Daniel KIM Shin FOR BOE
DANIEL SHIN
Board of Education
"Serving our Kids!"
Kid-Centered
Solution-Focused
Analytically-Minded
Introduction
Our family moved to Tenafly back in 2022. Our daughter began as an Indigo 6th grader at TMS and is now a sophomore at BCA. And our son started out as a 3rd grader at Mackay and is currently a Purple 7th grader.
Back when I was a student, I had the privilege of studying at institutions known for their academic rigor. I received a BA from Harvard, an MDiv from Trinity Divinity School, and a JD from Columbia Law School. As a former pastor, I served in one of the most multi-ethnic and urban neighborhoods in our country and supported teens and adults through some of their toughest life traumas -- including familial abuse, murder of a parent, sexual violence, and addictions. As a later Manhattan prosecutor, I represented the "People of New York City" and delved into issues of justice, policy, and fairness. And, as a current stay-at-home Dad, I’ve slammed together my fair share of 10-minute dinners and racked up my chauffeur miles.
I’ve been truly grateful for the opportunity to serve our community through the Board of Ed these past three years. It’s been a pretty big learning curve, especially serving as Chair of the Finance Committee my 2nd year, and Chair of the Personnel Committee this year. And without a doubt, I still have a lot to learn. But, I feel incredibly fortunate for the ways I’ve been able to serve our kids and contribute to our schools, even as a new trustee.
Please allow me to keep on "Serving our Kids!"
What I've Done
Over these past three years,
- Student Privacy: I successfully advocated for a private non-gendered changing-room-and-bathroom to be included in the new field house, so that any student who might want some extra privacy could have it.
- Coach Evaluations: I pushed for our athletic coaches to be evaluated, not just on their athletic coaching skill, but also on how effective they are at fostering a team culture where all our students feel supported, and I requested mandatory anti-bullying instruction, which all our coaches received this year.
- HIB Reporting: I’ve worked for a more standardized approach to HIB reporting, so that we, the Board, have the data we need to ensure that no particular demographic group is being routinely targeted by another, and that incidents are being evaluated using the same standard across the schools.
- Honest Metrics: I’ve continually raised discussions on how the district selects and interprets its performance metrics, recognizing that while scores and rankings definitely have some use, they can never tell the whole story of our kids’ lives.
- Public Transparency: When it comes to transparency and communication with you the public, I’ve consistently tried to uphold my belief that “There’s no such thing as communicating too much about the referendum.”
What I Hope to Do
If you should entrust me to serve our community for another term, I hope to participate in accomplishing the following:
1) Solid Finances: Continue to keep our district financially solvent. In the past 3 years, inflation has averaged around 3% a year. Teacher salaries have gone up 3.5% a year. But, our tax levy? It can only go up 2% a year. To keep on delivering for our kids, we need to keep on digging for efficiencies and eliminating waste.
2) Strong Recruiting: Safeguard our district’s competitive position in the job market, so we can continue to attract top-caliber teachers-and-administrators for our kids.
3) Parent/Student Feedback: Develop a systematized method of collecting parent and student feedback on classroom performance. I believe parents and students hold information that can benefit our schools and help us do better for our kids.
4) AI-Policy for Teachers: Formulate an “AI”-use policy for our teachers, so it’s clear which of their tasks can and can’t be off-loaded to artificial intelligence.
5) Class Placements: Continue to examine how our district makes class placement decisions, to ensure that the criteria are justified, defensible, and fair, and that individual student potential is not being squandered.
6) "ALT": Change the name of the "Gifted & Talented" program to something more grounded, for example “Alternative Learning Time”. Because I believe the current name is a disservice to kids both in and not in the program.
