Cast your ballot for school trustees

In just over three weeks, voters in the Hewlett-Woodmere and Lawrence school districts will cast ballots not only for their respective budgets, but also for Board of Education trustees, on May 16. All terms are three years, and begin on July 1.

Trustees are responsible for representing the interests of school district residents. Public school boards of education develop policies that govern the control, operation and maintenance of the districts they represent. Some districts either form committees or have trustees liaison with local administrators to help enhance district-wide programs. Trustees also serve as points of contact with other community organizations.

Lawrence

For the second time in three years Murray Forman, who is board president, is running unopposed, and Dr. Asher Mansdorf, the vice president, is being challenged by Asher Matathias, who has run in the past three elections and lost.

“I want to continue the improvement in the educational outcomes of all students in the district,” said Forman, a Lawrence resident, who is running for his fifth term. “I want to make further progress on the capital programs, bringing all the buildings into the 21st century.”

To help achieve that goal, the district submitted a $23 million proposal to the Federal Emergency Management Agency that would entail significant reconstruction and improvements to Lawrence High School, possibly including a sea wall. The Cedarhurst building and grounds which are near a tributary of Jamaica Bay, were severely flooded after Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The damage forced district officials to close the high school for nearly the first four months of 2013.

“There will be flood-proofing, upgrading of all outdoor facilities and protection from future storms,” Forman said, adding that enhancement of the building’s air-conditioning system is also included in the proposal. “It’s very exciting. But we don’t know what’s going to be approved — it’s going to be a home run or a grand slam.”

Mansdorf, 64, is running for his sixth term. Both he and Forman have served as president and vice president over the past several years. Their partnership, coupled with the work by other board members, has helped to enhance the district, Mansdorf said, noting the physical upgrades at the high school and middle schools and the improvement in the high school graduation rate — now nearing 85 percent, compared with 78 percent a few years ago.

“We have had a significant upward trajectory over time,” said Mansdorf, who lives in Woodmere and has a dental practice in Lawrence. “It’s also a time of transition, and we want to maintain stability,” he added, explaining why he is running again.

Superintendent Gary Schall, who has been the district’s educational leader since 2011, is retiring on June 30. Deputy Superintendent Dr. Ann Pedersen was named to replace him.

Should he be re-elected, Mansdorf said, his priority would be to ensure that all school-age children in the district receive the education and services they should get. “My focus remains the same,” he said. “I want to be able to create a seamless environment for all the children and all the schools in the area.”

A constant presence at board meetings, Matathias, 73, a political science professor at St. John’s University, is running again on a platform calling for improvement in several areas, from increased transparency and more time for public comment at meetings to having trustee candidates run at-large instead of challenging an incumbent.

“It is my responsibility to speak truth to power,” the Woodmere resident said. “Public comment means public comment. The board should be encouraging, not discouraging, open public comment.”

Matathias also seeks greater attention to the needs of immigrants, including a mentorship program in which students help guide peers through school. 

Hewlett-Woodmere

Scott McInnes, the board president, and Cheryl May, the vice president, are running unopposed. At the reorganization meeting in July, trustees elect a president and vice president, according to district officials.

Scott McInnes
McInnes has lived in Hewlett for 19 years. He is running for a third term.
He said that he has helped preserve programs, reduce expenses and increase the district’s reserve fund, while keeping H-W within the state’s mandated tax cap. “I really enjoy working with our kids, staff and community,” McInnes said.
The district has recently established five-year plans for budgeting, reserve management and capital projects. THe Hewlett-Woodmere 2025 survey is now live at @font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }@font-face { font-family: "ArialNarrow-Bold"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }a:link, span.MsoHyperlink { color: blue; text-decoration: underline; }a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed { color: purple; text-decoration: underline; }div.Section1 { } www.tiny.cc/HW2025 . The answers will help to form the district’s long-term strategic plan. The deadline to respond is May 9.

“I plan on working hard to achieve the goals and objectives the community tells us about through that survey, and continue to move the district along the path from great to greater,” he added.

Cheryl May
May, a Hewlett Harbor resident, is also running for a third term. “With many friends with young children, I want to make sure they have the same wonderful experiences my children have had,” she said. “Also, as a resident, I want to make sure the district spending is under control.”
May said that she and the board have had two years budgets without tax increases, maintained small class sizes in the elementary schools and added programs at the middle school and high school.

She said she wants to continue providing “our district students with an outstanding education while remaining mindful of our fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers.”

Her focus is on increasing state and foundation aid, improving diploma options for special education students, Common Core reform and unfunded mandate relief.

“I am committed to working together with all members of the Hewlett-Woodmere community to ensure our continued success long into the future,” May said.

Have an opinion about the board of education candidates? Send your letter to the editor to jbessen@liherald.com.