By ARIELLA MONTI
Incumbent Roy Lester, Gina Guma and Darlene Tangney fielded questions from some 40 residents who will cast votes on Tuesday. In addition to filling two available seats on the school board, residents will decide on 2009-10 budgets for the school district and the public library, as well as a “preservation plan,” a $98 million bond that will fund repairs and renovations of the district’s aging buildings.
Guma spoke of her accomplishments as a board member from 1997 to 2003, which included creating computer labs, remodeling the middle school and Lindell School auditoriums, implementing a nine-period day at the high school and adding natural gas-powered buses.
Lester, who is running for his fourth term on the board, focused on financial issues. He noted that during his years on the board, trustees have adopted a more conservative approach to spending, reducing the budget’s annual increase from 6 percent to 1.7 percent.
Tangney, who has been a school district volunteer for 18 years, said she was compelled to run for the board because of her concerns about a range of issues, including the potential closure of East School, education, health and safety, and the board’s lack of transparency.
The first written question from a member of the audience, directed at Lester, concerned $12 million in undesignated funds left over at the end of the 2007-08 fiscal year, and why it was not returned to taxpayers. Lester explained that the district must put aside money for things like emergency repairs and paying retiring teachers for their unused vacation days.
When Tangney raised the issue later in the discussion, complaining about funds that are categorized as “unreserved, undesignated,” Lester responded that since taxes are collected twice a year, it is normal for large amounts of money to be set aside. “We’ve been audited by the state,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with the way we do business.”
When asked about the preservation plan, all three candidates said they support the bond, but Tangney and Guma had differing ideas about how the money should be allocated. “I do believe more money can go into East School,” said Tangney.
“Every school deserves a fair amount of that bond to preserve them, to repair them and to maintain them,” said Guma, explaining that she thinks each school should get equitable funding.
Lester disagreed, saying that funding is based on need. “Money for different schools in all the same amount doesn’t make sense!” he said.
Another questioner asked about a district vocational program for students who pursue trade work rather than a college degree after high school. Lester and Guma, both of whom attended Long Beach High, recalled classes like stenography and auto repair.
“We have not followed through as much as we could,” Lester said of the board’s previous discussion of implementing a BOCES-like program. “A lot of that has to do with economics.” He added that the state discourages vocational education, and that he hopes things change with the appointment of a new state education commissioner.
“We definitely have to expand our vocational program at the high school and the alternative high school, Nike,” said Tangney.
Some audience members said they came with their minds already made up about the candidates, but wanted to show their support. “I’m sure Mr. Lester has done wonderful things at different times,” said Marty Klain, explaining that his main issue is keeping East School open. “But he’s not for a single cause right now that I’m very much in support of.”
Colleen O’Neil, a Long Beach resident who has a son in third grade at East School, said she was focused on the future of the school and how the school board conducts business. “Decisions are being made in violation of the open meetings law, which flies in the face of what a school board should be doing,” O’Neil said.
Another resident, James Hardy, a father of two, said he didn’t know the candidates well enough to make an informed decision. “I need to get a sense of the candidates, their personalities and their views,” said Hardy, whose children attend East School and Blackheath Pre-K. “You can’t complain unless you’re involved in the process.”
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