Rye City School Board's Newly Elected Nancy Pasquale Excited for Challenge

RYE, N.Y. – Even though newly elected Rye City School District Board of Education member Nancy Pasquale said she's been preparing for a seat on the board for several years, the news that she was elected to fill the position at last Tuesday's election still managed to catch her by surprise.

"Certainly it was very nice to see the kind of turnout in terms of the number of votes, but it was unexpected," Pasquale said. "It was very nice to see that kind of ground swell support, to see a lot of people feel good about you on the seat."

Pasquale, who boasts perfect attendance at board of education meetings over the past three years, captured 1,217 votes, good enough for second best behind incumbent and current board President Laura Slack's 1,261.

When asked about how she feels about the 2 percent property tax levy cap, Pasquale said that the challenge is specially heightened for districts with increasing enrollment like Rye. Although acknowledging potential hurdles, Pasquale said she will work to make the best out of a difficult situation.

"It presents a special challenge for our district, but I think good things can come from those kind of challenges," Pasquale said. "It will force us to really look hard and carefully at how we spend money. It's not a bad thing inherently to take a fresh look at how you do things."

Pasquale also hopes to greatly improve the level of communication between members of the community and the district.

"We need to increase and improve community communication, not just to the parent community but the community at large," Pasquale said. "It's a necessity, we aren't going to have a choice."

Pasquale added that she's excited to be a part of the district's transition to a new superintendent and two new school board members.

"It's an exciting time and a tough time," Pasquale said. "But tough can be good. I'm thrilled the community has put their support behind me and I'm looking forward to continuing my service."

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