Malverne board candidates field questions

The Herald recently caught up with this year’s candidates running for seats on the Malverne Board of Education. Two seats are up for election.

First Vice President Karen Aker will retire on June 30, and candidate Michael Taylor, of Rockville Centre, is running against Kathleen Nolan-Kasal, of Malverne, to replace Aker. The term will be for four years.

In addition, three candidates, including Josephine Bottitta, of Malverne, Joann Krudis, of Lynbrook, and Sherwyn Besson, of Lakeview, are vying for the seat of Dr. Patrick Coonan, who suddenly resigned from the board early April. The new trustee will serve the three remaining years of Coonan’s term.

The candidates spoke about their top priorities if elected to the board, the proposed 2012-13 school budget, and some of the challenges facing the district.

What will be your top priorities if elected to the school board?

Michael Taylor: My top priority if elected is to get the taxpayers’ children back into the district by pushing for more rigorous courses, better SAT prep, encouraging more students to take Advance Placement courses, increased acceptance and enrollments into Ivy League schools and four-year universities. To do this, the district will have to provide adequate training and professional development for our teachers so they will feel confident in preparing our children for academic achievement.

Kathleen Nolan-Kasal: Making sure students are being held to high standards and being supported while reaching these standards. Students need a solid foundation in their early educational years, not only in the content areas, but also in the arts. When we teach students to be independent thinkers and learners in the early years, and we support students who are struggling early on, we are not playing catch up later on. Students who pick up ideas and concepts quickly need to be challenged in school, too.

We must find creative ways to stretch our dollars and find new ways to get financial support in the classrooms, while improving the communication between community members and the school system.