Question 2: What do you want to achieve during your term on the Verona BOE and what is the biggest impediment to making that happen?
David Rullo: First, I would like to recognize the fact that when elected, I will be the new kid. While I have considerable experience working at multiple levels within a municipal bureaucracy I have no experience managing one. This means that my first priority will be to get my bearings, learning the job, and offering my commentary and expertise to issues already on the table.
My first policy goal will be to do a complete audit of all school security policy and procedure. From there, I would like to start a dialogue about what we are doing right and what we are doing wrong with all stakeholders – which in the case of security – is everyone! Having been both a police officer and a member of one of the Marine Corps’ F.A.S.T (Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team) Platoons, I believe I bring a unique expertise and understanding of the issue. The biggest impediment to this will likely be the fact that school security is such a hot button issue rife with misinformation (arming teachers) and bad ideas with questionable intentions (student sized bullet proof blankets!!). To be clear, I am not proposing this with the intention of making any radical changes. Oftentimes when it comes to security, the simplest solutions are the most effective.
For my “pie in the sky” policy goal, I would like to see a larger focus on civics in the upper level curriculum. This would include topics such as government and law. And if I was given full reign over the process I would include instruction on civic engagement in the age of social media. This could either be included in relevant subjects already being taught or be standalone classes. The obvious impediment to this would be the cost, both in time and resources. I am not so naïve
to think that something like this could be easily implemented, even with unlimited resources, but, I think beginning a dialogue about how now more than ever these topics are incredibly important would be great, even if it never entered into the curriculum.
Finally, I would reiterate that I am going to be very new at this. But that while not an educator by training, I have extensive public policy experience. And to understand policy and its creation is to understand that it only ever works when it is collaborative. I would consider it a win to have even 10% of my ideas or input made into actionable policy.
