Meet the Democrat: David J. Derynoski

"Meet the Candidates" is a feature on Southington Patch designed to help you get to know your local candidates before you take to the polls this November. Each profile was submitted directly by the candidate.

Take a moment to review each profile so you can be informed and prepared when you go to the polls on Nov. 8.

This week, we begin looking at the Board of Education candidates. Be sure to look back at the Town Council and Board of Finance, which we featured the last two weeks, and stay informed.

Name: David J. Derynoski
Age: 63
Party, Position Seeking: Democrat, Southington Board Of Education

Family information: Born and raised in Southington, attended Southington schools. Married, daughter and son-in-law live in Southington (no grandchildren yet).

Political Experience: Served 22 years as a member of the Board of Education, eight years as chairman; Member of the Southington Democratic Town Committee; Served on five school building committees, charter revision and many ad-hoc committees related to both town and school issues.

Why did you run for office?
I became interested in the activities of the school board when my uncle was a member. When he retired I was asked if I would have an interest in running for a seat. The rest is history.

If elected, what would be your primary areas of focus?
Over the past several years the board has focused on curriculum, which supports the federal No Child Left Behind requirements. Southington has done very well in meeting its goals. One area of focus will be to continue the quest in providing the best possible instruction to students. Another area of focus would be to explore any and all sources of revenue such as grants, state and federal funding. I would like to examine further areas of cost within the general government to see if any cost savings can be achieved.

What do you feel are the biggest issues facing Southington today?
Over the next two years state funding to local towns and cities is going to be a major issue. Unfunded state and federal mandates have and will continue to be an issue. We need to stay vigilant in working with our state and federal representatives to insure we received the necessary funding to support our school system without strapping the Southington taxpayer.

What skills do you have that you feel you could bring to the community?
I have a very strong engineering and business background. I believe this has enabled me to understand the business side of the school system and offer support in achieving the cost efficiencies we now have in place.