H-W’s Central Council questions BOE candidates

Annually, the Herald prints the Hewlett-Woodmere’s Central PTA Council questionnaire of the district’s Board of Education candidates. There are four this year running for three seats. Incumbent Stephen Witt and Melissa Gates and Jonathan Altus are running as a team, while Fred Usherson is running independently.

The questionnaire used this year is the same one that was used in the last two contested elections with a few minor changes developed in consultation with all the PTA presidents.

The responses were written by the candidates first hand with no editing or changes other than to consolidate and format the information here.
In the at-large election, the three highest vote getters win the trustee seats. All terms are three years. The election is on May 15. Voting is at the Woodmere Education Center (WEC), I Johnson Place in Woodmere.

How long have you lived in the district and are/were you a parent of a child in the public schools?

I have lived here 11 years with my husband and children but I grew up here in District 14. I have three children. I have one in college, an eighth-grader at Woodmere Middle School, and an 11th grader at Hewlett High School. They all attended Ogden, but only my girls attended FECC since we moved here when my son was in 3rd grade.

What particular experiences or skills qualify you to serve as a school board member?

I have been involved in education in one form or another for over 20 years. Although I have a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration I had continued on to get my master’s in education but then married and moved out of the state I was living in and never completed it. I have worked at an after-school Program, taught music, piano, and drama and taught Pre-School and Mommy and me.

I have worked as a parent advocate for CPSE (Committee on Preschool Special Education and CSE (Committee on Special Education) committees in another school district and I have advocated for all children in my various PTA roles for 17 years. I already have a good understanding of our district and a good working relationship with everyone here having been on many district committees including Site Based, Professional Development, and Wellness, to name a few. I am currently in my third year as co- chairperson of the District PTA Curriculum Committee and co-president of Central Council.

I believe that I am very approachable and keep an open ear and an open mind while always having the best interests of the children at heart. I work hard for the children and the community without any personal agenda.

What do you see as the major issue(s) facing our school district?

I think that the most important issue facing our district is one that faces all school districts at the moment, which is that it is becoming increasingly difficult to educate children properly because of legislation and mandates passed by politicians whose first priority may not be the education of our children.

It is the duty of a board of education to give our children the tools to reach their potential, achieve their goals, and go out into the world confident enough to define their own meaning of success while keeping our taxpayers’ pocketbooks in mind. Long Island as a whole is a very high achieving geographical area and the one-size-fits-all demands that are placed on districts now are detrimental to the quality of education here.

That is not to say that there isn’t room for improvement or that everything is perfect. Districts should be allowed to build on what they feel works for their students without the intervention of politicians focused on short term perceived “fixes” to problems that may or may not exist in a particular district. At this point, Nassau County has shifted the burden of their financial woes onto the backs of our children without any real savings to the taxpayers and this is not acceptable.

What do you see as the greatest weakness in our district and what would you do to change it?

I believe that our district needs to improve their communication with parents and the community. Rumors often abound. People often feel the need to demand transparency. This year, a Board of Education page has been added to the district website but I think we can still do more. In this day and age, mostly everyone is connected to the World Wide Web.

We need to utilize emails more in an effort to go green and in order to inform the community of anything of note … I’m not talking about PTA emails but communications from the teachers, schools, Board of Education, and Superintendent. The district already pays for an automated phone tree message system … we need to use it more. I don’t think there is any such thing as too much information. If someone gets a call or an email they are not interested in they can hang up or delete it. It is as simple as that.

What changes, if any, should be made in the district’s budget?

At the moment, I have not heard of any cuts that should be reversed nor could I make any suggestions for cuts. There is so much in the district’s budget that the district has no control over due to unfunded mandates, increase of living costs, and previously negotiated contracts. The budget that is being presented includes two administrative positions that are being cut. There are additional staffing cuts that do not translate into loss of programs for the students.

There are some changes to the special education programs, which will allow for some students to return to the district, which can be a positive thing. A new co-teaching model for one team in every grade at the middle school is a change for next year.

The elementary level special ed. students are being moved from Ogden to Hewlett Elementary School. These can all be positive changes if the district is able to service these students properly and can provide a solid transition plan. There needs to be a watchful eye on all of these changes but I would not necessarily say they shouldn’t be done.

The bottom line is that this is a responsible budget. We must always be mindful of what our taxpayers can bare while always continuing to look for ways to improve the education of ALL of our students.

 Is there any other information you would like to share about yourself or your goals?

I have been an advocate for children for many years. I have always hoped that people saw me that way as opposed to a party-platter toting PTA Mom or as the president of that organization that is constantly fundraising and asking for money because I have done so much more than that!

I am not afraid to ask questions and I am certainly not afraid to speak my mind. I have several goals. The most important one being preserving what is good here but always looking to improving the quality of education that our students receive to restore our reputation as a high performing school district.

