school day. "It’s not as simple as a longer school day to save on buses," he said. "There will be other expenses.
"I would want to do a fair amount of research with the board, the administration, parents, and teachers. I would reserve my decision," he said, while advocating research.
On full-day kindergarten, he said, "If the state requires it, of course we would follow suit....I’m not sure that full-day is warranted."