Politics & Government

School Board Candidates Field Questions

Questions on transparency, the budget and how the Board represents the public topped Meet the Candidates night Monday.

The three candidates running for two open seats on the Glen Cove Board of Education answered questions at a public forum Monday, addressing queries about their stances on how the Board operates, the proposed budget and other topics.

Eric Bailey, incumbent Grady Farnan and past Board president Richard Maccarone fielded questions from residents in a session moderated by Glen Cove City Court Judge Richard McCord.

What would your top three priorities be if elected?
Maccarone: 1. Educating all children, not just highest achievers. 2. Fiscal responsibility; "We need to tighten our belts and be a watchdog for taxpayers." 3. Getting more positive publicity for the district.
Farnan: 1. Supporting the central office; working well with new administrators. 2. Focusing on implementation of curriculum. 3. "Togetherness."
Bailey: 1. Focusing on students' education. 2. Getting positive aspects of the district better publicized. 3. Communicate support for teachers and administrators as investigations continue.

How can the Board rebuild trust with the community in light of recent negative events?
Farnan: Will be difficult -- "not everyone is on the same page as the Board." The Board has no ill will toward residents who are upset with it, and it will react to the feelings of the community. Communication is key once the investigations are concluded. Open dialogue is important during Board meetings.
Bailey: The Board needs positive people on it who have ideas and a positive mindset. It needs to unify the community, and needs someone who can be a voice of reason and compassion.
Maccarone: The Board may need a workshop on what it can and can't tell the public. People don't feel they're being informed properly. The Board needs to reach out to the public more. Members also need to be more visible in the community and at community events, along with the new superintendent.

Do you feel the Board most represents the public, the children or the administration?
Maccarone: 
The children and the public are one. The administration and the superintendent come third. "We have to represent the taxpayer. They're the ones paying the bill."
Farnan: The public comes first, then the children and then the administration. We need to have constructive conversation with the public and the children, but also be able to listen to the administrators as professionals who are in the buildings and know what's going on on a day-to-day basis.
Bailey: The public needs to be served; they bring us here. The Board must provide for students, within the ability vested by the public. That includes working well with administrators to educate the children. "How we do that is something we need to explore," the Board could consider meetings between individual Board members and principals and others to build stronger relationships.

There seems to be a wall of secrecy that surrounds the superintendent, the district lawyer and the Board of Education. Can this bubble be popped?
Farnan: There are a lot of things a trustee can and can not discuss. Personnel items are off limits. Certain things can be shared at the appropriate time. Investigations must follow a proper process; thorough information gathering, review and then sharing what can be shared. "It is a problem. Sometimes I don't understand it, but we're all living by rules and regulations of the state."
Bailey: There are things the Board can't discuss publicly, but it needs to take a closer look at where that line is. Sometimes the Board goes too far. It can't talk about the substance of an investigation while it is ongoing, but procedural things can and should discussed. When children are involved, parental inclusion in the process is critical.
Maccarone: Many people don't realize that the district's attorney works for the Board, not the superintendent, and answers to the Board. All need to work together, but the public can be better included. Maybe a lawyer should be present at each meeting to give a legally sound update, which could take pressure off the Board.

What importance would you place on teachers to maintain reliability and updated online resources for homework and other assignments?
Bailey: Teachers should provide a clear timeline of what is expected of students. There needs to be more interplay with parents and the Internet is the way to do it.
Maccarone: Everything is done through the Internet. While there may be contract issues or other legal concerns, as much as possible should be accessible online. The district's website is not usable by non-English speaking parents and should be, because they want to be involved with their children's education too.
Farnan: With mandates putting teachers under pressure, online resources need to be reinforced. If the website is user friendly for students and parents, it can ease the makeup of a missed assignment or schoolday. 

Do you support the new orchestra room in the high school?
Maccarone: Not every kid goes to college. The orchestra should absolutely have its own room but it should not be at the expense of the wood shop. We could have the best of both worlds.
Farnan: It is important to have orchestra and wood shop. We should have the new superintendent do a space study to figure out how to accomodate both. "I come from a long line of tradespeople, and it is important to keep that aspect of the high school curriculum going." Wood shop could perhaps be downsized if 60 orchestra students need the large space. I'm on the facilities committee and we can explore that over the summer.
Bailey: We need to have the opportunity for students to learn skills, including music. An orchestra room is needed, but we need a space for students to get hands-on with trades.

