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PEEKSKILL, N.Y. -- Four candidates are running for two seats on the Peekskill City School District Board of Education in Tuesday's election.
Among them is Darryl Vaughn Footmon, 51, a former NYPD police officer of 20 years who now serves as an associate pastor of congregational care at Mount Olivet Baptist Church.
"I feel my diverse skill set makes me an unique candidate to effectively govern and communicate with the school's stakeholders," Footmon said.
He received his degree from Concordia College and the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University and New York Theological Seminary.
Footmon said his biggest priority is focusing on partnerships with the community in order to get them more involved in the schools. He said he chose to run because he wanted to make sure all students in the district got a quality education even as he acknowledges the tough economic times that put strain on the district.
"We have to advocate for all students, there ought not to be a disparity in graduation rates or accomplishments of our children in this 21st century," Footmon said. "It's not the children that are failing to meet the challenge but us that failed to meet their needs. The one place where it should not matter what race, economic status or any other circumstance should matter is in the classroom."
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