By:Hector Flores
The Shore Road PTA hosted the event.
Running for re-election are Richard Narby and Janet Goller. Narby has been a district trustee for the last three years, and Goller has been one for the last nine. Challenging their re-election bids are two civic group leaders, Leonard Burger, who is president of the White City Community, and Patrick Hoey, who is a member of the Central Bellmore Homeowners Association.
Candidates began with brief presentations about their backgrounds and experiences, and answered questions from the audience. Some issues spurred heated debate among the candidates, starting with testing.
According to Hoey, Bellmore's scores on the fourth-grade English Language Arts test ranked in the lower half of Nassau's 53 districts between the 1999 and 2001 academic years. In 2001, Bellmore's passing rate of 74 ranked one point better than the Roosevelt district's 73.
"In the last two years, scores have improved [in 2002, Bellmore's passing rate was 87, and in 2003, it was 86]," said Hoey. "But only because parents spoke up. With the ever increase in taxes each year, we are not satisfied with average performance. We want our schools to do even better. We want them to be the best. That means placing at the top 10 or top 5 percent, the best of the best."
Hoey added that there needs to be a program geared toward improving Bellmore's test scores.
Goller said there already is such a program. "The district has a new English language arts program," she said. "We had a committee visit the top districts [Jericho, Syosset, Garden City, Franklin Square and Rockville Centre], and adopted a new program for reading and math, which also required extensive teacher training and support. Since then, the district has experienced remarkable improvements in its test scores."
Narby said it's unfair to compare Bellmore's grades with other districts because "we are a smaller district." He also pointed out that on this year's English Language Arts test, 86 percent of Bellmore students' scores matched those in the top 10 districts. In math, the the passing rate was just one point different. Bellmore's was 95, and the other top 10 schools had 96.
Another contentious issue was school taxes. According to Leonard, over the past five years, the elementary school budget has gone up 44 percent. The school district's proposed tax levy for next year will increase by $1.15 million, despite a decline in enrollment and a slight increase in state aid.
Narby, however, said the district's upward-spiraling costs are attributed to factors beyond the board's control. The district has experienced an increase in energy bills, health insurance, retirement, transportation, and unfunded federal and state education mandates.
Narby added that the district has also implemented cost-cutting programs. It has succeeded in saving taxpayers more than $250,000 by negotiating retirement incentives for eligible staff members. Additionally, the district has created an in-house special-education program that saves Bellmore money in tuition and transportation to other districts.
Also, by using cooperative bidding with neighboring elementary districts and the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District for insurance and transportation, the Bellmore district was able to guarantee low prices for those services.
Narby said, "Bellmore has also benefited from belonging to a consortium of 150 districts that uses cooperative bidding to purchase custodial and general instructional supplies."
