Schools
BOE Candidate Profile: Roger Katz
Over the next few weeks Patch will present profiles and interviews with each of the six candidates vying for one of four available board of education seats.
With the Babylon School District budget vote and school board election several weeks away Patch will be providing readers insight on the spending plan, budget issues, community opinion and insight on candidates seeking election to board.
There are six residents running for four available seats. Two incumbents whose seats are up for election have opted not to run.
First up on the profile list is the lone incumbent seeking re-election. Roger Katz has served on the board for nine years and said it takes time and commitment to learn and understand how a board of education operates and to get things accomplished.
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Patch asked Katz, as well as every candidate, a short series of questions to provide readers with information about their backgrounds and views on the challenges facing the school distrct. Keep an eye out for video interviews of the candidates as well.
Roger A. KatzAge: 62
Find out what's happening in Babylon Villagewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Occupation: System Administrator for the Computer Controls of the Collider-Accelerator Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory.
Children: My two children have graduated from the Babylon School District.
Residency: I have lived in the village for 25 to 30 years.
Patch: Why are you running for another term?
When I first considered running for the board, eleven years ago, I sought the advice of a former board member whom I respected. His advice was that you should not run for the board unless you were committed to serving for at least nine years. He said it took six years just to learn and understand how a board works and how to get things accomplished. Well I've served on this board for nine years, and I'm a slow learner. It's only been in the last term that I feel I have gotten a good handle on this job and how to get things done. There are goals I have set that the district is close to accomplishing. I'd like to see the effort through.
Patch: What is the biggest challenge facing the school district?
The challenge to this community is the need to forge a new concensus on what we want from the educational experience we want to provide to our children. And we have three practical problems that need that new concensus in order to guide the development of solutions to these issues.
1. Selecting a new superintendent
2. Negotiating a new Teacher's contract.
3. Developing a budget plan under a 2% tax levy cap.
Patch: What is one thing you want to do differently in the district?
The negotiation of a new teacher's contract is critical to the future development of the school district. There is one absolute must. The amount of money given in the yearly step raise chart must be reduced. The community can not afford 3% step increases every year.
After that, I'd like to re-examine the contract in terms of getting more productivity from our staff. I would favor reducing the number of directors we have, reducing the number of 'periods' directors get to do that work. I would like to re-examine the use of the 'duty' period teacher's have and the 6th period rule as well.
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