By:Nicole Falco
The three candidates vying for election to the Board of Education in District 13 seemed to be trying harder to distinguish themselves from the current school board than from one another during a debate Tuesday night at the James A. Dever School.
Moderated by Sheila Cohen and hosted by the district-s Interschool PTA, the evening gave the candidates Michael Mastrocinque, a recent law school graduate; Peter Mayo, a North High School coach; and Thomas Speranza, a substitute teacher in the Central High School District and District 13 the opportunity to introduce themselves to the community and answer questions posed by many of the 30 or so residents who attended.
There seems to be a distance between the parents and the school board, Mayo said in response to a question about how board members could increase community involvement. Parents seem to think the school board puts themselves on a pedestal.
In his response, Mastrocinque said, School board members really have to take the lead as far as getting out there and getting involved going to PTA meetings and different events.
Toward the end of the debate, one audience member asked, What good work is the Valley Stream 13 school board doing? Speranza replied, I think they do some great photo-op work. There has to be a much more active role on the part of the school board in every aspect of the education system much more than there is now.
Mayo and Mastrocinque took the same question as an opportunity to soften previous statements. I think the district does have a good school board, Mastrocinque said. These people are very concerned with what-s going on in the schools.
Mayo responded, They are really doing a good job. Our schools are not bad. Our schools are not falling apart. Our students are being educated.
In his closing remarks, Speranza said, Yes, there are good aspects to the school board. Do I believe they could be made better? Yes, I do firmly believe that.
Each of the three candidates has experience working in Valley Stream schools. As a substitute teacher, Speranza has worked in all four District 13 schools and all four schools in the high school district, teaching every subject and every grade level. I think that will give me an insight that I will bring to bear when decisions are made, he said.
Speranza said that as a trustee, he would welcome and be receptive to suggestions made by teachers. He said he is also interested in reviewing students- curriculum. For instance, having taught math and having a background in engineering, Speranza believes the district-s math curriculum needs to be re-evaluated. He said the district currently uses the Chicago Math curriculum.
Mayo has been a baseball and football coach at North for the past 18 years. I know the boys and girls on a different level than the teachers know them, he said. They come to me with their questions. They come to me with their problems.
As a coach and a former member of North-s PTSA and Spartan Club and the Willow Road PTA, Mayo said he has become a familiar face in the community and would continue to be accessible to residents.
Mastrocinque, who worked as a teaching assistant to special-education students at Central High School over the summer and previously worked as a substitute teacher in the high school district, said he not only enjoyed his teaching experience, but that it made him realize that getting more involved in a special-education student-s academic life can make a difference. Mastrocinque said he also hopes to bring new energy to the board. At 26, it wasn-t long ago that he attended district schools. Having just graduated from law school, he said he was seeking election as a way of giving back.
When they were asked if working in Valley Stream schools would be a conflict of interest if elected, the candidates said no. Mayo pointed out that former board member Anthony Lombardo the trustee who resigned over the summer, creating the vacancy also worked as a coach in the high school district. Speranza said he would no longer substitute teach in District 13 if elected. The question did not apply to Mastrocinque, since he works for a law firm.
All three candidates believe that something has to be done about the significant tax increases residents face each year. Each gave a resounding yes when asked if extracurricular activities were a necessary component of a student-s educational experience. Rather than making cuts to areas that would directly impact students, the candidates offered alternative solutions.
Mastrocinque-s suggestions included reaching out to local business leaders for donations, promoting school fund-raisers, reviewing the bidding process and looking into health-care alternatives for teachers.
Mayo also suggested reaching out to the private sector to support school programs. He also said schools should consider asking employees to make larger contributions to their health care, similar to the way things are done in the private sector. Mayo added that he would like to explore the possibility of expanding the bidding process so that the district can reach out to a greater number of potential providers to get the best price.
Speranza said he would look into making joint purchases with Valley Stream-s three other school districts, reasoning that greater volume would mean less cost.
All the candidates agreed that out-of-district students illegally attending district schools are a problem in the district that contributes to rising costs each year. Mastrocinque noted that illegal students also affect class size, which, in turn, can affect students- behavior.
Questions about student behavior were raised several times during the evening. Mastrocinque and Mayo said they did not feel students- behavior was as great a concern at the elementary level as it might be on the high school level. They said they would support the principals and their efforts to address problems in their buildings.
Speranza said that as a substitute teacher, he has had real problems with students- behavior. He said that good behavior starts in elementary school, and parents need to be held accountable for their children-s actions. Parents have to be made aware that they bear the primary responsibility for issuing the discipline at home that carries over in the classroom, Speranza said.
Comments about this story? NFalco@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 208.
