By:Hector Flores
The proposition was brought to the Bellmore district office on Tuesday, March 16 and contained 75 signatures from area residents.
The proposition stated, "Be it Resolved, that the number of Trustees of the Board of Education of the Bellmore Union Free District shall be set at five effective as of the 2005-06 school year."
Reducing the number of board seats would eliminate the possibility of tie votes and allow a majority to prevail, said Patrick Hoey, president of the Central Bellmore Home Owners Association.
Hoey, who supports the change, said, "Although I did not initiate this ballot proposition, I do support the objective. It simply makes no sense to have a school board composed of an even number of members; if there is a tie vote, then nothing can be passed. This proposition eliminates the possibility of tie votes; its common sense and more democratic."
Joining Hoey in lobbying for the proposition is Leonard Burger, president of the White City Community Council. Burger said, "Each time there is a tie with six people, it becomes a bargain, where everyone bargains for each other's pet project.
"In every level of government, there is an odd number of representatives," Burger continued. "It's just common sense, and right now there is no common sense in the district."
The board has agreed to place the proposition on the ballot for a vote. But one trustee said the board has worked well with its even number of board members.
"Of all the school district conferences and seminars that I have attended, no one has ever known of any board with an even number of members except for our own," said Jay Breakstone, current board member and trustee. "Some other school board members are amazed that the Bellmore District is as uncontentious as it is and able to come to an agreement on various issues. The secret is that we reason with each other rather than relying on a majority, and realistically we are a very unique district because there are no factions."
Breakstone added that he considers the current number of board members to be pretty small, and if anything, he would consider expanding the board's membership.
"School board members don't get paid," he said. "And limiting the size from five to six is foolish. I can understand if you pay the same for six or five members, but they are non-paid positions. All of us have chairmanships, and we all have secondary jobs, and it would be fine to have more help."
Not on the ballot
A second proposition calling for term limits for Board of Education members didn't make it on the ballot this year.
According to Bellmore School District Attorney Florence Frazer, the state Legislature has not authorized term limits for school board members. As a result, there can't be a proposition imposing term limits because it would be illegal.
But proponents of the measure said the proposition's objective was to fill the board with new ideas more frequently and to give new people who have children in the school district the opportunity to serve.
Burger, who is a candidate for the Board of Education in 2004, said, "All too often a person gets elected to the board and then over the years forgets about those who pay the bills, the seniors on fixed incomes, middle-income families and those who do not have kids in the public school system."
Burger also spoke of the Central High School District Board of Education. "There are members in the high school district who have been members for the last 20 years" he said. "These members no longer represent the community, but themselves. If there was a more rapid turnover of members, then the parents of the Central School District would not have ignored the warning signs of the Mepham incident."
Burger added that the only time someone new is elected to the Board of Education is when an old member declines to run for re-election. "If you have something like term limits, there would be more parent participation and more parents with children in their own district as members."
But Breakstone, a current board member, said the ultimate term limit power comes on Election Day. "If you don't want someone on the board, just don't vote for them," he said.
But Breakstone added that board members with experience are vital for the board.
"Especially on a school board," he said, "you need to learn so much, and it takes so long to become a good member. I have been a member of the board for the past eight years, and I'm just now beginning to understand tax levies."
When Breakstone became a board member, he said that he took the spot of a member who had been on the board for 30 years and who was a budget expert.
"I have children in every school: elementary, middle and high school, and I have invested interest in the district," he said. "As a voter, I would like to keep a good board member longer and vote the one I don't like out."
