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Matthew Chimera
I have served on the Ken-Ton School District Board of Education for six years and have served as Board President for the past five years. I am proud to say that my wife Lisa and I, as well as our children Alessondra and Matthew, are all products of our great school district and graduates of Kenmore West HS. I have been a resident of the Ken-Ton Community for 60 years.
Throughout my 38-year career in Ken-Ton, I served as a teacher at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. I have worked as a mentor of new teachers in our highly regarded Ken-Ton Mentor Program. I have also been a Technology Integrator, and coached football, softball and wrestling at Kenmore West and Kenmore East.
I am especially proud of my involvement with our Big Picture Program, as a pathway to graduation for students who benefit from a non-traditional high school setting. I was part of the Destination Graduation committee that researched and brought the program to Ken-Ton and then worked as a teacher/advisor in the program for seven years.
When I was elected to the school board 6 years ago we were in the process of working to get a $75 million capital project approved. We are now seeing the results of that effort in the way of classroom additions, single points of entry to keep our schools safe, athletic fields and some much-needed infrastructure in our buildings. Hamilton school has now reopened and houses our Universal Pre-K Program. Our Big Picture Program has expanded to include 7th grade. We have been and will continue to work closely with the Town of Tonawanda Board and explore unique ways to share facilities and services.
My passion for our outstanding school district and the Ken-Ton community is the driving force behind my decision to seek re-election to the Board of Education. As a member of the Board of Education, I will continue to give back to our community by always putting the needs of our students first while practicing fiscal responsibility, and a commitment to our schools.
