To request an absentee ballot, please download and complete this Absentee Ballot Application.
Meet the Candidates
Lauren Raba
Lauren is a 1997 graduate of Delaware Academy. She and her husband, Jonah Shaw (D.A. 1990), have two children presently at D.A., one in Middle School, the other in High School.
Lauren received her undergraduate college degree in Psychology from Florida Gulf Coast University and her Master of Science in Education from SUNY Oneonta. She worked as a school counselor in the years after receiving her Masters and has done volunteer work at Delaware Academy, creating classroom guidance lessons at the elementary school, and coaching Girls on the Run.
Presently Lauren owns and operates an herbal skin care business in Delhi, Catskill Botanicals. Through her work gathering Catskill herbs, she has acquired strong plant identification skills and one of her favorite hobbies is teaching children and adults how to identify and use the edible and medicinal plants that grow wild in our region. Lauren also helps out the family businesses in Delhi: The Quarter Moon Cafe and Good Cheap Food, and was a cofounder of The Taste of the Catskills Festival. She enjoys participating in our local Farmer's Market as a vendor and vigorously promotes the Buy Local philosophy.
Lauren is a strong believer in the importance of public education for the benefit of the individual student and the community as a whole. She enjoys talking with young people about their hopes and dreams and believes our students are the light of the future. During this critical time, Lauren would like to join the school board to deal with the momentous problems before us — creating a vision and maintaining a budget that will allow the school to offer our children the skills necessary to become productive and successful citizens who can meet the challenges of a rapidly shrinking and changing world.
The opportunity to work with the dynamic team of individuals and educators at Delaware Academy would be an honor and an opportunity to give back to the community that has been so supportive of Lauren.
Jay Wilson
Jay Wilson is seeking election to the board of education at Delaware Academy. Jay is a 1988 graduate along with his wife Abby. They have raised their 3 children in Delhi who attend DA; McKenzie a senior, Ryan a junior, and John a sixth grader. One of our decisions to move “back home” in 2007 was for our kids to share the same experience that we did not only in the community we loved but also the amazing experience we had at Delaware Academy. It’s hard to believe that was 14 years ago and McKenzie was a year away from kindergarten and she is now a senior.
As local business owners and farmers it is important for us to be a part of and give back to the community we live and work in. So, in 2010 I ran for the Board of Education and was elected and served on the board for 3 terms. During my time on the board we managed two capital projects: a $10.5 million project in 2010 and a $7.5 million project in 2015. Both projects were completed on time and under budget with no additional impact on tax levy. Also, during my previous board service our AL Kellogg fund grew from $8.97 million in 2010 to $15.2 million in 2019. As an active member of the board I served on several committees including Teacher Liaison, Capital Project, Finance Committee, IT Communications, Student Senate, and numerous Union negotiating committees. During the 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 school year I was honored to serve as Board President.
My past record of service shows I sought to actively engage our teachers, students, and staff for their vital input regarding issues and decisions faced by the District. I wholeheartedly believe in cooperative and collaborative efforts to foster the best outcomes for educational achievement, student experience, and fiscal responsibility.
I did not seek reelection in 2019 due to personal reasons. Being on the Board of Education takes a big commitment and involves many hours attending meetings, attending district events and being out in public spending time communicating with members and stakeholders of our community. My experience and dedication to the position will allow me to get right back to work on important district goals. I am excited to be on the ballot again and I am ready to serve our kids, faculty, staff, and community with renewed commitment and energy. If elected, I intend to bring my open approach and passion for this district to my seat on the board.
Tammy Neumann
Meet Tammy Neumann. Tammy has lived in Delhi for the past 30+ years, after meeting her husband Phil (a Delaware Academy graduate) at Muskingum College (located in New Concord, Ohio). Tammy and Phil have two children that graduated from Delaware Academy - Shawn (2010) and Michael (2013). Shawn, a SUNY Cortland graduate, is currently working and coaching at Delaware Academy; Michael also attended SUNY Cortland, and lives and works in Delhi. Phil also coaches at Delaware Academy.
Tammy spent much of her childhood traveling, due to her father’s position in the Air Force. Through these experiences, she has developed an appreciation for other cultures, and has learned to adapt quickly and easily to changing conditions. During the past year, this ability has proven to be invaluable, as it pertains to her personally, professionally, and within the school community.
Currently Tammy is a Vice President, Regional Branch Services Administrator with Community Bank, N.A., based in the Oneonta, NY location. She is responsible for administering the Branch Banking functions performed within the Central Region, Capital District, and New England. Tammy has a cumulative 33+ years in banking, spent mostly in branch, administration and HR.
Tammy is very excited about the many positive changes that have taken place at Delaware Academy during her previous terms as Trustee, and is looking forward to the opportunity for continued involvement. Tammy is passionate about the needs of students, providing them with multiple opportunities and avenues to be successful, while maintaining the fiscal responsibility our constituents expect. Tammy has demonstrated the dedication required with this position serving as Vice President, and member of the Finance, Policy, Wellness, Evaluation, and Teachers’ Negotiation committees.
Tammy believes that her experiences – both personally and professionally, as well as the time that she has served up to this point, make her a qualified candidate for re-election.
Delaware Academy hosted a public forum regarding our return to in-person learning models as part of its regular Board of Education meeting on Tuesday April 23.
For those unable to attend, follow THIS LINK to a recording of the meeting.
Delaware Academy returns to in-person learning model May 3
Read on for guidelines, accommodations, and special considerations regarding a move to in-person academics.
