Consolidation a factor in District 24 election

The issue of consolidation likely played a role in the outcome of the District 24 Board of Education election, as Lisa Pellicane, an outspoken opponent of a school district merger, defeated two-term incumbent Ian Wraith.

“I’m sure it was,” Wraith said of consolidation’s significance in the nearly 200-vote differential between him and Pellicane. “I’m 100 percent sure that it was.”
Wraith joined fellow incumbents Paul DePace and Carole Meaney, along with Pellicane, on the ballot, contesting for three seats. Meaney garnered the most votes, 536, followed by DePace, with 512. Pellicane locked up the third seat with 511, while Wraith trailed far behind with 315.

During the winter, the board took up the issue of participating in a consolidation study with the other three Valley Stream school districts. Wraith was one of only two board members in District 24 who wanted to find out what a consolidation study would cost.

The other three school boards voted in favor of looking into a consolidation study to explore the possibility of merging the four Valley Stream districts into one large K-12 district. However, District 24’s opposition effectively stopped the study from going forward.

Wraith, who is the District 24 board president this year, said that he was branded as the “pro-consolidation” candidate. Not true, he said. Rather, he simply wanted the board to know what a study would cost, he said. “If you’re going to make an informed decision,” he said, “you need the information to do that.”

He added that he would have ultimately voted against participating in a study if the cost would have been too much for the district to bear.

Wraith also took heat for voting in favor of a consolidation study in his role as a high school board trustee. Some said that he should have voted against it to reflect the wishes of the majority of the elementary school board he represents.

Tony Iadevaio, District 24’s senior board member, said there used to be a policy in which the district’s high school representatives had to vote based on the majority of the elementary board. That policy changed several years ago, Iadevaio explained, allowing board members to vote their own personal beliefs. “It is up to the individuals how they want to vote at the high school,” he said.

Iadevaio agreed with Wraith about the election outcome. “The consolidation study, I think, did him in,” he said.

Pellicane, who grew up attending District 24 schools and is the PTA president at Carbonaro, said she opposes consolidation, and that was one of her primary issues while running for the board. She said she, too, believes that her stance and Wraith’s stance on consolidation impacted the election.

However, Pellicane also said she had the backing of the district’s PTA units. “It was nice to see I have so much support from the community,” she said. “I want to thank everyone who did come out and vote for me.”

Wraith, who was the first to congratulate Pellicane, said that even though he lost because of his views on consolidation, he would do nothing differently if he had another chance. “I completely stand behind my vote,” he said.

Going into the election, Wraith said he knew he was the most vulnerable of the three incumbents. He noted that last time he ran, he garnered fewer votes than DePace and Meaney even though all three were unopposed.

Wraith said he enjoyed his six years on the District 24 board and two years on the high school board, but is looking forward to having the extra time to spend with his family. He plans to continue to attend Board of Education meetings. “That’s how I got involved in this in the first place,” he said, “by being a concerned parent, and I definitely still am that.”

Wraith, 50, has a daughter attending Harvard and a son in 10th grade at South High School. Pellicane, 35, has two children at the Robert W. Carbonaro School, though her oldest daughter enters South next year. She has been the PTA president there twice, and has also served as president of the Valley Stream Council of PTAs.

Pellicane said she is excited about her first meeting on the other side of the table in July — she has regularly attended board meetings as a member of the public — and is eager to learn more about the issues facing District 24. She said she has a collaborative style that helps her work well with others. “I’m looking forward to working with a great bunch of board members,” she said.

As a new board member, Pellicane will have to complete a state-mandated financial oversight training course.

Iadevaio said the board won’t miss a beat with the transition from Wraith to Pellicane. “I’m sad for Ian but I’m happy for Lisa,” he said, “because they’re both for the education of the kids.”

High school vacancy

Wraith’s departure will open up a spot on the Central High School District Board of Education. Each elementary district sends three representatives to the high school board. Iadevaio and Larry Trogel are the other two members.

Iadevaio said the board will decide by the end of June who will take Wraith’s spot, and that the likely candidates are Meaney and Donna LaRocco. DePace and Frank Nuara previously served on the high school board. Pellicane said she would be interested in serving on it in the future, but first wants to get her feet wet at the elementary level.

Iadevaio added that the board wants to make its decision before the high school board’s reorganization meeting in July, so District 24 will have its full representation.