Four candidates were running for three seats on the Beacon City School District Board of Education. Three positions were available. Two of the terms begin July 1, and end June 30, 2027. One term begins immediately, to fill the term of board member John Galloway Jr.
Voting results are in:
Flora Stadler 695 (Flora is currently a board member, and is returning)
Lavonne McNair- 657
Chris Lewine-596
Megan Phillips-514
Flora’s term will begin now, which completes the term of former board member John Galloway Jr. LaVonne and Christopher’s terms will begin July 1 and end June 30, 2027.
The candidates participated in an hour long Meet The Candidate Session with the Board of Education, that was open to the public, who submitted questions. View that here.
They interviewed with the Beacon Free Press, excerpts of which are below.
Christopher Lewine
Christopher told the Beacon Free Press that he “believes deeply” in the public school system, and has been an educator for 15 years, first as a math teacher and later as a principal at a diverse high school “that ensured that over 95% of our graduates earned at least one four-year college acceptance.” He then worked for non-profits focusing on supporting public schools. His 3 priorities are: “Student well-being” with a focus on mental health; “Rich instruction” with a focus on curriculum and making sure teachers have resources they need; and “Effective Governance” with a focus on making strategic decisions about how to use resources from state and federal funding.
LaVonne McNair
LaVonne told the Beacon Free Press: “I am running for the BCSD BOE to advocate for the needs of the students/parents that feel unseen and underrepresented, improve school policies and wanting to contribute positively to the educational landscape within our community.”
Lavonne is a a graduate of the Beacon City school system, and is a daughter of Yvonne NcNair, a deeply involved resident of Beacon since she moved her family up from Harlem into Wappingers Falls in 1977, and then to Beacon in 1985. As an homage to LaVonne’s late mother who died of COVID in 2022, we will revisit Yvonne’s history with the Beacon Board of Education. Yvonne was a vocal member of the Black community in Beacon, and ran for the school board unsuccessfully twice: once in the late 1980s, and again in 2014.
Then in 2020, she showed up for two Black candidates running for two seats on the board, John Galloway and Jasmine Johnson, during a contentious election push that ended up being about “the process” and is still referred to this day when deciding when and how to fill unexpected vacant seats. Jasmine was voted in that night, and John was added one month later. Said John to the Highlands Current in a feature article about Yvonne: “The whole neighborhood wishes that she had a chance to showcase her vision for change on the board.”
LaVonne’s vision for change include: “Enhancing communication and collaboration between parents/students, teachers and administrators; promoting equity and inclusivity in education; and effectively managing resources to maximize educational opportunities for all students.” She told the Beacon Free Press that her skills in legal work provide her with a “foundation in “research, organization and understanding of legal matters.”
Meg Phillips
Meg Phillips told the Beacon Free Press: “As a new Beaconite and single mom (recently widowed) of two boys just entering the public school system, I have already seen the impact of our incredible educators. I am excited for the opportunity to serve my community as a member of the School Board where my focus will be on ensuring students and educators have eequal access to the resources they need to thrive. Decisions about our children’s education impact them for their entire lives. I am ready to partner with district and school leaders to tackle tough problems and shine a light on what makes Beacon students so great.”
Her top priorities are supporting students with disabilities, expanding and standardizing mental health resources, and creating more transparency for parent communication and engagement. She grew up in a public school system in the Greater Boston area, and studied Competency Based Education in Quebec. She also studied at J. Krishnamurti’s schools in England and Ojai.
Flora Stadler
Flora Stadler is returning to her position on the board for her 3rd term. She told the Beacon Free Press: I first ran because I believed in public education and I wanted to support the district however I could. I still believe in public education (I have two children in the district) but now I’m also running because serving on the board has become an important part of my life. It feels like my second job at this point. As a board member, you spend a lot of your first term learning how things work and how to navigate different processes. I’m more informed and more focused now, and I want to put that experience to good use. There is so much work around advocacy and policy that I will want to contribute to - and of course - there’s always more to learn.”
Flora’s top three priorities are being a good steward of the budget, the academic and extracurricular programming, and increasing and standardizing mental health care for the students. Her focus is also to attract good teachers and staff. Flora cites her experience as a BOE member and board officer as her biggest asset. Her focus is on legislative advocacy. She told the newspaper: “I’ve worked with PRAL, DCSBA and NYSSBA to advocate for better supports for special education pre-K programs. Right now, Beacon is the only district in the county with a special education pre-K program.”
