As busy as they are, two teachers sought a deeper commitment to the community by running for positions on the local Board of Education.

Mrs. Elizabeth Dittmer, instructor in mathematics, and Mr. Keith Moon, instructor in English and history, recently ran for the Salisbury and Region One Boards of Education under the Democratic Party. The Boards, composed of elected volunteer representatives, oversee their community’s public education systems, in accordance with state regulations. The Boards act as a singular entity and make decisions by majority vote. Some responsibilities of the boards include instating district objectives, selecting a superintendent, managing the district’s budget, and observing student achievements. Elections took place on November 2, 2021.

Mrs. Dittmer was elected to the Salisbury Central Board of Education. She has lived in the area for more than twenty years and she began her teaching career at Indian Mountain School in 2005, before moving to Hotchkiss, where she has been teaching for 14 years. Currently, three of her four children attend Salisbury Central School, the town’s public elementary school. The Salisbury Democratic committee organized most of her campaigning. Now an official member of the board, she will attend monthly meetings.

Mr. Moon, who has been a teacher in Lakeville for over two decades, was elected as the Salisbury representative to the Region One Board of Education. Region One includes six towns–Salisbury, Sharon, Kent, Canaan, Cornwall, and Falls Village–that all feed into a single high school. Previously, he served two terms for a total of eight years on the Salisbury Central Board of Education. When asked why he ran, Mr. Moon said, “I thought I was done, as I had done the two four-year terms on the Salisbury Board, but I actually like running for office, and I feel like I have something to offer to the town. I also knew that Mrs. Dittmer was running for my seat, so we were going to have somebody qualified on the local board.”

Mr. Moon explained that, currently, the Board of Education’s primary concern is sustaining sufficient student enrollment levels in local schools, which has been affected by the pandemic and increasing housing costs. He said, “I think the issue of local affordable housing and the healthy state of the schools–in terms of numbers of students–are quite important and linked together. The district and high school leadership and budget are in good shape, which is excellent. Now we have to make sure we have enough students!”

Mrs. Dittmer and Mr. Moon remain committed to education both on and off campus and will serve on the Boards of Education for the next four years.