South Huntington SD BOE Candidates
South Huntington SD will hold a Meet the Candidates Night on Wednesday, May 2nd at 7:30PM in the South Cafeteria at Walt Whitman High School.
A more detailed bio on each candidate will be available on that night. There are 3 vacancies to fill and 4 residents running to fill those vacancies.
Linda LaCara
For the past 6 years it has been my privilege to serve as a member of the South Huntington Board of Education.
I have always believed that the education of our children is an important job that we must undertake as a community. As a school board member, I have made decisions that allow every child in our district to receive the best possible education while remaining financially responsible to our taxpayers.
This year has presented me with the most difficult challenges I have experienced during my 2 terms on the board. We were forced to impose program cuts which I believe were not ideal for the education system, but necessary to meet the tax levy cap imposed by the governor. I remain passionate and dedicated to education and the South Huntington School District.
With your support, I will strive to overcome the challenges ahead. I will seek the best feasible solutions to maintain a high educational standard and best opportunities for all students.
Michele DeGaetano
Michele DeGaetano is an 11 year resident of South Huntington. She is a mother of two students and has been married to a public high school teacher and coach for 14 years. Michele is an active member of our community,
volunteering with the PTA and sports clubs.
Michele graduated from Seton Hall University, majoring in Finance. She started her career as a Relocation Manager, where she gained knowledge of how important school districts are to real estate markets. She transitioned her career to become a Senior Financial Executive Recruiter, specializing in the placement of accounting/finance professionals. For the last 15 years, Michele has been on the front lines of unemployment issues, interviewing/hiring in the market place and balancing company budgets. Michele will do her best to balance the concerns of overburdened taxpayers with the academic, athletic, artistic and cultural opportunities provided in our schools.
She looks forward to serving as a Member of the Board of Education and pledges to work as hard as she can in these tough economic times to serve our children and provide for our community.
Edward J. Nitkewicz
I am an attorney practicing personal injury and education law. In 2009, I was elected to the South Huntington School Board. My wife is a Special Education teacher. My son suffers from autism and is a student in the South Huntington
School District.
I helped establish the Special Needs Soccer and Baseball programs in South Huntington and the Special Needs Faith Formation Ministry of the St. Elizabeth Roman Catholic Church. I have published 5 essays on special needs parenting including “Fixing the hole in my bucket,” which was published in “the Exceptional Parent” magazine. I was honored by the readers of the Huntington Patch and finished second in its annual poll of “People who Mattered in 2011.”
The current economic environment requires that school districts do more with less. School Board Trustees must balance an obligation to ensure a quality education for our students with an obligation to do so in a fiscally responsible manner.
I have and will continue to help our community as we make difficult choices as fairly and justly as possible.
Thomas G. Teresky
I am running for re-election to the South Huntington Board of Education this year because of my commitment to the children and taxpayers of this school district. The board’s objective has always been to provide the best possible education in the most cost-effective manner. This is never an easy objective to reach, but this has been the most difficult budget year we have ever faced.
This year Albany imposed a 2% spending cap but provided no financial relief for all the mandated programs that we still must pay for. Unfortunately we have had to make cuts to both academic and extracurricular programs. These cuts have been painful for all of us on the board. We did not make them without a tremendous amount of deliberation and anguish.
It would be a lot easier not to run for re-election, since this already-challenging job will continue to get even tougher until the current system is changed. But board experience is more critical today than ever before. That, and a true commitment to our students and our citizens, is what I offer the district as a board member.
Why does Mr. Teretsky so frequently look disinterested in what is going on?
Mr. Nitkewicz – notice most paragraphs begin with the letter I, ever speak with him? you get the same feeling.
As for the ladies I haven’t had enough passive or active interaction to say.
Just my thoughts, anyone else?
AT
April 30, 2012 10:30 pm at 10:30 pm