BOE Maintains Vision for Fiscal Responsibility, Evolution of Programs

At its annual reorganization meeting, the Briarcliff Board of Education elected Jennifer Rosen to serve as president for the 2013-2014 school year. In addition, Dina Brantman was elected vice president and newly elected trustee Paul Wasserman was sworn in.

Rosen, who is beginning her third year as a member of the Briarcliff Board of Education, brings her experience in accounting and auditing to her leadership position on the Board, having worked as a financial controller, auditor and compliance officer for 19 years with CPA/MBA credentials. Her oldest child is a graduate of the Briarcliff school system and she currently has three children enrolled in the district.

“I wanted to volunteer in a position where I could help my community and benefit my children while continuing to utilize my work-related skills,” said Rosen, who left her career to spend more time with her children and still wanted to keep active in her   community.  “As a board, I would like to continue to focus on our K-12 programming, viewing our schools as one cohesive unit. Together with my colleagues, we can foster an even stronger partnership with our community, our school administration and our faculty and staff so that residents know we are all in this together, and that they can always ask questions of the Board regarding our schools and the overall business of our district.”

Rosen, who served as the Board’s vice president last year, is a member of the district’s audit and policy committees and school district safety teams, as well as the Westchester-Putnam School Boards Association’s legislative action committee. She is currently a board liaison to the Briarcliff PTA. In addition, she is a member the WPSBA’s executive board and was recently asked to serve on their audit committee.

Like Rosen, Brantman also has three children currently attending Briarcliff schools, and brings her 10 years of commercial litigation and insurance experiences to her board position. “When my youngest was starting kindergarten, I felt that it was very important to my family and all families to ensure that the district would improve and excel for years to come,” said Brantman, a 10-year resident of the district. “I wanted to serve and to help and balance the competing interest of finance and education to maintain a sustainable, top-performing school district well into the future. I think we need to really look at the education we are delivering our children both in method and in content and adapt it to the skills they will need as 21st-century citizens.”

Something as basic as providing new technologies in support of this vision has become increasingly more difficult due to unfunded state mandates and the tax levy cap, says Brantman, who emphasized the need for the state to provide relief of pension obligations and health care reform. “Each year these items take a bigger piece of the ‘budget pie.’” 

Brantman, who served as a board trustee last year, is a member of the district’s policy and long-term planning committees, and is currently a board liaison to the Briarcliff Education Foundation, Briarcliff Friends of the Performing Arts and the Town of Mt. Pleasant.

Wasserman, the newest member of the Board, has been a resident for 22 years and currently has two children attending Briarcliff schools, while his eldest graduated three years ago. A CPA who currently focuses on investments, Wasserman is dedicated to ensuring a healthy fiscal operation of the schools while providing more educational opportunities for students to help them in their future endeavors, including areas such as STEM education.

“I believe we need to expect more from our children and challenge them more,” said Wasserman, who feels strongly about keeping future budget increases within the tax cap. “We also need to attract and retain young families while ensuring that those who came before can afford to remain here.” Wasserman has volunteered his time through the years coaching youth league baseball, soccer, lacrosse and basketball.

Wasserman is the chair of the audit committee and serves as a board liaison to the Booster Club and the Village of Briarcliff Manor.

The Briarcliff Manor Board of Education usually meets twice a month at Briarcliff Middle School in the Little Theater. A list of board members and a schedule of meetings for the 2013-2014 school year can be found on the Board of Education section of this website. Board meeting dates are also listed in the district calendar. Notices of board meetings are sent to the community via email and are also posted to the school district website inclusive of the meeting agenda and related items. A link to this information is included in the notice to the school community.