Sunday, April 25 2021
Hello Delaware Academy Families,
I am writing to provide everyone an update on the District's plans for a return to in-person learning. Please read this notice in its entirety. Since our first community survey, our Reopening Committee has met on a weekly basis in addition to many hours spent by district leaders to evaluate the opportunities and concerns related to a plan for this return.
I'll first start by sharing my utmost gratitude with our Reopening Committee for their hard work and "can-do" attitude throughout our meetings. Although we started with the same committee that had tackled reopening over the summer, we added more students, another parent, more teachers and another Board member. This team grappled with many difficult decisions and discussed many reasons "why" and "why not.” However, this team worked hard to find solutions, constantly weighing potential costs with benefits, grounded in CDC and NYS DOH guidelines and requirements. The team sought to develop solutions that offered minimal disruption to master schedules and to maintain teacher/student relationships that have already been established.
Potential sacrifices and risks were also discussed including the fact that quarantine procedures will not change, meaning that if there is a positive case in a classroom, more students may be present within a six-foot radius if distancing is reduced to three feet. Other sacrifices included changes to lunch times and procedures, increasing class sizes beyond what we've become accustomed to this year, the possibility of changing locations for a few classes in the HS, and asking our families to assist with daily transportation.
The position of the NYS DOH and Delaware County Public Health are clear. NYS DOH guidance notes that, "Responsible parties should prioritize efforts to return all students to in-person instruction." In a regional call with Public Health it was noted that, "Every district must put their best foot forward in returning students to in-person learning." As you know, we also asked our families to complete two surveys, resulting in a majority of families seeking to return despite these potential sacrifices and risks.
Therefore, starting on Monday, May 3, Delaware Academy's Plan is as follows:
• Elementary School - All students who wish to return to in-person learning every day will do so. Classrooms are being reset to add student desks to meet updated physical distancing allowances of 3-feet between students. Remote-only models will continue to meet the needs of students who choose to remain remote learners through the same remote-only specialists at all grades. This means no change to current models in grade K-1. In grades 2-5, class sizes will increase to approximately 20-24 students. For lunch, grades 4-5 will walk to the MS cafeteria for lunch each day. This will result in changes to lunch times in grades 2-5. Grades 2 & 4 will now eat lunch from 10:15-10:45 and grades 3 & 5 will eat lunch from 12:30-1:00. These changes are necessary to maintain the required six feet of distance while eating. A hybrid option will be maintained at the Elementary School only. We have done our very best to keep the same teachers for all students, however this may change over the next week as numbers are finalized. You will receive a letter, confirming your child’s teacher from Mrs. Mable.
• Middle & High School - All students who wish to return to in-person learning every day will do so. There is no longer a hybrid option. Remote-only models will continue to meet the needs of students who choose to remain remote learners. However, in some classes where this results in all students returning in-person, synchronous (livestreamed) remote instruction may not be available. In those cases, instruction will be delivered asynchronously. Classrooms are being reset to add student desks to meet updated physical distancing allowances of 3-feet between students. There are no changes to the master schedule. Grades 6-8 will have lunch during their currently scheduled periods, however, 1/2 of the class will eat for 20 minutes then move to the gym for P.E. while the other half of the class eats. This maintains six feet of physical distancing and increases opportunities for all middle-schoolers to have P.E. in school. There are no changes to lunches for grades 9-12, where physical distancing remains at six feet.
The following items apply to all grades (K-12):
• Masks will continue to be required throughout the day, except when distanced at six feet for eating and during teacher-directed mask breaks.
• Transportation – NYS regulations for transportation have not changed. We will continue to seat one student per seat, unless there are members of the same household who will be seated together. All seats will be assigned. Due to the increased number of students who require will transportation on a daily basis, and in order to maintain regulatory requirements, the District will be extremely limited in its ability to grant daily requests for changes to transportation pick-up or drop-off locations. If a bus is at capacity, such requests will be denied. Thank you to all parents and guardians who have indicated that they are able to provide transportation.
• Early release is still permitted for Seniors unless directed to stay for academic support.
• Changes to models will not be allowed after May 3. If you require a model that is different than what you already noted on the last survey, please call your child’s Main Office by Friday, April 30.
Elementary Main Office: (607) 746-2105
Middle/High Main Office: (607) 746-1281
• All other District procedures including daily health screenings and cleaning and disinfection protocols will continue.
County metrics have been checked and confirmed with Delaware County Public Health for this reset. Should infection rates rise, we will shift back to individual quarantines, partial closures, or remote-only platforms. We will not shift back to hybrid models. The District will continue to notify the community with each identified case. A link to the most recent NYS DOH Guidance document can be found HERE.
There will be a Public Forum, in which the updated plan will be presented along with an opportunity for public Q & A on Tuesday, April 27 at 6:00pm in the auditorium. This is part of our regularly scheduled BOE meeting. In-person seating will be limited, pre-registration required, and open to faculty, staff, and parents/guardians. There are links on our website to the Board of Education meeting and to a form to submit questions virtually following the presentation.
I truly believe that this is an opportunity; an opportunity to reunite our students and begin to re-establish classroom cultures, an opportunity to address the social/emotional effects that models of isolation have had on our students, and an opportunity to prepare our students for a full return in the fall.
Simon Sinek, a leadership author and writer said, "When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves." This has certainly been a year of change and Delaware Academy has risen to the challenge every time. Here we are again. Please join us as we keep moving forward.
Sincerely,
Kelly M. Zimmerman
Superintendent