Once my children were in school I began to volunteer for various community wide positions: the district wide PTSA (4 schools), the school board, and then the 20 district school boards association. That position involved the education of school board members, legislative lobbying, and working with the teachers labor union. It involved travel to Albany and Washington, D.C. as well as meeting with many community members to explain our efforts to make sure our public schools were among the best in NY state.