Summary of Qualifications and Candidate's Statement

A ten-year Croton-on-Hudson resident and mother of two children attending the 10th and 6th grades in Croton schools, Andrea Furey offers a host of capabilities that will serve our community well, particularly during this challenging economic environment when state and federal educational spending has contracted as new costs on the school district are imposed:


Andrea has a proven track record building and leveraging public advocacy: She is well versed in cost cutting, budget squeezing and the transparency that non-profits -- and schools -- demand. She made the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's national art programs that she ran for more than 10 years completely self-funded including salary and overhead. She produced an MS awareness website, www. faceofms.org that brought in thousands of new advocates for the Society. She acted to solidify relationships with key art patrons during her tenure as Assistant Director of The International Council at the Museum of Modern Art in support of its international programs. She coordinates marketing, public relations and volunteer development for the Croton Cortlandt Center for the Arts. She has served on the public relations and production committee for the Croton-Harmon Educational Foundation (CHEF) "Under the Stars" since 2006. And she served on the Alliance for Croton-Harmon Education task force formed to explore additional income for the school district.


Andrea has proven success building open and productive communication among diverse interest groups that benefit all.
She co-founded Croton's first Special Education PTA that sought out cost-effective, educationally appropriate solutions to benefit pre-school and school-age children, educators, parents and tax payers.

Andrea's extensive professional and volunteer experiences provide her with a robust understanding and valuable insight into the district as well as its grade-specific goals and challenges. She currently works as a pre-school teacher at Childrenspace All Day Preschool in Croton-on-Hudson. She serves as assistant leader for Girl Scout Troop 1198 for 10th graders. She co-produced the Pierre Van Cortlandt Middle School musical, Aladdin, this year. In addition she has worked with families and educators developing educationally appropriate and effective programs for children from pre-school through high school as Parent Member for the District's Committee on Special Education since 2003.

Candidate's Statement:
"My goal for the district is straightforward: I seek to maintain the quality of our educational system by making it more economically sustainable. Both the village and educational community will have to work together for this to happen.

"Together, we need to advocate on every legislative level to keep costs contained and for all the funding we can possibly get; together, we need to keep a close eye on each expenditure; together, we must explore new ways to save, such as increased sharing of services on a local and county level and new funding sources; and finally, together we must mine the incredible talents and resources that the Croton community already offers.


"To achieve these goals, the school board must communicate effectively with the village and educational community using a variety of means and many different avenues. It is important for the board to continue to monitor how effectively they are reaching the public and continue to adjust their effforts to insure success. My skills and experience would make me an effective board member in this regard.


"The future welfare of our nation, our community, and our families depends upon the education that we provide to our children today. As a member of your school board, I will do all I can to insure the quality of that education. " -- Andrea Furey

Contact information: andreafurey@msn.com or 914-271-7640.