Meet your East Rockaway Board of Education candidates

Last Monday, all three East Rockaway Board of Education candidates sat in front of neighbors, pitching why they should fill one of the two available seats on the board.

Those that are running are Maureen Doyle, incumbent Joseph Kilgus, and Joseph Lores. The East Rockaway Parent-Teacher Association and the League of Women Voters of Central Nassau hosted the event. Each candidate spoke on why they should be elected candidate, along with pressing issues in the district that they’d like to address.

Maureen Doyle

Doyle is a retired engineer and a lifelong resident of East Rockaway. She grew up in Bay Park, went to St. Raymond’s and the graduated from East Rockaway High School in 1985. She has one daughter that also attended St. Raymond’s.

Doyle noted that her primary reason for running on the board is because of the budget and the “high unspent” money every year. She also wants to focus on and improve academic performance by allocating the unspent funds into the classrooms.

“We financially support the technology and we have been upgrading continuously,” Doyle said when asked about the need for technology education in the district.

Doyle emphasized the need to support technology education and believes that the district should provide opportunities for students to pursue trades. She mentioned that she compares the East Rockaway district to other school districts and sees that some districts receive more money, which in turn boosts their academic performance. This is something she would like to see happen in East Rockaway.

“I have an open mind and things should be talked out,” Doyle said when asked how she would respond to someone with an opposing point of view.

Doyle was also asked how important are the arts and music in helping increase the academic success of the students and she believes that they are very important. She goes on to say that arts and music enhances brain development. She noted that the district does a “very good job” with these subjects in events like Rock Rivalry.

Doyle feels that her responsibility as a board member is to tackle the fiscal aspect of the budget, provide the best education for the students, adapt all the New York State mandates into the schools, and listen to the public to “provide them with a good product,” which Doyle said is education.

If elected onto the board, Doyle will focus on improving the academic ranking of East Rockaway schools. Some of this, she noted, is due to the standardized testing scores, along with students opting out of taking those exams. Doyle said that the schools need to pay close attention to what classes they are putting the kids in so they can get the help they need and succeed academically.

“People are looking to buy a house and the public schools have got to be good,” Doyle said in her closing statement. “So I’d really want to push on the academics.”

Joseph Kilgus

Kilgus, superintendent of one of the largest electrical contractors in New York City, is a lifelong resident of East Rockaway. A board member resigned last year and the board appointed Kilgus to fill the seat for the rest of their term. He attended Centre Avenue Elementary School and graduated from East Rockaway High School in 2001. His son graduated the high school in 2022, and he has a daughter and a son currently in the high school.

Managing over 220 employees on a daily basis, Kilgus explains that there are parallels to his job and being a board member. He noted that he keeps his projects running on time and under budget. He wants to do the same work as board member by giving children the highest quality of education with a safe, welcoming environment while being budget conscious.

“We need to start teaching our children how to work with their tools, work with their hands because that’s a lost art nowadays,” Kilgus said when asked about the need for technology education in the district.

Kilgus emphasized that tradework is still important for students to learn. Such work includes changing a tire, building a birdhouse, and more. He noted that he believes technology and A.I. is very important, but there also needs to be classes that involve students working with their hands.

“I listen,” Kilgus said when asked how he would respond to someone with an opposing point of view. “If we all had the same point of view, there would be no reason for us.”

Kilgus was also asked how important are the arts and music in helping increase the academic success of the students and he believes that they are extremely important. He said that the schools need those programs to accentuate student talents.

Kilgus believes that his responsibility as a board member is to advocate for public education and be fiscally responsible for the district and the taxpayer. He said that board members also need to listen to the community and what their needs are.

If elected onto the board, Kilgus will focus on the educational performance of the schools. He said that the district needs to continue to work on improving test scores.

“If I am lucky enough to be elected again, you have my word that every decision I make in this district will keep the kids first,” Kilgus said in his closing statement.

Joseph Lores

Lores, a business analyst working at Weruva International, was born and raised in East Rockaway and is a third generation graduate. He attended Centre Avenue Elementary School and graduated from East Rockaway High School in 2012. Lores received a degree in business economics at SUNY Cortland in 2016.

Lores recently bought a co-op on Atlantic Avenue and now that he is living in the community, he decided to run for the board. He mentioned that because his friends and siblings are starting to have kids that will eventually be in the East Rockaway School District, he wants to see how the education system will develop for the future generations.

“We’re in a technology revolution,” Lores said when asked about the need for technology education in the district.

Although Lores believes that the district should utilize the new technologies, he noted that the schools shouldn’t use it because it is the “latest trend.” He said that the school needs to use technology that will further improve the academic system in the district. He emphasized that he is a big proponent of using technology.

“It is my job as a board member to be the voice of the community so I believe I can put my opinions aside and do what’s best for the community,” Lores said when asked how he would respond to someone with an opposing point of view.

Lores was also asked how important are the arts and music in helping increase the academic success of the students and he believes that they are extremely important because, he noted, there are different jobs in this world that everyone’s going to end up with. Some of these jobs, he explained, will be in arts and music, which is why he believes that students should be free to express themselves.

Flores believes that his responsibility as a board member is to discuss issues with the community. He said that the board needs to hear the community out so they can implement policies that neighbors will agree with.

If elected onto the board, Flores will focus on encouraging students to improve their test taking skills and overall better the district’s education standards.

“I promise I’ll give my best for the children of this community,” Flores said in his closing statement. “And I understand it’s not always going to be easy, but I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

The candidate receiving the highest number of votes will serve a full three year term, which will  commence on July 1. The candidate receiving the second highest number of votes will fulfill the unexpired term of a former board member who resigned, which term will commence upon the individual being sworn into office immediately following the election on May 21 and expire on June 30, 2025. The public vote will take place on May 21.