The race is on for two open seats for the East Meadow Board of Education

The race is on for the East Meadow Board of Education race. There are five candidates for two open seats.

Alisa Baroukh

Incumbent Alisa Baroukh, 46, has been on the East Meadow Board of Education since 2017. She and her husband have lived in East Meadow for 20 years, and her three children are currently students within the district. Baroukh grew up in East Meadow, attending Barnum Woods Elementary School, Woodland Middle School and East Meadow High School.

Baroukh works for a marketing company in app support. She currently serves as the board president, and during her tenure she has helped hire a new superintendent, settled five collective bargaining agreements, spearheaded a resolution to be lobbied to the NYS legislature to increase bus ridership, and has increased transparency between the district and the community.
She believes in educating the whole child by providing enrichment and a well rounded curriculum to prepare students for their adult lives. She believes that teachers and administrators are professionals, who have the knowledge and skill sets with the best interests of the children at heart and work together, in partnership with parents and guardians. She also believes that great does happen in the district and she is a fierce proponent of the public education system. Education is one of her passions, and she believe that under her leadership the district has moved forward by leaps and bounds. She believes that there is still work to do and that her unique combination of experience and temperament makes her the right person for the job.

Jessica Ricco-Simeone

Jessica Ricco-Simeone, 34 is a lifelong resident of Salisbury and attended Bowling Green Elementary School and graduated from W.T. Clarke High School. She received her bachelor’s degreed in psychology and a master’s degree in childhood education from Adelphi University. She also holds a degree in special education. She has been an educator in the Westbury School District for more than a decade .She and her husband, Jason, decided to return to the East Meadow School District to make sure their two children received a top-notch, well-rounded education. They currently have a son in Bowling Green Elementary School and a daughter that will enter the district next school year.
Ricco-Simeone has been active in the East Meadow School District, most recently as a member of the PTA she organized the First Grade Bingo Night at Bowling Green Elementary School. She will promote the success of every student and provide the compassion and experience necessary to support our teachers and parents. She understands the importance of collaboration between students, parents, teachers, and community groups. Ricco-Simeone is on the frontlines in educating the next generation of leaders and works hard every day to find innovative ways to help students think outside the box. She will use these same skills and knowledge to improve our district. Her children are active n the East Meadow PAL, sports, as well as the Central South Nassau Sports Leagues. She has previously volunteered with Hope for Youth and the Ronald McDonald House.

Shaun Weissman

Shaun Weissman, 43, is a general manager and adjunct professor. He and his wife, Jaclyn — a school teacher — have two sons in the district, Spencer and Zachary. As a businessperson, Weissman understands the business side of the school board and can relate to the fact that there are rules and policies governing decisions that need to be made. Weissman hears and appreciates the challenges educators face and recognizes and appreciatse the concerns of the parents and of the children.
He strongly believes that this position has one primary focus – to continue to build and enhance an environment that is beneficial to all students. An environment that allows students to learn, develop, and practice skills that establishes a foundation that will lead to success in whatever life paths they choose. His prior experiences, business, and educational background, lend themselves to supporting and fulfilling the requirements of the position of trustee. He has a vested, personal interest in the school district's, and community's success.
He believes in continuous improvement, and that there are primarily two areas within which the current board can be improved upon: communication and transparency and budget and planning – areas that his past experiences prepare him to tackle. He is here to learn from residents of the district. He wants to engage in calm, appropriate, conversations – regardless of differences, beliefs and whether everyone agree or disagrees. He is eager to step-in and analyze the school's budget using his experience of managing multi-million-dollar budgets and identify ways to make the school budget more effective and efficient within the mandated guidelines.

David Carl

David Carl, 40, is the Bureau Chief, Deputy County Attorney, for the Social Services Legal Bureau in the Office of the Nassau County Attorney. He oversees a team of attorneys for the 600+ employees that encompass the Department of Social Services (DSS), including Child Protective Services and Adult Protective Services. He works to protect abused and neglected children and make sure their rights are protected, giving them the opportunity to be raised in a safe and loving household. He holds a Bachelor's degree from Boston University and a Juris Doctorate from Hofstra University’s School of Law. He has been a resident of East Meadow for nearly twenty years with his wife and two children who attend Woodland Middle School and Barnum Woods Elementary School. He is a past director on the board of directors on the Nassau County Bar Association, director on the board of directors of the Jewish Lawyers Association of Nassau County, past secretary and board member of the East Meadow Kiwanis, past co-president of Nassau County Courthouses Kiwanis, and the vice president of Temple Beth Am.
He will bring improved management, financial accountability and transparency to the board. He believes that all management issues will be resolved appropriately and in a timely manner. He is committed to making fiscal responsibility a top priority, and will ensure that public funds will be spent efficiently to maximize the cost benefit of every taxpayer dollar. He believes that a school district’s customers are the children, and its employers are the parents and taxpayers of the community wants to re-establish the once strong board-community partnership which entails removing the time limits on public commentary periods and answering questions when they are asked. He wants toto re-institute the weekly Board of Education work sessions where our stakeholders can observe the Board and Central Administration working on current issues, as well as engagement in short-, medium-, and long-term planning. He believes the group should receive presentations from staff members and outside vendors on topics such as curriculum, finance, facilities, and innovative concepts, products, and techniques.

Candidate Phil Servider declined to participate in the papers coverage.