I also would like to help foster a better relationship between our community and the board. I would like the community to feel that their input is welcome and desired and would like for everyone to feel that their concerns are being heard. I believe the board needs to take more responsibility for what goes on in the district and although a board of education does not get in to the minutiae of the everyday I plan to be involved and well informed. The board needs to do some leading instead of following at both the local and state level. I believe I can do that.

Stephen B. Witt

How long have you lived in the district and are/were you a parent of a child in the public schools?

I have lived in the district 43 years and both my daughters attended and graduated from the Hewlett district.

What particular experiences or skills qualify you to serve as a school board member?

I bring over 34 years of school board experience both on the Hewlett school board with an MBA degree in finance and accounting, president of Nassau BOCES, president of the Nassau Suffolk School Boards Association and on the Board of Directors of the New York State Schools Board.

What do you see as the major issue(s) facing our school district?

Eliminate all and unfunded mandates and require new mandates to be funded by the state, specifically mandates for which school districts have little or no control over.

The current fiscal constraints on education budgets calls for some immediate and decisive relief from those mandates that are diverting scarce local education dollars to fund state responsibilities. Require that the state comptroller’s office to make public a yearly report card on all unfunded state mandates.

What do you see as the greatest weakness in our district and what would you do to change it?

I think there is too much pressure put on our children to succeed academically in preparation for college starting with too much testing, much of which is mandated. I would continue to work with the state and federal departments of education to reduce the number of tests and for elementary school students the length of the tests and would provide elective courses in the high school preparing students for SAT and ACT tests.

What changes, if any, should be made in the district’s budget?

I think we need to continue to simplify the budget as presented to the community to make it easier to understand. But at the end of the day the majority of the budget is mandated so we need to press harder with our legislators both at the federal, state and local level to eliminate all unfunded mandates thereby giving back local control to the community.

Is there any other information you would like to share about yourself or your goals?

I would like the community to know that I was selected New York State’ s outstanding school board member in 2009, on the STAR Commission which reduces property tax, chairman of the New York State School Boards Association, Nassau BOCES and Hewlett -Woodmere Audit and Investment committees and given the 2009 Town of Hempstead Make a Difference Award. I was also given the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation award by George Bush Sr. I am a member of Peninsula Kiwanis and serve as the liaison to Hewlett High School's Key Club.

Fred Usherson

How long have you lived in the district and are/were you a parent of a child in the public schools?

I have lived in the district 12 years with my wife and two children. My daughter, a fourth-grader and my son, a third-grader, currently attend Hewlett Elementary School.

What particular experiences or skills qualify you to serve as a school board member?

Currently, there are no serving school board members with an education background. As an educator for almost 18 years, I understand the challenges that exist in our schools today and how to improve learning by improving our staff. Having also worked in industry for almost eight years, I know the value of incorporating technology in our schools, beyond just the computer, to offer our students enhanced vocational and life skills that they could apply in their future endeavors.

As an elected official, I understand that I have a fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers in our district to minimize tax increases. As a parent, I want the best possible education and learning opportunities for our children. I would like to return our school district to the great district that it once was — that everyone remembers. If elected, I know I can improve it!

The district has incorporated my prior campaign recommendations such as offering our children access to online databases such as the Discovery Education website, www.discoveryeducation.com. In addition, the district also took my recommendation and has instituted a robotics program, which has been quite successful. I would like to see this program expanded to include Battlebot Robotics. For more information about Battlebots, go to www.Battlebots.com or this website to see a video of how it is used in a STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) program in high schools;
http://www.calu.edu/news/press-releases/2012/03/robots-ready-for-combat-march-23-24.mobhtm

My education includes a specialist diploma in School Administration and Supervision, Queens College 1996; MBA, Marketing & Corporate Finance & Investments, Adelphi University 1991 and a BA, Computer Science, Queens College 1984. I have a state certification for school district administrator, and teaching certifications for Electronic/Electro-Mechanical, Computer Technology and Business and Distributive Education. I also hold am a FCC licensed general class amateur radio operator.

What do you see as the major issue(s) facing our school district?

Our district has wasted exorbitant amounts of money. Most recently on 40 percent salary early retirement incentives (as reported in the media) for administrative staff — while most are already making more than $150,000 annually. Why are we paying administrators early retirement incentives?

These people already have pensions and a huge salary. If you want them to leave, stop offering raises! Now you know why we paid a school tax increase to our district last year. As a voter and a taxpayer, this wasteful spending is unconscionable and I think we should offer our school board members an early retirement incentive — stop re-electing them and vote them all out of office!

In addition, last spring, our board approved $50,000 for parking lot lights at the administrative building so district staff can to go to their cars at night in a lighted parking lot. Finally, our district wasted tens of thousands of dollars in the past on an educational consulting group called the Tri-State Consortium that did nothing to help us.

