New leaders for North Shore Board of Education

School board looks to challenges ahead

Posted

Members of the North Shore Board of Education unanimously elected trustees Dave Ludmar and Tim Madden to serve as president and vice president, respectively, for the 2020-21 school at a July 9 meeting. 

Former president Sara Jones stepped down from her role, but will remain on the board. Trustees Richard Galati and Andrea Macari were also sworn in after winning seats on the board last month.

 

Dave Ludmar

Ludmar, 47, has served on the board since 2016 and has spent the last two years as vice president. He and his wife, Molly, have lived in Glenwood Landing since 2005. Their two children, Louisa, 13, and Jacob, 11, attend North Shore Middle School, and are entering eighth and seventh grade, respectively. He owns and operates the Eiseman-Ludmar Company in Hicksville and ELC Industries in Rock Hill, S.C., both of which produce decorative items for uniforms, including those worn by public safety workers and members of the military.

“He’s put a tremendous amount of time and effort over the past two years as vice president and is well-qualified,” Jones said as she nominated Ludmar. “I think it’s important that board leadership continue to turn over in a relatively reasonable time frame and that more people be involved.”

“It’s gratifying,” Ludmar said of his election. “I appreciate that my fellow trustees have faith in my ability to lead us because we have some serious challenges ahead, and it’s also a big responsibility.”

His two years of leadership under Jones have prepared him to meet the challenges that lie ahead, Ludmar said, the biggest of which is the return to school in the fall amid the nationwide coronavirus pandemic. He said there is much uncertainty surrounding the reopening, and although the state provides constant updates about moving forward, he said there is much to be determined.

Ludmar said the board has formed four committees to discuss what a return to school would look like. He said whatever approach is taken, it must benefit North Shore’s students most of all.

“We really need to focus on delivering curriculum to our students that’s mindful, effective and takes into account all the different learning styles of our various populations,” he said.

Another challenge, Ludmar said, is a tentative agreement reached between the Long Island Power Authority and Nassau County on Nov. 22 last year. The agreement reduced LIPA’s property taxes by 50 percent over the next seven years at several of its plants, including one in Glenwood Landing. The taxes paid by LIPA contribute heavily to the district, and Ludmar said such a drastic shift in school funding could significantly alter the way the North Shore district operates.

 

Tim Madden

Madden, 51, was elected to the board in 2018 and had previously served on the Northport-East Northport Union Free School District Board of Education for a year and a half before he and his family moved to Sea Cliff in 2010. He lives in the village with his wife, Cathy, with whom he has three children — Catherine, 18, a rising sophomore at Miami University, as well as Carol, 17, and Henry, 13, who are entering 12th and ninth grade at North Shore High School.

He is also a social studies teacher at Great Neck South High School.

“I’m honored that my colleagues put their trust in me to take on that position,” Madden said. “I know it’s going to be a lot of work, but it’s something that I’m happy to do.”

Macari said she nominated Madden for vice president because he promotes transparency and holds himself and others to high standards of leadership and civility.

“Tim Madden believes strongly in democratic ideals,” Macari said, “and I can’t imagine a better representative of our school district.”

Madden said his new role focuses heavily on working alongside Lubmar to make sure the board runs smoothly, ensuring trustees have access to the best information possible to help them serve the North Shore community. Trust among board members is paramount to help the district succeed, he said, something which he plans to work to facilitate.

Madden also said the biggest issue the district needs to tackle over the summer is how to educate the district’s students next year. While he said everyone wants school buildings to open, he said listening to health experts is the most responsible way of going about the process.