Two unopposed for Seaford school board

Two candidates are running unopposed for the Seaford Board of Education on May 17. Bruce Kahn has been on the board for the past six years. Janice Baldwin is running for the seat held by departing trustee JeanMarie Wink. Terms are for three years. Baldwin could not be reached for comment.

Bruce Kahn

Being a Board of Education trustee has its ups and downs, explained Seaford school board President Bruce Kahn. But it’s a position he finds rewarding, which is why he is running for his third three-year term.

Kahn, whose two children graduated from Seaford High School, was first elected in 2010. He said he was encouraged to run by other board members after serving on the district’s budget and audit committees, and regularly attending board meetings.

He said he got involved with the district because he had concerns about programs and taxes. Kahn recalled his daughter coming home from school one day, complaining about a lack of equipment in science class, and wanted to do something to ensure students had the right resources to learn.

Kahn said that during his time on the board, he has seen the state of the district’s finances improve. During the first three years, Seaford had to make a lot of cuts, but since then, the situation has improved and many programs and staff positions have been brought back. “We watched every penny,” he said. “We’ve worked with our unions to get reasonable contracts in line with what we could afford.”

The hiring of Elisa Pellati as the assistant superintendent for business and other people with strong financial backgrounds have made a big difference, Kahn said. He noted that Seaford continues to produce budgets that do not exceed the state’s tax cap.

One big accomplishment he cited was the selling of the vacant Seaford Avenue School. The board put the property on the market in 2012, and it was officially sold last year. Kahn said while he does miss the athletic fields that were behind the school, keeping the property wasn’t feasible because it cost about $100,000 for upkeep and security.

“It was a drain,” Kahn said. “The district could just not afford to continue maintaining a tax-exempt property.”