Glen Cove School Board Candidate: Joel Sunshine

Incumbent Joel Sunshine is one of two candidates running for two open seats this year on the Glen Cove Board of Education.

First-time candidate Barrie Dratch will succeed incumbent Frank Bouza.

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.