Archive: Opinions

My husband and I are third generation farmers in Lansing. We have an organic dairy farm on Lansingville Road. We have 6 children, two in second grade, two will start school in the Fall, and two of them are toddlers. I have a BS in Management from the US Coast Guard Academy and served in the Coast Guard for 12 years. Many jobs I had in the Guard involved working with groups that had similar structures to the Board of Education. I am very familiar with ascribing to laws and policies as well as incorporating stakeholders' needs and the public voice in my official decisions.

During my first term on the Board of Education I have demonstrated that the only agenda I have is to do what is best and right for the future of the Lansing School District. I worked hard to make it an efficient and effective board. I am an advocate for open communication and public input. I always tried to be an advocate for children and families that may not be represented.

The three most important stakeholders in a school district are the children, the taxpayers, and the district employees. Balancing the interests of these groups should drive us to have the best school district that we can.

The children we are educating should always be our highest priority. In Lansing we strive to have a whole child education. In short that means we try to teach not only basics such as Math, English, and Science but also offer Music, Art, Ethics, and other subjects that make up a well rounded education. Lansing has done a great job holding together enrichment and extra curricular activities through some tough budget times.

There are more things that we could be doing to help children that are socially and/or economically disadvantaged. I was against the elimination of the 5pm sports bus run because it takes away the opportunity to play sports from kids whose parents cannot pick them up. I am a big believer in Multiculturalism in education. Our community does not have a large percentage of minorities but there are many opportunities to expose our children to diversity to prepare them for life after school.

We should always be vigilante when we spend the taxpayer's money. The reduction and possible loss of revenue from AES Cayuga has strained our budget. We have to ask residents for a higher tax rate but we must also look at more measures that control our costs. I will continue to press for answers on how our decisions affect this year's budget and the future. We cannot afford to be short sighted and cause problems for future budgets.

We are fortunate to have dedicated, educated and community minded Teachers, Administrators, and Support Staff in Lansing. They have an incredibly difficult job and we all appreciate their efforts.

Aziza Benson
Lansing, NY

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