By JOSEPH KELLARD
Alvarado, an architect with a real estate development firm in Manhattan, said the nation's mortgage and banking crises have had a significant impact on his professional life, diverting his time and attention away from his responsibilities as a school board trustee. "My travel schedule at work has really intensified, I'm changing my role and there are going to be different expectations of me," Alvarado said after announcing at the March 24 board meeting that he would not seek a third term. "I was not able to work it out well with my time commitment to the board."
Alvarado confirmed that he was considering a run for the City Council in November, admitting that he had discussed the prospect with others, but that's all. "There's been a lot of speculation about that, but I'm not leaving the school board to run for the City Council," he said.
Alvarado's plan is to continue to work with the school board, perhaps on a committee to offer advice on the budget or the district's master plan to upgrade its schools and facilities in the coming years. "I'm hoping to stay involved and help them through it, because this preservation plan is going to take a lot of community involvement," he said. "I can't spend the time I used to on the board, but maybe there are opportunities where I can continue to dedicate my time."
Alvarado was elected to his first three-year term on the board in 2003, and served as vice president from July 2005 to June 2006 and as president from July 2006 to June 2008.
With his background in building, he said, he was able to take the lead when the district decided to fix its aging facilities. Other initiatives that he described as highlights of his tenure included budget financing that reduced annual spending and tax levy increases, contract negotiations with the unions, enrolling Island Park students in the high school, and restructuring curriculum to be more consistent for students throughout their educational careers.
Alvarado pointed with pride to the board's efforts to establish what he said are stricter standards for tenure. "What we're really looking for is teachers - and anyone seeking tenure - who have done something that is extraordinary, that is not just business as usual, but something that is really going to impact our education, community and district," he explained. "And that mentality has taken hold."
Characterizing Alvarado as "level-headed" and "honest," Superintendent Dr. Robert Greenberg said, "I think what is most impressive about Frank is he never goes back on his word ... And he was always someone to bounce ideas off of."
Greenberg added that Alvarado brought to the board the perspective of a non-educator who went through the Long Beach school system.
Alvarado's family came to Long Beach when he was 9, and he graduated from Long Beach High School in 1988. He said he originally sought a seat on the board because he wanted to give back to his community. "Role models are important, and I thought joining the board would be a good way to do that," said Alvarado, who has a son who graduated from LBHS last year and a daughter who is an eighth-grader in the district.
Looking ahead, Alvarado said he hopes the trustee who replaces him will bring different ideas and a fresh perspective to the board. "And I hope the community selects someone who is there to represent the entire community," he emphasized, "rather than just having one interest."
Comments about this story? JKellard@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 213.
