West Hempstead man ponders school board run

It’s time for some new blood on the West Hempstead Board of Education, as Byars Cole sees it, and he thinks he could be it.

The eight-year West Hempstead resident and father of three young children is contemplating running for a seat in May, but he said he must first explore the feasibility of balancing his family and business responsibilities with serving on the board, which is a significant commitment of time and energy. Cole has considered running twice before, and a third time might be the charm.

“My sense is not so much that I can jump in and completely singlehandedly fix a broken system,” Cole said, “but my goal would be to see if I can help, if I can contribute.”

At a board budget workshop last April, Cole told board trustees and district administrators that they must step up their efforts to handle the district’s real cost-driving issues: teacher salaries, pensions, health care and transportation. “We don’t seem to be able to address those issues, year after year after year,” he had told the Herald. “And so we never seem to make any progress. … I feel like we’re arguing over the sheets on the Titanic.”

Cole had encouraged the entire school community to work together with state legislators and others to confront its problems.

“I’m not critical of any specific member of the board or action,” he said recently. “I’m just trying to see if maybe I can contribute and bring some fresh thinking, and I do think it’s always important to have new blood and fresh blood and new thinking on these boards.”

Two current trustees, Carole Rilling and board Vice President James Mariano, have served for nearly two decades. Both are up for re-election this spring. Trustee Pamela Lotito has served since 1999. Board President Walter Ejnes was elected in 2008, defeating Vincent Trocchia, who had served for 18 years. Trocchia was appointed to the board in September to replace a trustee who had resigned last summer, and his seat is also up for election this spring. Trustees Cynthia DiMiceli and Rudolph Schindler were elected in 2010, defeating members who had served for 19 and seven years, respectively.

Cole and his wife, Erin Downey Cole, have what he describes as a “vested interest” in seeing the West Hempstead school district succeed — their 9- and 7-year-old children attend the George Washington School, and their 5-year-old attends the Chestnut Street School. “We believe strongly in public education and in our schools,” Cole said. “We support our teachers, administration, and if I could help, I’d like to give it my best shot.”

He went on to say that all community members, whether they send their children to public or private schools, should hold themselves accountable for their school district. “Our school system … should be and could be the crown jewel of our community,” Cole said. “It’s our personal responsibility to stay involved. … [The schools] are all representatives of our community, and there’s probably no single factor that contributes more to the quality of our community, to property values, than the quality of our schools.”

He acknowledged that the complications of modern-day life make it difficult to stay involved, particularly for single parents or families with two working parents, but he insisted that people should at least attempt to contribute to improving the school system. He said he often encourages his friends and neighbors to recognize the significance of involvement in education and district matters, and to become more active.

“It’s important that we always have fresh blood and new people coming through,” Cole said, “not to be critical of the current board, but just because we want to have people involved and allow members of our community the forum and the platform to bring ideas into the system and into programs.”

If he decides to run for a board seat, he would have to choose one of the three up for grabs, collect at least 41 signatures on a petition and submit the paperwork by April 16. Election day is May 15.

Only one resident has officially announced a decision to run — William Signorile, a single father whose two children attend West Hempstead High School. Signorile has not yet decided which seat he will contest, but he has said he is committed to getting elected to the board and determined to address what he considers moral conflicts of interest of certain trustees and the board’s failure to reduce spending and achieve excellence in education.

The trustees whose seats are up for election have not yet formally announced whether they will run again.