If you were on a Board facing a contingency budget with layoffs and cut services, what effect would it have on the laid-off staff, their families and community, the psychological effect on remaining staff and students and the long-term effect on the educational system and future of students?
Farnan: It would be devastating. It would be tragic for staff members out of a job. We would have to go back to the drawing board and reevaluate every service. That's why we're putting forward the current fiscally-responsible budget at a 2.42 percent tax levy increase, to avoid such an impact.
Bailey: At some point we may have to make such cuts. What's important is to try and prevent the need. The current budget doesn't cut programs. We need to avoid the deep cuts other districts are experiencing.
Maccarone: It would be devastating. The long-term effect would be another public black eye for the district. It is very difficult to deal with the fallout from a failed budget. We can not afford to fail the budget.

How do we effectively convey the district's positive achievements in new and creative ways?
Bailey: Students need this information out there for colleges and employers to hear. We need better contact with media outlets and better communication person-to-person. "We need to create a network in Glen Cove to reach beyond Glen Cove."
Maccarone: We have amazing achievements to be proud of but all we hear about is the negative. Where is the publicity firm we hired to represent us? "For every bad thing we've got 10 good things...We never got the advertising we should have."
Farnan: Positive things have been posted on the website and points of pride have been distributed at Board meetings. "Unfortunately, because we're going through a negative time, we're probably not recalling that." The Board should reinforce promotion through the district's PR firm and the community at large. 

How do you feel about taking money out of the district's reserves and not replenishing the funds in the upcoming budget? Does it push responsibility to the next Board and could it lead to Draconian cuts in the next budget?
Maccarone: There is $8 million in the reserve fund and just under $3 million in the undesignated reserve fund. There's two sides to this; some ask why didn't we use that money to soften the hit to taxpayers, but the Board wants to be prepared for rainy days. "Do I think that with everything that's going on, that we could have done a little bit better? Yeah, I think we could have."
Farnan: We're being responsible by taking out a little bit and not a bigger chunk. We don't want to be in a position where we'll be insolvent. "Our auditors recommended these particular moves that we are making. It makes our budget fiscally sound."
Bailey: The district is doing what it needs to do to keep its programs in place. We have to assume the auditors made a proper analysis. Going forward, we need to look at alternative funding. "We need to start putting out grant applications."

If you had to cut one thing and add one thing, what would each be?
Farnan: Cut the proposed $400,000 Landing school boiler replacement; add a security upgrade.
Bailey: Cut the boiler or other facilities expense; add a security upgrade.
Maccarone: Cut the boiler; add a security upgrade.

What do you see as the role of the president of the Board in regard to the superintendent, other Board members and the public?
Bailey: The president's priority is to be responsive to the public. They must be comfortable being out there. The president is a liaison to the superintendent, and should help the Board work with administration.
Maccarone: "It's a tightrope you walk...It's called transparency; you need as much as possible." The president needs to be out in public as much as possible. Everything but personnel must be out in the open. The president's priority is answering to the public.
Farnan: The current president had a retreat over the summer where goals and the year's agenda were discussed. We were able to map out the year. I'm hoping for another retreat with the new superintendent to do the same.

Do you feel the Board should take a role in student discipline?
Maccarone: "No. That's what we pay people for. Who am I to discipline somebody else's child? That's why we have administrators and principals and guidance counselors, and security people sometimes."
Farnan: "There's not one school board of education that's involved in any disciplinary action. We should not be involved in that action, but we should make ourselves available if there is any type of appeal of any disciplinary action...The house principals in this district run good houses."
Bailey: "Disciplining the children is not the role of the school board. There are many reasons, one of which is we simply don't have the contact with the students to know what's really going on on a day-to-day basis and to know what that child needs."

Will you support an investigation of the former superintendent's activities over the last year?
Farnan: An investigation of what happened last week is underway. "As far as the last year, he's resigned."
Bailey: "When I heard about what happened, a few phrases from Dr. Laria crept into my mind: 'The safety of our students is paramount' was one of those phrases; 'cost of doing business' was one of those phrases; 'trust and verify' was one of those phrases." I would call for an investigation; Laria sat here and said when there are allegations against teachers, they have to be investigated.
Maccarone: "Absolutely...I got to see the inside. The inside, a lot of times, was not very pretty." The past year, maybe two years, of decisions deserve a hard look.

Editor's Note: Additional questions were held due to time constraints. Patch will publish them and each candidate's responses Wednesday.


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