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Schools

Meet the Port Washington School Board Candidates

On Tuesday, May 18, registered voters within the Port Washington Union Free School District will take part in the budget vote and trustee election.

There are three seats up for grabs on the Port Washington Board of Education in this week's trustee election on Tuesday.

The three openings are those of board president Karen Sloan and trustees Jean-Marie Posner and William Hohauser. Sloan and Posner's terms expire on June 30 while Hohauser, who was appointed to his position to replace Susan Sturman who moved out of New York State, will retain his current seat until the election on May 18.

As the school board elections are at large, the candidate who receives the third most votes will begin his/her term on May 19, and will remain in that seat until Sturman's term would have expired on June 30, 2011. The top two vote-getters will serve from July 1, 2010, until June 30, 2013.

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The four residents running are Sloan, Hohauser, Joe Mirzoeff, who served on the Port Washington school board from 1995-98, and Bob Ryan, who has previously served as chairman of a private school Board of Trustees in Old Westbury. 

Also on the May 18 ballot are the school district's budget (Proposition 1), which the school board unanimously approved at $127,093,245 for the 2010-11 school year, along with Proposition 2, the sale of two pieces of vacant property — one in the Village of Manorhaven, located along the easterly side of Ashwood Road (the "Ashwood Road parcel"), and a second parcel, containing a concrete tunnel supporting the bed of Sands Point Road (the "Sands Point Road parcel").

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Polling locations, which will be open from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m., include Sousa Elementary School at 101 Sands Point Road; Daly Elementary School at 36 Rockwood Ave.; South Salem Elementary School at 10 Newbury Road; and Weber Middle School on Campus Drive.

The following is a mini-bio of the candidates in alphabetical order:

William Hohauser worked as a civil trial lawyer for Morgan Stanley, Smith Barney for 23 years. He has one daughter who graduated Schreiber last year and another currently finishing her freshman year. Hohauser is seeking to be elected for the first time after being appointed to his current seat on the board.

Joe Mirzoeff previously served on the school board from July 1995 through June 1998. His youngest daughter is graduating from Schreiber High School this May.

Karen Sloan has been a professional volunteer for 19 years, serving on committees at Guggenheim Elementary School as well as president of the PTA, before her current position as president of the Board of Education. She has one daughter who had graduated from Schreiber last year and another currently finishing 10th grade.

Bob Ryan has served as chairman of a private school Board of Trustees for eight years in Old Westbury. He doesn't have any children enrolled in the Port Washington School District.

The four candidates were asked to answer a few questions to give voters a better look into their candidacy. The questions and answers are as follows:

1 — What can you offer to the community as a member of the school board?

Hohauser: I bring what I bring currently to the board — business and a legal sense that the Board of Education needs. I've been a practical lawyer for a long time and I look at things practically.

Mirzoeff: The public will learn more with me on the board. My sense of administration is that they are focused on appearance. I would rather do good than look good. I focus more on problems than successes, looking to rectify them.

Ryan: I can offer experience and common sense. I want the best education possible for all. It truly makes us better citizens. My family has been in Port Washington since the World War II years. I have owned property here since 1995. I'm a large taxpayer who believes in making our taxes go further.

Sloan: I think I offer a passion for the position, strong leadership skills, the ability to listen to all sides and build consensus and the respect and integrity that anyone seeking this position should bring to it.

2 — Will you vote for Proposition 1, the proposed school budget of $127,093,245? Why or why not?

Hohauser: Yes for the budget. I wish we were able to keep it to a zero percent increase. But we have pension funding concerns and increased taxes and reduced state funds that made it hard to keep it at a zero.

Mirzoeff: I will vote against the budget and encourage others to do so. The recent teachers' contract settlement is a very bad one for the students and the community. The coming year's budget spends $2.75 million on salary-related increases for teachers and administrators. How can we justify this to a taxpayer who is suffering unemployment, reduction in income, and asset deflation? The raise for the average teacher next year (step 2 percent + col 1.75 percent + bonus 1 percent makes 4.75 percent). Meanwhile, student programs are being cut. I ask you, how is this putting children first? The settlement gives 21 percent in raises over its five-year term. This generous settlement negotiated nothing for the students nor for education — no increase in days or hours of education, no work-rule flexibilities, no fix for our teacher absenteeism problem, nothing. The board forgot about the students and forgot that the taxpayer is suffering from this economy.

Ryan: I will be voting yes for the budget. On a relative basis to our peer schools in Nassau, this is a "relatively good deal" for Port Washington.

Sloan: I will absolutely vote for this budget. The result of it failing would be devastating to our students and ultimately our community.

3 — What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the school district over the next few years, and how should it be addressed?

Hohauser: We have to look at the possibility of not having stimulus funds and increased pension requirements and a possibility of not having state funding or getting very little of it in dribs and drabs. I'm also looking at ways that there can be adjustments in class size, take certain programs in house to save money.

Mirzoeff: We need to undo the teachers' contract — this will not be easy with a tough union. We must appeal to their better angels. The settlement also hurts younger teachers, as when push comes to shove (probably for the 2011-12 year) we will be forced to let teachers go — the seniority system will mean that those with growing families will be the first to go. It would be better if everyone would take less so that we could employ more people. It is very tough to get a job now. We are more likely to be able to fix this problem if the budget fails.

Ryan: Introducing our students to the global economy so they are prepared for the future. I am concerned about "bullying in school" and making sure we provide each and every student with a true opportunity to learn.

Sloan: I think the biggest issues facing our schools in the coming years will continue to be financial hurdles. We will continue to have to face this with strength and creativity.

4 — How will you vote on Proposition 2 — allowing the school board to sell two pieces of vacant property, one in the Village of Manorhaven, located along the easterly side of Ashwood Road (the "Ashwood Road parcel"), and a second parcel, containing a concrete tunnel supporting the bed of Sands Point Road (the "Sands Point Road parcel")?

Hohauser: I'm not usually in favor of one-shot deals to make income, but if the properties are not being used, then sell them.

Mirzoeff: I do not think we should be taking out loans or selling assets to fund current expenses, especially when we are giving away significant raises to already well-compensated employees.

Ryan: I'll be voting yes for Prop 2.

Sloan: I am in favor of voting for Prop 2. This is unused property by the district and if we can sell it, it would be a great benefit for everyone.

Port Washington Patch reminds you to vote on Tuesday, May 18.

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