SAR Executive Director Debra May; Teach NYS Regional Field Director Davida Fried; Teach NYS Executive Director Sydney Altfield; Assemblymember and Committee on Education Chair Michael Benedetto; SAR Academy Head of School Rabbi Binyamin Krauss; SAR Parent and Teach NYS Network Ambassador Avi Spira Network Ambassadors Program Lead Campus Visits for Legislators to Foster Awareness of Nonpublic School Education Riverdale, N.Y. - Salanter Akiba Riverdale (SAR) and lay leaders representing Teach NYS, an education advocacy group and division of the Orthodox Union’s Teach Coalition, recently hosted Assemblyman and Chair of the Committee on Education Michael R. Benedetto at his very first visit to the school. Assemblyman Benedetto was accompanied by Avi Spira, a member and grassroots advocate for Teach NYS. As part of its advocacy efforts, Teach NYS coordinates visits by local legislators to Jewish schools so they can learn, in person, about the unique needs of both the students enrolled there and their families. Assemblyman Benedetto represents New York’s 82nd State Assembly District, which comprises Co-op City, Throggs Neck, Westchester Square, City Island, Country Club, and Pelham Bay sections of the East Bronx. Following a 35-year elementary and secondary school teaching career where he received multiple achievement awards, Assemblyman Benedetto was elected to the New York State Assembly in 2004. As a legislator, Assemblyman Benedetto has focused on educational and child protection issues and has been an ardent supporter of union rights. At the conclusion of the visit, Spira and Assemblyman Benedetto sat down for a Q&A about the legislator’s impression of SAR and his short-term legislative priorities. Following is a transcript of their conversation, edited for brevity; listen to the full interview here. Avi Spira: What motivated you to run for office? Assemblyman Benedetto: I've often thought about that.