Former mayoral candidate Bernard Tolbert announced today that he will seek one of the three at-large seats on the Buffalo Board of Education in the May 6 election.
The former executive for the FBI, the National Basketball Association and Coca Cola said his three decades of administrative experience will help him solve some of the problems the district is facing.
Tolbert, a Buffalo native, also noted that he was a teacher at Bennett High School and comes from a family of educators, including his mother, brother, son and daughter.
“That combination of professional and personal experiences allows me to evaluate the issues and problems of Buffalo’s schools from many sides, giving me a unique perspective in dealing with the issues and ways to solve the problems,” Tolbert said in a prepared statement.
Tolbert said his three-point school improvement plan will focus on policies emphasizing the expectation that all students can achieve, rewards for effective teaching, and continuous communication with parents about their children’s performance and ways they can help their children succeed.
Tolbert, 65, challenged Mayor Byron W. Brown in last year’s Democratic Primary, but garnered only 32 percent of the vote while running a campaign generally regarded as too low key.
In running for the School Board, he will compete against the man he never got to compete against in November: former Republican mayoral hopeful Sergio Rodriguez, who also has announced a bid for one of the at-large board seats.
Tolbert, a Buffalo native, is a graduate of city elementary schools, Lafayette High School and the University at Buffalo.
“I realize that bringing change to Buffalo schools may seem like an overwhelming task at this point in time,” Tolbert said. But he cited his years of corporate experience as well as with local foundations and community organizations in saying “we can make change by working together in the creation of a purposeful plan of action, with measurable objectives and goals.
“That is why I believe that my professional and educational experience and my dedication to the children of this city make me a highly valuable candidate for the Buffalo’s School Board.”
Other at-large candidates so far include Board President Barbara Seals Nevergold; Board Member John Licata; Adrian F. Harris, a teacher’s aide in the Lancaster Central School District, who ran unsuccessfully against Carl Paladino last year for the Park District seat; and Wendy S. Mistretta, a member of the District Parent Coordinating Council’s Executive Committee who ran for the North District seat last year.
The former executive for the FBI, the National Basketball Association and Coca Cola said his three decades of administrative experience will help him solve some of the problems the district is facing.
Tolbert, a Buffalo native, also noted that he was a teacher at Bennett High School and comes from a family of educators, including his mother, brother, son and daughter.
“That combination of professional and personal experiences allows me to evaluate the issues and problems of Buffalo’s schools from many sides, giving me a unique perspective in dealing with the issues and ways to solve the problems,” Tolbert said in a prepared statement.
Tolbert said his three-point school improvement plan will focus on policies emphasizing the expectation that all students can achieve, rewards for effective teaching, and continuous communication with parents about their children’s performance and ways they can help their children succeed.
Tolbert, 65, challenged Mayor Byron W. Brown in last year’s Democratic Primary, but garnered only 32 percent of the vote while running a campaign generally regarded as too low key.
In running for the School Board, he will compete against the man he never got to compete against in November: former Republican mayoral hopeful Sergio Rodriguez, who also has announced a bid for one of the at-large board seats.
Tolbert, a Buffalo native, is a graduate of city elementary schools, Lafayette High School and the University at Buffalo.
“I realize that bringing change to Buffalo schools may seem like an overwhelming task at this point in time,” Tolbert said. But he cited his years of corporate experience as well as with local foundations and community organizations in saying “we can make change by working together in the creation of a purposeful plan of action, with measurable objectives and goals.
“That is why I believe that my professional and educational experience and my dedication to the children of this city make me a highly valuable candidate for the Buffalo’s School Board.”
Other at-large candidates so far include Board President Barbara Seals Nevergold; Board Member John Licata; Adrian F. Harris, a teacher’s aide in the Lancaster Central School District, who ran unsuccessfully against Carl Paladino last year for the Park District seat; and Wendy S. Mistretta, a member of the District Parent Coordinating Council’s Executive Committee who ran for the North District seat last year.