Pittsford board candidates outline priorities on budget, mental health, special education and cell phones

PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Three candidates seeking seats on the Pittsford Central School District Board of Education discussed budgets, student mental health, special-education staffing and cell-phone policy during a May 20 forum hosted by the Pittsford PTSA.

The candidates — incumbent board member Emily Kaye, incumbent David (Dave) Burke and candidate Laura Schulitz — each delivered opening remarks and answered a rotating series of community-submitted questions moderated by Amy Thomas, executive director of the Monroe County School Boards Association. Colleen Emmons, the PTSA’s event coordinator, organized the program and the district provided technology for a streamed broadcast.

The forum focused on practical, district-level issues rather than partisan politics. Candidates spoke repeatedly about fiscal constraints and the district’s obligation to maintain programs while keeping taxes manageable. "We have a $150,000,000 annual budget. Seventy percent of that comes from the tax levy in our community," Burke said, framing the scale of the budget challenge and the pressure on local revenue. Kaye cited recent community advocacy that helped secure a 3% state aid increase this year and described collaborative budget decisions made to avoid layoffs.

All three candidates raised student mental health as a top concern. Kaye called the situation a national crisis that is reflected locally and highlighted partnerships the district has pursued with outside providers to build teams that include mental-health professionals, teachers and families. She also pointed to the district’s tutoring center as a resource for students who struggle to attend regular classes.

Special-education staffing and related service shortages drew detailed attention. Burke said competitive pay and a strong recruiting reputation matter: "The best way to get more people is to pay more money," he said, noting the district’s recruiting work and occasional short-term budget offsets. Schulitz emphasized low pay for some one-on-one aides and urged higher compensation: "Our kids deserve so much more... I would love for those folks to be compensated the right way." Kaye described bringing occupational and physical therapists in-house as a reliability strategy and noted regional sharing of services through BOCES as another approach.

Transportation staffing also surfaced as an immediate operational concern. Burke said the district is "consistently understaffed on bus driving" and described route and staffing work underway; he summarized the immediate desire to hire more drivers by saying, "I would hire a hundred bus drivers." Candidates agreed the issue affects attendance equity and after-school coordination.

On cell-phone policy, candidates described competing priorities: reducing in-class distraction while respecting families’ need to contact students for safety and logistics. Burke urged a consistent, pragmatic policy that accounts for differences by grade level. Schulitz said parents rely on phones for quick contact and safety; Kaye said she supports a distraction‑free classroom and stressed that enforcement should not fall on teachers.

All three opposed broad book bans. Schulitz said she "doesn't agree with book bans or content restrictions at all," while Kaye described the district’s recently revised controversial-materials policy that allows families to restrict access for their own children but not to remove access for other students, and said librarians and library standards leaders vet materials.

Candidates also discussed food service: Kaye noted the district operates its own in-house lunch program to preserve flexibility and food quality and said state plans for universal free meals depend in part on federal funding. Burke said he supports the district’s emphasis on nutrition and noted the lunch program generally breaks even.

On governance, candidates described the superintendent role as requiring stamina, collaboration and community fit. All three praised the district’s current 14-year superintendent, saying long tenure enables long-range planning. Kaye pointed to foresight and collaboration as key superintendent traits that have benefited the district.

The forum also addressed student voice: Kaye noted New York State is mandating a student member on the board and expressed support; Schulitz said she would like to expand ways students can communicate concerns and preferences to the district.

The PTSA said the recording of the event will be posted on the Pittsford Central School District’s YouTube page within 48 hours. The school board election is scheduled for May 20; candidates closed by urging voters to participate.

The forum emphasized operational, nonpartisan issues facing the district in the next several years — budgets, staffing for specialized services, student mental health and school-day policies — and offered voters specific points of comparison among the three candidates on those topics.