SBNC Announces Candidates for Scarsdale School Board

The 2013 SBNC has announced their three candidates for the Scarsdale Board of Education: Lelia Shames Maude, Bill Natbony and Suzanne Seiden. Seiden has been nominated for a second 3-year term while William Natbony and Leila Shames Maude are being nominated for their first 3-year terms to replace Jill Spieler and Elizabeth Guggenheimer who will complete their service this year.

Comprised of 30 voting members and four non-voting members as well as a vice chair and a chair, the SBNC met over seven Sundays to select candidates based "solely on their qualifications to serve the community" as prescribed by the SBNC resolution. According to SBNC Vice Chair Erin Foster, "the SBNC made their selection from a group of very well qualified individuals seeking to devote their time and talents to serving on the Scarsdale Board of Education."

Here's information on the candidates:

Bill Natbony is an attorney and a 21-year resident of Scarsdale. He and his wife Cheryl have four children; Josh who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2012 and now works in New York City, Rachel, who attends the University of Delaware and Sam and Emily, both now at Scarsdale High School.

Natbony is a man of many talents and graduated as the valedictorian of the NYC School of Performing Arts in 1976. He was a child actor and member of Actor's Equity and Screen's Actor's Guild. He went on to Princeton University for his BA and then to Georgetown where he earned his law degree. During law school he taught a course in Street Law at a public high school in Washington D.C.

Commenting on his nomination, Natbony said, "I am honored that the Nominating Committee has selected me as a candidate for the Scarsdale Board of Education. If elected, I look forward to collaborating with my fellow Board members, community residents and school representatives in order to preserve and improve our school system, which is one of the most valuable assets of our community."

We asked Natbony why he decided to put himself forth and here is what he shared:

"Public school education has always been an extremely important part of my life. I am the proud product of a public school education, having attended public school in New York City though the 12th grade. Through the Justice Resource Center in New York City and through my extensive pro bono activities relating to education, I have designed and implemented programs that partner corporate and governmental entities with public schools to enhance aspects of public school education. I have four children, each of whom has benefitted greatly from the fine education that Scarsdale's public schools provide, with two children still in the school system.

I view our public school system as one of the most important assets, if not the most important asset, of our community. The quality of our schools, along with our outstanding recreational programs and open space and parks, serve to attract families and homebuyers to our community. It was why my family came to Scarsdale over 20 years ago.

As a father, resident and as someone with a deep concern for the youth of our community, the passion for and commitment to maintaining and improving the quality of education we provide run incredibly deep.

Aside from my demonstrated passion for public school education generally, my education and professional and community service experience has provided me with certain tools and lessons that would be of great use as a School Board Member. Having been a litigator and counsel to numerous corporate and not for profit organizations, I have been involved in searches for Chief Executive Officers, attended numerous Board meetings and provided day to day advice on governance, financial and operational issues raised before such Boards. Conflict resolution through listening and understanding the issues, and reaching a fair and reasoned result, has always been a primary goal in my professional work. Collaboration is key.

In Scarsdale, I have served on the Board and as President of Little League, with responsibility for the development of policy, budgeting and programs. As a PRC member, and Chairman for several years, I had the opportunity to deal with budget issues, development of broad policy, and the resolution of numerous issues raised with great emotion by parents, children, and representatives of ISOs. My past positions and community service demonstrate a strong desire to better the lives of our children in this community. I am looking to continue my service to Scarsdale and to the youth of Scarsdale in a significant way. Serving on the School Board would enable me to continue this important service in a meaningful manner.

Lee Shames Maude is "honored and excited" to be selected as a nominee for the Scarsdale School Board and wishes to thank the SBNC for giving her their approval. She has lived in Fox Meadow for twelve years and has a daughter in fifth grade at the Fox Meadow School and a son who is a junior at Scarsdale High School. After a 28-year career as a corporate credit analyst, she turned to volunteer work and has served extensively in the Fox Meadow School and the community.

She is currently on the executive committee of the Fox Meadow PTA and co-chaired the fall benefit, the staff appreciation lunch, pizza day and new families orientation. She serves as the treasurer of the Fox Meadow Neighborhood Association, leads a monthly conversation class for non-native speakers and is also Co-Chair of the Monthly Mitzvah Committee at Westchester Reform Temple.

Shames Maude has a deep appreciation for the Scarsdale Schools and is impressed with their adoption of the Singapore Math Program, the Language Skills Program and the new Center for Innovation. As a member of the Board of Education she hopes to play a constructive role in helping the administration to further it's mission. She has years of experience looking at budgets and forecasts and interviewing management teams. She now hopes to lend her expertise to help the administration meet their goals.

As her daughter moves from elementary school to Scarsdale Middle School, Shames Maude feels that a position on the School Board will be a good next step. She has time to devote and looks forward to delving into the business of the board. She has an undergraduate degree from Union College and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan.

Board of Education Vice President Suzanne Seiden has been nominated to serve a second three-year term on the School Board. When she was nominated for her initial term in 2010, Seiden was challenged for her seat by Bob Harrison in a rare instance of a contested election for a seat on the school board. Seiden campaigned and prevailed, getting 1773 votes to Harrison's 941. In her first term Seiden has been an active board member and currently serves as Vice President. With children still in the schools and an impressive resume of school volunteer positions she has lent a parent's perspective to board discussions and advocated maintaining class sizes and adequate district staffing.

Here is what we wrote about Seiden in 2010:

Suzanne has been a tireless volunteer at all levels of the Scarsdale school system and in our community. In all her activities, including as president of the Middle School and Quaker Ridge PTAs, Ms. Seiden has continuously demonstrated a passion for the critical issues facing the our school district as well as a capacity to work with others to deliver meaningful results.

Over the past nine years, Ms. Seiden has had numerous leadership roles, starting with her efforts for two years as Co-Chair of the PT Council Young Writers' Conference and as Co-Chair of the Scarsdale Schools Bond Committee in which she helped organize and lead the community's efforts to pass a bond to support necessary construction on the Quaker Ridge School. She subsequently served the Quaker Ridge PTA president-elect and president where, among other efforts, she worked with the other PTAs to change the funding of elementary school playgrounds.

Following her experience at the elementary school level, Ms. Seiden served as the President-elect and then President of the Middle School PTA where she focused on creating a school of empathy and implemented a new fundraising program for the school. She has also had leadership roles on the Scarsdale Task Force on Drugs and Alcohol where she worked with other parents, school administrators, and Village representatives to create and deliver programs and educational material for youth and adults about drugs and alcohol. She also currently serves as the Publicity Chair for the Scarsdale High School Scholarship Fund.

In addition to her activities with our schools, she has volunteered on a number of community organizations including with the UJA Federation, Scarsdale League of Women Voters, and Temple Israel Center.

All three candidates will be on the ballot on Tuesday, May 21, when the community will elect school board members and vote on the 2013-2014 school budget.