Ironically, when I posed the question last spring to our elected school board members about offering free after school tutoring for our children at the two elementary schools and the middle school, they refused. When you consider the poor performance of our schools, the huge amount of children attending the summer learning academy (summer school), and the numerous amount of tutoring services that are opening in our neighborhood,

I wonder who are these elected board members really serving? The examples described above I am sure is just the tip of the iceberg on wasteful spending that has existed in our district for many years.

 What do you see as the greatest weakness in our district and what would you do to change it?

The greatest challenge we face in our district is our school performance compared to other Long Island school districts. Our performance affects not only the education of our children; it affects our property values, the local economy for attracting small business into our community, and ultimately our school taxes.

Performance and fiscal responsibility for our school district starts with our elected school board members who approve district expenditures and authorize policy. Considering the high taxes we are paying and the poor performance from most of our schools, we are not getting in performance what we are paying for in taxes.

I have two children attending school in our district and I have a vested interest in their education and your children’s education. Our district is ignoring the children in the lower grades by not providing them with adequate resources, and then the district plays “catch-up” with our high school students offering them free tutoring and tablet PCs. For example, when my children attended the Franklin Early Childhood Center (FECC), they were in classrooms with one student computer for the entire classroom.

Now that my children are attending Hewlett Elementary, I see similar issues. When I first brought this issue to the school board, their response was that they feel that “socialization skills are more important than computers.” Looking at our performance data, you decide if you think this policy is working.

Furthermore, if that’s how our school board feels, then why bother putting even one computer in a classroom? What expectations for meaningful instruction does our district expect from a teacher with only one student computer in a classroom?
Instead, I recommend that the student to computer ratio for general education classes in FECC, Hewlett and Ogden elementary schools have at least 3:1 and a 2:1 ratio for special education classes.

In addition, at Woodmere Middle School and Hewlett High School, the general education classes have at least a 2:1 ratio and the special education classes have a 1:1 ratio. In a district with a budget close to $106 million dollars, I don’t know why we can’t offer at least an iPad2 to each child from grades 2-12. These are currently selling for only $360 each.

What changes, if any, should be made in the district’s budget?

Clearly, we should reduce our expenditures for administrative salaries and stop the early retirement incentives. If elected I would work with my fellow board members and try to further reduce administrative costs, by effective renegotiation of contracts for executive staff members, and look to further consolidate or eliminate administrative functions in the administrative building (WEC). I want to put more money back into the classroom!

Is there any other information you would like to share about yourself or your goals?

I am running as an independent candidate for trustee for the Hewlett-Woodmere School District because in addition to having a comprehensive vision for improving the staffing and technology within the district, I am also running on a platform on improving instruction and fiscal responsibility. If elected, as an independent candidate, I offer both an independent voice and vote at board meetings on the issues that face our school board. I invite the district residents to visit my website at WWW.FRED4HW.COM

Based on prior data published by Newsday and the State Education Department, I performed a comprehensive performance evaluation of our schools within our district. In addition to computing percentiles for each grade, I also did a performance cadre comparison to other affluent equivalent and geographically homogeneous districts in Nassau County.

Based on the performance data, we should offer free after school tutoring at all the schools in our district. I believe it is the districts responsibility to offer all possible assistance to our children. Parents shouldn’t have to pay privately for tutors or spend their hard earned money on tutoring services.

I informed the board last year that if the district paid two teachers at the two elementary schools and middle school $50/hour for two hours, 4 days a week, for 40 weeks, it would cost the district $36,000. I’d rather see the financial expense incurred for free tutoring than parking lot lights at WEC!

Jonathan Altus

How long have you lived in the district and are/were you a parent of a child in the public schools?

I have lived in Hewlett for 23 years. I have 2 children. My son graduated Hewlett High School in 2009. My daughter is currently a junior at Hewlett High. Both children have only attended Hewlett public schools.

What particular experiences or skills qualify you to serve as a school board member?

I have been an active member of the community with intricate knowledge of the schools my children have attended. My professional background as a physician has trained me to find simple solutions to complex problems.

What do you see as the major issue(s) facing our school district?

Maintaining our school district’s high level of excellence in the face of decreasing state aid and unfunded mandates.

What do you see as the greatest weakness in our district and what would you do to change it?

The minimal state aid that we receive which forces the local homeowner to pay excessive taxes. We need to do a better job informing the community that the state only pays approximately 5 percent of the school budget

What changes, if any, should be made in the district’s budget?

There should be an expansion of courses in future technologies and creative writing. Foreign language should begin in elementary school.

Is there any other information you would like to share about yourself or your goals?

I am a practicing pulmonary and critical care physician that is in private practice on the South Shore. I’m hopeful that my experience in chairing many hospital committees will foster a collaborative relationship between the school district and the community. I am running with Melissa Gates and Steve Witt who both share my interests in advocating for children of our district.