Meet the Pine Plains Central School District Board of Education Candidates

Three candidates are vying for two open seats on the Pine Plains Central School District Board of Education in the May 19 election. The winners will serve three-year terms starting on July 1. With declining student enrollment, an ongoing debate over school consolidation, and the district facing a 60% supermajority requirement to pass its proposed budget, the stakes are high. The Herald sat down with the three candidates to discuss their positions on key district issues.

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Brooke Brown

Originally from Long Island, Brown worked as a New York City costume designer before settling in Stanfordville five years ago. She has one daughter, who will enter Pre-K this fall. 

Brown was motivated to run for school board after attending its November Future Ready Forum on the proposed shuttering of Cold Spring Early Learning Center (CSELC).

“I went knowing nothing, and I immediately became concerned,” she said. “There was a lack of a fleshed-out future plan, and no look at the personal impact this would have on students, teachers, and the community.”

Brown successfully led an effort to delay the consolidation vote, and now serves on the Building Utilization Advisory Committee to study the proposal’s educational implications.

Citing her professional experience managing personnel and large spending plans as key school board qualifications, Brown said, “My top issue is our [district’s] budget. I empathize with the situation the board is in — there is not an easy solution. But school closure isn’t the only answer.”

Brown wants to investigate alternatives such as redistricting or reducing the number of teachers. “I’m pro-teacher: They’re the backbone of our schools,” she said. “But compared to other districts, we have the lowest student-to-teacher ratio at 9-to-1. We should have fewer teachers and they should be paid more.” 

Addressing the drop in student enrollment, Brown said, “We need to look at how many kids in our district are home-schooled, and how many go to private schools. How can we work to get those kids back?”

The district’s 2026-27 budget slashed $491,000 in programs and services to minimize the tax levy increase. Cuts include eliminating the elementary enrichment program and the two 5 p.m. buses, and a freeze on new equipment purchases. 

“I have a huge frustration with the board,” Brown said. “Multiple members expressed that the enrichment program is important, but they didn’t ask for it to be taken out of the cuts. There’s never any pushback.”

According to Brown, improved community communication is a must. “Our [district] needs to make better use of social media,” she said. “The school board’s budget letter should be explained in layman’s terms. If the community understands what they’re paying for, they’re more likely to agree.” 

Brown said she would accept the closure of Cold Spring, provided it is part of a well-researched strategy, not a quick fix. “The solution for next year has to be attached to a future plan — where we’ll be five to 10 years from now. I think we’ll eventually have to move to a one-campus district. If that’s the case, we need to start planning that now.”

Amie Buehler

A Brewster native, Buehler has lived in Stanfordville for 11 years. Her family operates a custom garden and stone masonry company, and she has two Pine Plains middle-schoolers. She is the elementary school PTA president, and has served on the board of the baseball and softball teams for Taconic Little League. 

Buehler said she had considered running for school board for a few years, but felt now was the right time. “I want to get more involved in my kids’ education,” she said. “Up until now I’ve been more [active] on the sports side.”

The school district’s declining student enrollment is a civic problem, according to Buehler. “We need to revitalize our towns, bring in new businesses, and improve the infrastructure.”

About the possible shuttering of CSELC, she said, “I admit that I have an emotional connection to Cold Spring. My kids used to call it the ‘little school.’” Buehler is deferring her decision until the Building Advisory Utilization Committee’s report on the educational impact of consolidation, which is due in September.

The proposed cuts to the district’s 2026-27 budget are a point of concern for Buehler. “The enrichment program helped my kids thrive,” she said. “And cutting the buses is going to be hard on working parents and sports kids. These two things have a great impact, even if it’s only on 15 to 20 kids.”

Despite the potential cutbacks, Buehler wants the district to provide more student opportunities. “We need to keep the focus on their needs,” she said. “Just because we’re small, it shouldn’t be a problem.” 

Buehler suggested enlisting local volunteers as advisers to broaden extracurriculars and offset district expenses. “We spend a lot per student,” she said. “We could bring in passionate community members — not to replace teachers, but to expand our options. Programs often get cancelled or aren’t started due to lack of advisors.” 

Buehler supports taking a tougher stance on bullying, amping up fundraising for student activities to reduce district costs, and improving the communication gap between the school board and the community. 

“The board should bring things in the 21st century by using more social media, not just email. They also need to provide an in-depth breakdown of where our money is being spent, not just bullet points,” she said.

James Griffin

An incumbent, Griffin is a Queens native and IT manager who has lived in the Town of Stanford for 23 years. With one daughter graduated from Pine Plains and two sons currently enrolled, he is in his 12th year on the school board. 

“I’m running again to provide stability,” Griffin said. “There is a need for institutional knowledge — knowing how things work. To be successful, a board needs to know how to steer the ship without turbulence.”

Griffin said his top priority is to provide students with the best possible education while New York fixes its fundamental funding flaws. “Even just the thought of cutting state Foundation Aid is a slap in the face to rural families,” he said. (Based on student numbers and wealth ratios, Foundation Aid provides $6.6 million of the district’s $8.9 million state funding; it has been a driving force in the scramble to reduce expenses.) 

“Our dairies feed New York, and they require large open spaces, which affect our enrollment numbers,” Griffin said. “We also have very wealthy property owners that don’t send their kids to public schools — that makes us look wealthy on paper, and impacts our state funding. But every cut you make to the budget takes away from the students.” 

To offset district expenses, Griffin supports consolidating into a single building: Stissing Mountain High School. “We’re kidding ourselves if we think closing one or the other [elementary] buildings will be the solution in the long run,” he said. “We have more space than we need, and with modest construction we can separate the little kids from the older kids.” Griffin said the project would likely take up to five years, and would require significant state funding. 

Citing past failures, Griffin opposes redistricting by redrawing town boundaries. Instead, he favors a possible consolidation of school districts. “We currently compete for resources, staff, and teachers,” he said. “I don’t want to see a county school, but if we could merge several districts, we could share services.”

Griffin voted for the district’s budget. “I hated cutting the 5 p.m. buses, but it was better than cutting an AP course,” he said, adding that he believes the elementary enrichment program will likely be restored. As an alternative in the coming academic year, Griffin said classes may team up to improve writing skills, for example.

Improved communication connection is a priority for Griffin. “We’ve done email, social media, and have sent letters home in backpacks, but it all gets ignored,” he said. “The board has to keep reaching out: We’re talking about more pop-up events, like our table at Ag Day.”

Griffin views his role on the Board of Education as a way to improve the world. He believes that to be effective, the school board must avoid infighting. “We have difficult decisions to make,” he said.