Author: PTO President

 I reside in Valley Falls with my husband, Michael, and our two children Logan and Landon. Logan graduated from Hoosic Valley in 2023, and Landon is currently a junior. After graduating from Hoosic Valley in 1991, I attended SUNY Oswego where I obtained my bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with a middle school math extension. From there, I received my master’s degree in literacy from SUNY Albany in 2001, while teaching full-time. I have been teaching for twenty-seven years in grades four through six, and currently teach sixth-grade math at the Saratoga Springs Middle School.

I have been very active in a variety of Hoosic Valley community roles and functions. I was an active member of HVAA when my children were young in both coordinator and coaching roles. I have served on several interview committees for both faculty and administration at the elementary and Jr/Sr high schools. I volunteer for the Hoosic Valley Booster Club and Transfiguration Parish fair booths each year. I am currently the co-chair of the Jr/Sr High School Academic Awards. 

I have been serving on the Hoosic Valley Board of Education since being elected in 2020 and am seeking my second term. I am proud of the working relationship the school board members have with each other and our Superintendent. I believe in providing our students with a well-rounded education while remaining fiscally responsible. 

What separates me from other candidates is my unique ability to evaluate the issues the Hoosic Valley community faces through the various lenses of a graduate, parent, community member, and veteran teacher. Because of my teaching experience, I understand the inner workings of a school campus and a school district. I am invested in ensuring Hoosic Valley provides a quality education for all of our children. I recognize the value of an open dialogue among stakeholders and the Board of Education.

I hold myself to a very high standard personally and professionally. I care deeply about serving the Hoosic Valley School District and this community. As a candidate seeking re-election I look forward to building on my experience. I will continue to listen objectively and make informed decisions.

My name is Karen Eileen Carlson and I am seeking a second term with the Hoosic
Valley School Board. I grew up in the finger lakes and was raised in a family of public-
school educators, with my mother teaching English for over thirty years and my father a
music teacher and administrator.

My husband and I moved to Valley Falls 28 years ago. Our daughters Sarah and Eloise
both attended and graduated from Hoosic Valley classes of 2016 and 2019,
respectively. I have been an active Hoosic Valley parent and community member since
moving into the district.

I began my legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in Rensselaer County
prosecuting sex crimes. I then moved to the NYS Office of Professional Medical
Conduct prosecuting physician misconduct. Currently I supervise a staff of prosecuting
attorneys for the NYS Office of Professional Discipline. I have served and collaborated
with community organizations including board member and past President of the Board
of Directors at Unity House of Troy; The START Children’s Center and The Rape Crisis
Center (now called the Sexual Assault and Crime Victims Assistance Program) at
Samaritan Hospital.

My daughters, the elder a graduate from St. Michaels College in Vermont and the
younger a graduate of St. Anselm College in New Hampshire, brought me into the
Hoosic Valley community. The commitment and dedication of the teachers, community
members and administrators I have met and worked with over the years are what keep
me volunteering. I have been in the classroom; worked class fundraisers; am a past
president of the Hoosic Valley PTO; and am very proud and still passionate about the
work and effort put in by so many in establishing the Hoosic Valley MAC – the booster
club for music, art, and theatre in our schools. I have been an active member of
interview panels for Hoosic Valley principals, superintendents and teachers and been
active volunteering in various roles for the school musical. For the past four years I have
been a member of the School Board having served as President for three of those
years.

I recall shortly after moving here speaking with a then member of the School Board and
thanking him for all his work with the Board on behalf of the school. He said to me
“Everyone has a turn and is needed to volunteer.” That statement stuck with me over
the years and I finally stepped up in 2020 to run for my first term. I am running now for a
second term to complete the work we have begun and to further the responsibility we all
have to create and foster an environment where our children can safely, learn, create,
and be prepared for the world they will face as adults.

Our Hoosic Valley community faces some daunting challenges in these next few years
and must be thorough and thoughtful in the decisions that impact that environment. I am
committed to face those challenges honestly, openly, and collaboratively with the
community and would be honored to again have your support in that effort.