Education has been at the center of Diana Kastenbaum’s work for years. As a trustee of SUNY Genesee Community College and an advocate in both Albany and Washington, she has focused on strengthening public education, expanding access to affordable college pathways, and protecting students from predatory lending practices. Her approach is grounded in fairness, opportunity, and a belief that strong schools are fundamental to strong communities.
Diana is committed to ensuring that every child—regardless of income or zip code—has access to a fully supported, high‑quality public education. She believes that public education is a public good and must be funded accordingly. She believes every student deserves the chance to succeed.
As a Trustee of SUNY Genesee Community College, Diana has worked directly to improve access to higher education for students in Western New York. She sees community colleges as the backbone of the nation’s secondary education and workforce development system. Community colleges are affordable pathways for students beginning college. They can also be an opportunity for reskilling adult learners, which can be direct connections between educational programs and local jobs.
Diana believes that the cost of higher education has become unsustainable for many families. She supports reducing or canceling student debt, especially for borrowers in public service. There must be strong federal oversight of student loan programs so our students are not taken advantage of by corrupt loan companies. The Department of Education must be reinstated in its full authority and properly staffed so it can manage loan forgiveness programs, regulate private lending institutions to make them accountable and transparent. Student debt relief is not only an economic issue but also a matter of fairness and opportunity.
Diana’s approach to education is guided by a simple principle: every student deserves a chance to succeed without being held back by cost, circumstance, or geography. From protecting public school funding, to championing community colleges, to reforming the student loan system, she aims to support policies that expand opportunity and strengthen communities across NY24.
