Editor's Note: This story reflects a change to correct the pronoun use associated with Osun Zotique to "their," as well as an addition to include all polling places for the school board election.
HUDSON — Six people, including two write-ins and the first trans-nonbinary candidate, are running in Tuesday’s school board election for five seats on the Hudson Board of Education.
Four candidates were running for the five seats, with one seat left vacant, until this week when OUTHudson Executive Director Osun Zotique and former Hudson councilmember and current Hudson Youth Department Assistant Director Calvin Lewis jumped into the race as write-in candidates.
CALVIN LEWIS
Lewis is a lifelong resident of Hudson and a graduate of the Hudson City School District. He is a first-generation college student who studied sociology at Siena College.
“It is a dream of mine to be on the board of education and make an impact in a community that has given me so much,” Lewis said Thursday.
He was a councilmember on the Hudson Common Council representing the 3rd Ward, and is the current assistant director of the Hudson Youth Department. He plans to improve community relations and communication between the school district and the community.
If elected, Lewis plans to increase focus on professional workforce development and training opportunities on industries such as hospitality and environmentally conscious trades.
Kjirsten Gustavson
Gustavson has lived in Hudson for the last 17 years and is the mother of two daughters in the Hudson City School District. She spent 11 years working as a museum educator coordinating field trip programs at Clermont State Historic Site.
In 2020, she helped develop policies for returning to school safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. She develops museum exhibits that incorporate diverse history throughout New York.
The school district’s recent adoption of the diversity, equity and inclusion policy inspired Gustavson to run for the board.
“We are an incredibly diverse community and there is a wide variety of diverse needs that the board needs to meet,” Gustavson said Thursday.
She believes the policy is an important first step, and looks forward to hearing the voices of students and parents to help ensure that the policy is put into action thoughtfully and effectively.
She supports arts and culture for students and began working with the Hudson Drama Club by helping start a bake sale this year.
If elected, she will bring experience working with state budgets, nonprofits, personnel and facility management to the board.
Lakia Walker
Walker is a Work-based Learning Coordinator who is looking to advocate for greater transparency between the district and parents or guardians as a member of the board of education. She is the mother of four children, all of whom are being raised in the Hudson City School District.
“I have the desire to see all students fulfill their greatest potential and destiny,” Walker said. This is why she earned a Master’s Degree in School Counseling and has worked in education for more than 20 years.
She looks forward to making a positive impact to help students grow and develop their future career goals. Walker is also committed to supporting policy that will strengthen and prepare all students for post-secondary education or for the workforce.
In the next three years, Walker plans to support policy, curriculum and a strategic plan to increase test scores and raise the overall graduation rate.
“It takes time, dedication and courage to be an effective board member,” she said.
Mark DePace
DePace is a parent, entrepreneur, part-time educator, youth sports coach and the incumbent Board of Education vice president. He grew up in the Hudson Valley and graduated from Newburgh Free Academy. As the son of two teachers, he has been passionate about public education for as long as he can remember.
Since joining the school board, his goal has been to continue academic improvement within the schools and ultimately create a school district that all residents can be proud of.
“I think really looking to work with new leadership at the school and focus on the academics and improving the performance of all students in our school,” DePace said Thursday.
He wants to continue to develop robust educational experiences that serve students of all backgrounds. He believes the school system should reflect the community and celebrate its diversity, rich history, natural beauty and cultural institutions. He feels that the continued change will take an increase in morale, community participation and positivity within the school culture.
Osun Zotique
Zotique is head of OUTHudson, a volunteer-led nonprofit set on improving the quality of life for LGBTQ people in Columbia County.
In addition to their role as executive director of OUTHudson, Zotique is a certified New York State kindergarten through 12th-grade educator, a doctoral candidate in education and a member of Berkshire Country Day School’s Board of Trustees.
If elected, Zotique would be the first trans-nonbinary public official in Columbia County history. Zotique believes serving on a board is a matter of stewardship and fiduciary responsibility, not necessarily politics.
Zotique said there are four keystone points for being a board member of any organization.
“The first one is representation. The second one is governance. The third one is stewardship. And the fourth one is advocacy,” Zotique said.
Zotique’s approach is to offer a transformational grassroots leadership that’s based on listening.
“It’s not necessarily for me to impose my will on the school district and supposedly fix it, per se, but rather to listen and take feedback in from the community,” they said.
Zotique said they are learning constantly.
“I don’t even know what bathrooms I’m going to be able to use during the board meetings,” Zotique said.
Zotique is looking to improve the school by making it a place where students are eager to attend.
Willette Jones
Jones has served on the Hudson City School District Board for six years. She wants to continue her work on the board to assist in the development of policy changes and to show support for the new superintendent.
Jones is a graduate of the Hudson City School District and all four of her children attended and graduated from Hudson schools.
As a member of the school board, an area of focus that she believes is important is health and safety. It is her desire for all students and staff to feel safe when entering the building. She also wants to assist with policy that supports all students in higher education and career readiness upon graduation.
As a member of the Board of Education, she hopes to have an impact on the board to ensure that all families are represented and a part of the district’s future focus goals including: achieve academic excellence, become future-ready and commit to civic engagement.
To be an effective member of the board, she said, “You have to be flexible and a team player because all decisions made are determined by a majority vote.”
Polls will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the following locations:
District 1 – City of Hudson – Hudson Central Fire Station (77 N. 7th St., Hudson)
District 2 – Greenport, Stottville/Stockport, Ghent – Greenport Community Center (500 Town Hall Drive, Hudson)
District 3 – Claverack, Livingston, Taghkanic – A.B. Shaw Fire House (67 Route 23, Claverack)
(1) comment
it is awesome to have such a diverse field of canidates
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