Elmont School Board: Kevin Denehy

Kevin Denehy, a 15-year resident of Elmont, comes into the race armed with what he believes are the tools it takes to help students succeed. An Elmont parent, he said he has the tools to help the board make good decisions, both for taxpayers and students.

"I think that my qualifications would help bring a unique and good quality perspective to the board," Denehy said. "I was an academic dean for a trade school for adult classes, and have management experience in an academic setting."

He credits the Elmont School Board for being very organized and efficient, but said there's certainly room for improvement, and he'd like to help.

"I'd really like to push our state grades higher than what they already are," he said. "I'd like to see a better rate of improvement, because I want the best possible education for our children."

Denehy said that as his own children, who are currently students in the district, have grown up, he's become gradually more involved with the community and the educational system. He believes that a spot on the board of education is the next step in really becoming integral to Elmont's success.

"I've lived in Elmont for over 15 years, my wife and I are a part of the community, and we've been getting more so in the last several years now that are children are a little bit older," he said. "We have a strong foothold here."

He said that from a financial savings standpoint, the school should be taking advantage of opportunities to save through competition among bidders.

"If there's areas that can be consolidated or renegotiated with existing vendors, the board should be aggressively pursuing that," he said. "In this economy, you have a lot of people who are willing to negotiate a little bit. I'd like to be a part of the budget process to see that that happens."