School Board Election

Greco unopposed in Wantagh

Posted

In 2012, Anthony Greco emerged from a field of three candidates to win an open seat on the Wantagh School District Board of Education. This year, he is all but assured re-election.

Greco, 49, is running unopposed for a second three-year term on the board. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have three children in Wantagh High School. His son Anthony is a senior, and twins James and Vincent are sophomores. Greco said that being on the Board of Education has been a rewarding experience because he gets to see the many accomplishments of the student body.

After retiring as a New York City police officer, Greco said he wanted to do something meaningful with his time. With his wife already active in the PTA, he learned more about the school district and decided to run for the board. “It’s very rewarding seeing this school district continue to grow and prosper,” he said.

Just a few months into his tenure, the district faced a challenge with the departure of its new superintendent. Greco was part of the board that elevated then-Forest Lake School Principal Maureen Goldberg to the top post, and he said it has brought much-needed stability to Wantagh. “I’m very happy with that decision,” he said. “Maureen Goldberg is an excellent educator, and I’m very happy with the job she has done as superintendent.”

Greco also points to the hiring of Adriana Silver as assistant superintendent for business as another accomplishment. Overall, he said, the entire administrative team is doing a good job, and cited this year’s proposed budget, which will not raise the tax levy, as an example of that.

Over the last three years, Greco says, the board has worked hard to keep spending under control and tax increases to a minimum. At the same time, he said, programs have been maintained and, in some cases, enhanced. “The last thing anyone wants to do is cut a program, or anything that affects students,” he said.

Greco explained that Wantagh’s school buildings are aging and are in need of upkeep. He said that the board has been proactive in this area, with the creation of a capital reserve fund last year and with the first round of projects on the ballot this year. Additionally, he said, the district has implemented an energy-efficiency project that will enable it to do upgrades while saving on energy costs.

While Greco takes pride in being a member of a board that gets along, he said the five trustees don’t always agree but work toward compromise. “It’s not an easy task all the time,” he said, “but we do work well together.”

Likewise, he said that members of the public might not always agree with every decision the board makes, but Greco said they always listen and want to be responsive to the community.

This past year, he served as the board’s president, and described it as an eye-opening experience. “There’s a lot at stake and you tend to feel the weight of it,” he said. “It’s a tremendous budget. It’s taxpayers, it’s children’s education and a future.”

Greco said he takes the lack of opposition this year as a sign that the community is confident in him and approves of the job he has been doing. “I have children in this district, so I’m well aware of what needs to be done,” he said. “I look forward to the next three years.”