Schools

Syosset Board Of Ed Meet The Candidates

Four candidates answer questions about their philosophies, hopes for the board, and reasons why they should be elected.

Syosset board of education candidates speak to the community at Know Your Candidates forum.

What is your perspective on testing and effects on children of all ages?

Frankel

Children who are not developmentally ready are forced to take the test….As a board member I can't change state requirements but I can help advocate for changes within the system. There was also no adjustment period. It struck quickly and it's been difficult to adjust to the courseload.

Gershon
I elected, I would use my position to write to legislators and to contact the New York State Board of Education… We're in a wonderful district and for teachers to spend up to eight months preparing for these tests and be worried if their students don't do well. It's just not right. It's too much.

Parker
It was implemented too quickly. We have wonderful teachers that need time to adjust to the new standards. I'm sure the Pearson Company who distributes the test likes it because they make money on it…It should not be used as an APPR measure. It's too much pressure to put on our teachers already. It came on too fast.

Weiner

There's a lot of stress on students and parents. There's a lot of lost education time. It's not the right thing to do right now. The movement needs investigation. It seems like an experimentation and I don't like the idea of experimenting with our kids.

What are some creative ideas for saving money without cutting programs or teachers?

Weiner
We need a comprehensive RFP process and we sould be able to ensure the community that when we deal with vendors, we're trying to get best price and service. I do not want to cut programs. Any cuts would only be non instructional and non program related services.

Frankel
We can partner with some stores in the neighborhood who will accept Syosset residents. When people attend and purchase, they would give money back to the schools.We should also take advantage of competition in marketplace. We have to make sure we're exercising an open bid process. I don't want to just receive a contract and not see the bids and efforts of the administration to make sure we're making the most of our negotiation skills.

Gershon
For example, have solar panels on my roof. When you put panels on a roof, you get rebates and state or federal tax credits. We have so much roof space, we can put solar panels on these roofs.We should renegotiate contracts, like the Huntington Bus contract. They raise the contract for us every single year. Let's tell them, "You want to stay with us? Lower it 2 percent."We should also have an opt-in system for going paperless where people can say, "I care about the environment. I want everything emailed to me."

Parker
We can work on renegotiating service contracts…We can go line by line through budget and see where we can cut back. But we also can increase revenue. In my time on the PTA, we've gone to Albany, we've spoken to politicians. If we put enough pressure on politicians and legislators, we can get some funding for unfunded mandates that are draining our budget….We also offer certain things free of charge, like drivers' ed. This is only exploratory and we'd have to see if we can do that, but if we charge a small fee, it's a small increase but every bit counts. We can also explore starting a foundation for the district.

Definition of transparency and examples of what you'd like to see enacted by the school board.

Weiner
One meeting was a turning point for me. During the June 2012 meeting…It was voted 9-0 without discussion. june 2012 item called approval of agreements. was voted 9-0. I noticed on minutes that this was an extension of a number of administrative contracts. Regardless of how people think, if the board agreed 9-0, that's fine, but communicate that to the community.

Frankel
The transparency between the administration and the board. The board seemed utterly confused on the day of the vote for an 18-year, $16 million energy contract. They didn't seem to understand the issues, they were puzzled at why they didn't have more information when one person asked why they hadn't been given alternatives. It's a problem and that is why a board member has to be able to insist on getting enough information before a vote.

Gerhson
Transparency means letting the public know as much as possible about the issues with community. With respect to the agenda, a lot of items are cryptic… With the "approval of agreements," after everything that happened last year, it happened again. They should be specific about agreements, whether it is a contract, purchase, extension. Why cant they be put online before board meeting so people can think about appropriate questions for the meeting?During audience to the public, a positive development this year was  to increase time people have to speak. But let's not interrupt. Maybe people will say irrelevant things, things that have been repeated time and time again, but we're an open community. Let's not hide things from people.

Parker
Transparency, to me, means to be crystal clear. I've been attending board meetings for years. This year there has been much more transparency than past years. The new administration put more detail in agendas, though it probably needs more detail as time goes on.Within the community, we need a more interactive website where residents could send FOIL requests online and responses onlinefrom administration to the board. Give the board adequate time to review every vote. Things shouldn't have to be tabled if they are ready and informed. From what I've seen -- and I'm not privy to what happens outside the board room -- but there needs to be more communication with each other, giving a heads up on what they plan on bringing up so they are prepared.


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