By Andrew Coen
With school board president Frank Parise and vice president Kathy Raquet set to leave their seats after not seeking re-election, the addition of their replacements, Hatten and Kaufman, both private school parents, will increase the number of non-public school residents on the board from two to four. Hatten and Kaufman will join private school trustees Dr. Asher Mansdorf and Murray Forman and with long-time school board member Dr. David Sussman, having a voting record that often reflects concerns of the non-public school community, a clear ideological shift has taken place in District 15.
Lawrence trustee Pam Greenbaum, one of two remaining staunch public school supporters on the board to go along with Stanley Kopilow as a result of the election results, said in the days following Super Tuesday that both Hatten and Kaufman will have their work cut out for them in terms of studying the rules and regulations involved with a public school system compared to private schools. "It's going to be very interesting," said Greenbaum. "Let's see what they can do."
Hatten and Kaufman defeated public school parents Michael Brooks of Cedarhurst and Inwood resident Tom Rizzo to create the looming private school majority on the board. Hatten easily defeated Brooks, with 59 percent of the vote, 5,365 to 3,673 and Kaufman edged Rizzo by 582 votes, 4,882 to 4,300.
Hatten, who has diligently studied up on the rules and regulations of the Lawrence Public Schools since the campaign, emphasized a week after his win that he and Kaufman are going to serve the interests of all the students and taxpayers in the district and that they should be given a fair shot. "Don't judge us by what you hear and what you think," said Hatten, the president of the Far Rockaway based Global Business Institute. "Give us a chance and give us some time."
"I congratulate Mr. Hatten and hope he will have the vision to bring our community together for the welfare of all our children," said Brooks.
While news of a majority of the Lawrence school board now coming from the Orthodox community has sent shock waves through much of Long Island, the situation is not unprecedented in the state of New York, with the East Ramapo school district in Rockland County having a similar situation last year. East Ramapo, much like Lawrence, is a school district where more students attend private schools than public schools, mainly for religious reasons and following the 2005 election, the nine member board became a majority of non-public school parents.
Despite the pending ideological shift, Parise expressed optimism for the district's future after meeting with both Hatten and Kaufman to congratulate them on their wins. "They seem very professional and like very nice people," said Parise. "Hopefully they will bring the community together."
Comments about this story? ACoen@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
