By Mike Schnitzel
Joseph DiSibio, Deidre Grayson and Tanya Lewis are running against each other to fill the vacancy. The three candidates agree that the tax burden in a district with a very small commercial base is a growing concern for residents that needs to be addressed.
Grayson and Lewis are first-time candidates, while DiSibio made an unsuccessful run for school board in 2005.
Bonnie Gorham is running unopposed in her bid for a second three-year term.
Joseph DiSibio
Joseph DiSibio, 42, has three children who attend school in District 13. He moved to Valley Stream when he was 12 and graduated from North High School.
DiSibio feels that the most important issue that needs to be addressed is the tax burden faced by residents in the district. "We have an exasperated problem because we don't have much of a commercial base in the area," DiSibio said. "I want to make sure that the money is being handled efficiently."
DiSibio graduated from Hofstra University in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in accounting. He feels that his background equips him with the knowledge and expertise to be a fiscal watchdog on the board. As an accountant, he feels he can use his business skill to make sure that expenditures are made in an efficient manner.
Currently, DiSibio is the Director of Finance for the Huntington's Disease Society of America, a not-for-profit organization based in New York City that funds research and provides support and care to those afflicted with Huntington's Disease.
In his second run for a seat on the board, DiSibio hopes to bring a business sensibility to the board. DiSibio and his wife were active in the PTA at Willow Road School, and he became more involved with the school board when their initial budget proposal was rejected a few years ago. Since then, he has wanted to become more involved with the school board, and ran unsuccessfully against Debra Evans in 2005.
He feels he is the best candidate because of his background and mentality.
"I have an accounting and finance background and I am familiar with strategic planning and budget analysis," DiSibio said. "I think sometimes people lose sight of the fact that this is a business they are running, and I bring a business sensibility to the table."
Deidre Grayson
Deidre Grayson is a 48-year-old pharmaceutical representative who works in Valley Stream.
Grayson wants to focus on keeping taxes at a reasonable level while maintaining the quality of education in the district. She feels that stricter enforcement of the district's residency requirements is a key to keeping taxes in line. "I think it may be a root cause of why the taxes continue to escalate," Grayson said regarding the issue of non-resident students. "Taxes are not unreasonable now, but they could be if this is not brought under control."
"Educating the educators" is a method Grayson feels effectively keeps academic programs at a high level.
"If you continue to provide advanced training for your educators, you automatically enhance the education level of our students," Grayson said.
She also feels that music, exercise and diet are important elements of a child's education which supplement academic programs.
Grayson is a member of the Howell Road PTA, but said most of her involvement in school issues is through her children and their activities.
With two children in Valley Stream schools - one in high school and the other in elementary school - Grayson feels that serving on the school board is the best way for her to give back. "I believe through my own experience that it has been the partnership between the educators and myself and my home that have made my children the way they are."
Grayson grew up in Brooklyn and went to New Pioneer Valley Academy in Braintree, Mass. She graduated from Forsyth Technical Institute, in North Carolina, with a degree in respiratory therapy. She received a bachelor's degree in health services administration from St. Joseph's College in Brooklyn. After spending 18 years as director of respiratory therapy at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, she became a pharmaceutical sales representative in Valley Stream, where she has worked for the past eight years.
Grayson feels she is the best candidate for the job because she feels she can bring change to the district when needed.
I have been here since 1995 and I have watched it evolve," Grayson said. "I have allowed it to change my own viewpoint on how to educate children and that ability to be an agent of change makes me the best candidate."
Tanya Lewis
Tanya Lewis is a 46-year-old real estate agent who lives and works in Valley Stream.
Lewis said that the tax burden on the community is one of the things residents she talked to are most concerned about. Cost-of-living increases are outpacing the contents of taxpayer's wallets, and Lewis said that is a problem that needs to be addressed. She said that spreading the cost of major capital projects over the course of several years is one of the methods she favors to keep taxes from rising too high from year-to-year. She said that it is important for board members to make sure that each expense in the budget is necessary.
Another problem that Lewis is concerned about is non-residents infiltrating the school system.
"We need to make sure that we work with the Town of Hempstead to crack down on illegal housing," Lewis said. "This might be a way to help ease our tax burden. We need to bridge the gap between the town and the school board to make sure that the units where people are living are legal."
Lewis has been active within the district since she came to the community eight years ago. She was the co-vice president of the Howell Road PTA, and is currently a member of the Memorial Junior High School PTA. As a PTA member she participated in the shared decision committee, meeting with the principals and staff of different schools along with other PTA members and parents, and dialogued about improvements that needed to be made in different district schools.
"You need to make sure that children in the community get a good education so that they will be productive," Lewis said. "You give them a good education and they will give back to you in the future."
Lewis was born and raised in New York City. She attended Edward R. Murrow high School in Brooklyn, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in accounting from Baruch College. She has one child who attends Memorial and another young child who has not yet entered the school system.
Lewis feels she is the best candidate for the job because of her commitment to the community and Valley Stream schools.
"I have a passion for children's education and I have a passion for Valley Stream," Lewis said. "I live here, I work here and my children go to school here. I want to make our four school districts into one community."
Bonnie Gorham
Bonnie Gorham is running unopposed for her third three-year term. She served for one year as board president, and was on the high school board from 2003-04. She is also a former president of the James A. Dever PTA.
Gorham wants to maintain the school district's focus, which she said is "to provide an excellent educational program that is fiscally affordable for the residents of our district."
She said that unfunded state and federal mandates have made that a more difficult task over the past few years, and that she wants to keep the focus on educational programs and educating the whole child, not just on improving test scores.
"We need to have good art and music programs. We need to keep a well-rounded approach to education," Gorham said.
Keeping up with changes in curricular demands is a concern for the district, Gorham said, and a close watch needs to be kept to make sure students are getting the education they need.
"We're piloting a new math program since the state standards have changed over the last two years," Gorham said. "I think we're doing a good job with our reading programs and I think we're doing a good job with our technology, and I think we need to continually improve the integration of technology with our curriculum."
Gorham, who is in her late 40s to early 50s but declined to specify her age, has two children who attended District 13 schools. One is currently a student at North, and the other is a North graduate attending Syracuse University. Gorham graduated from Hofstra Law School in 1983 and has been practicing law for over 20 years. She currently works in education law and public sector employment law at a private firm in Farmingdale.
Gorham said she is running for another term because of her commitment to publication and to maintain continuity on the school board.
"For me, it's an honor to be able to do this and to serve in a school district that has been so successful," Gorham said. "There is a strong sense of community in District 13, and we have a good relationship with our local legislators and a lot of community initiatives."
Comments about this story? Mschnitzel@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 265.
