3 Seats Open for CECSD School Board, Election 5/15/18
| Name | Photo | Biography |
| Christopher A. Kuretich, Sr. - |  |
I grew up in Mount Vernon, NY where I proudly attend Mount Vernon public schools, graduating from Mount Vernon High School in 1994. I attended college at the University at Albany (SUNY), receiving both a Bachelor of Arts in Communications (1998) and a Master of Science in Education Administration and Policy Studies (2001). I am currently working towards completion of a PhD in Higher Education at Syracuse University. Following completion of my graduate degree at Albany, I relocated to New Jersey where I began my career as an administrator in higher education. I spent twelve years in New Jersey, working first at Montclair State University and then Seton Hall University. During this time, I met and married my wife, Andrea Kuretich. We would later welcome our son (CJ) into our family in 2011. CJ is now a proud Parker Panther! CJ has two younger sisters who will soon be old enough to begin their own educational journeys as students in the Cortland Enlarged City School District. In 2012, my wife and I relocated to Cortland where I began serving as Associate Vice President for Student Affairs at SUNY Cortland. We made a strategic decision to live specifically within the City of Cortland so that our children could attend public school in the district. Through my time as a parent of a student at Parker Elementary School, I have become immensely invested in the future of this school district and how the decisions made this year will affect all of the children in the district. I believe I will be an asset to the board, and to all of the families and children in the CECSD, as we move forward in navigating these challenging times while keeping true to our mission of creating a positive learning environment for all students. |
| Christine Gregory |  |
I read once that be deciding to become a teacher a person has an unparalleled opportunity to influence young people who will lead the way into the future and impact the course of the world. Nothing can be more important than that. For over four decades, I had the privilege of teaching thousands of young people at our Junior Senior High School. Retirement from my teaching career has provided me with the time and opportunity to continue to serve the children of our community as a member of the school board. This commitment is very important and I feel honored to have had the opportunity to help oversee the education of our community’s most valuable asset – our children. It is my hope that the residents of our school district elect me to serve a second term. If re-elected, I will continue to be a “voice” for our teachers, our families, and most importantly, our children. |
Eugene Waldbauer |
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My desire to give back to our community is a result of the positive experiences I had on the Town of Cortlandville Planning Board and as a Cortland County legislator. I’ve always considered myself lucky to have been born and raised in Cortland and I look forward to using my strong community relationships and proven analytical abilities to help the District continue what’s good and make improvements where necessary. |
| Alane Van Donsel |  |
I have lived in New York State all my life. I moved to the Ithaca area in 1986 and to Virgil in 1994. My husband Joseph Van Donsel is a lifelong resident of both Cortland and Virgil. He attended the Cortland Enlarged City School District his whole life graduating from Cortland High School in 1989. Our two daughters attended both Virgil Elementary school and Cortland High School. Our Eldest daughter is a Junior at SUNY Cortland and our youngest daughter is a Junior at Cortland High School. So, although I wasn’t born here, my family has deep roots in Cortland. I graduated from high school in Lake Placid New York and attended both Ithaca College and TC3. I obtained my teaching assistant certification and worked in the Cortland school district for four years, at both the high school and elementary levels. I am currently serving as the Town Clerk/ Tax Collector for the Town of Virgil. I have served three terms on the Cortland Enlarged City School District’s Board of Education. I can honestly say it is a very tough job. Folks who choose to serve sacrifice many hours volunteering to make decisions that are sometimes very difficult. The issues that we face are not unique to Cortland, but to all New York State Schools. We are wrestling with maintaining or enhancing the education of our youth, while struggling with decreasing state aid, declining enrollment, and unfunded mandates. Some tough decisions need to be made in the coming years and I feel that I can be a voice of experience and reason. |
| Patricia Hanson |  |
Working to ensure that every child, regardless of their education plan, is treated equally and fairly is one of the reasons Patricia “Trish” Hansen decided to run for the Cortland Enlarged City School District Board of Education. The mother of a 12-year-old seventh-grader, currently at BOCES, Trish is intimately familiar with the challenges facing parents, guardians and teachers of students with Individual Education Plans. Many years ago, Trish learned about the district’s budgeting process from the late Superintendent Harvey Kaufman. As a City of Cortland Alderman, Trish worked with the Mayor and seven other Alderman, as well as numerous city departments, to craft multi-million-dollar budgets during the six terms she served on the City Council. She currently serves as a City of Cortland Police Commissioner. In addition to her community service in Cortland, Trish serves on the Executive Committee of the Regional EMS Advisory Board, and the Board of Directors of the United NY Ambulance Network, a statewide ambulance association. She routinely travels to Albany to lobby legislators on behalf of EMS providers statewide. Trish has worked for TLC Emergency Medical Services for 24 years and is currently the Division Manager of the Cortland office. She and her husband Wayne live on Tompkins Street with their son Paul. |
