1 Newcomer, 1 Incumbent in Glen Cove BOE Bid

Two candidates are running this year for two open seats on the Glen Cove Board of Education.

Incumbent BOE trustee Joel Sunshine and first-time contender Barrie Dratch met with Glen Cove residents during Monday night's Meet the Candidates night at .

Dratch – who has been a Glen Cove resident for 13 years – will succeed incumbent Frank Bouza.

An elementary school teacher in Garden City for 23 years and is the mother of two daughters in district – one in high school and one in middle school – Dratch says she's running because she's dedicated to education.

"My platform is on curriculum and instruction," Dratch said. "I believe in the programs of Glen Cove. I believe in the school district, and I hope that being part of the board will help to continue with the way the school is running."

Dratch says one of her top goals is to balance fiscal accountability with the needs of students and taxpayers.

"I think that being that economic time is so difficult right now, it's really important to focus in on the classes offered and the curriculum. Although the budget is a tough one and taxes are increasing, we want to really make sure the rigor of the courses is maintained."

Dratch received her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Boston University and a Masters in Math Education from C.W. Post.

She has served on , , Finley Middle School PTA Board, and currently serves on High School PTSA Board, District Curriculum Committee, Honors Task Force, and Middle School Site Based Team.

graduate, Sunshine has served on the board for the past three years, but says he's been working to improve the district for 26 years. He is a lawyer and has three children, two in elementary school and one in preschool.

"My platform is to negotiate union contracts that are expiring this year and next year to a manner that we can afford so that we have a sufficient number of teachers for the courses that we want, and that we can keep class sizes small," Sunshine said. "We can't afford to do so under the current contract."

Sunshine said that while the BOE has kept the tax increases the lowest on Long Island, he fears the current budget path will lead to cuts in music and arts: "these programs are really the strengths of our district," he said.

"Yes it's tough to make financial and last year; that's definitely one of the tough parts; but that's doable. Everyone in the community understands we have tough decisions to make. I'm hoping that next year the Board will run more fluidly."

Sunshine received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Tufts University and his Juris Doctor from S.U.N.Y at Buffalo School of Law. He currently serves on the Glen Cove Fine Arts Committee.

Editor's Note: Patch will post candidate videos later this week.