Marirose Merola, a member of the School Community Association, officially filed her petition on Monday to challenge Trustee Patricia Aitken for a position on the Manhasset Board of Education.
Merola said last week she intended to file a petition near Monday’s deadline. Her filing was confirmed by Christine Michelen, the school district’s clerk.
“I think I can bring a new, fresh face with some fresh ideas to the community,” said Merola, a 14-year Manhasset resident and mother of two, last week. “Between my education background and my financial background, I think I’d be a valued addition.”
Aitken, who is seeking her fourth term to the board, filed her petition on March 17, shortly after the Board of Education introduced a $87.8 million budget for the 2014-15 school year that fell within the state-mandated tax cap.
“I knew I was going to do it, so why not kind of make the statement to people?” Aitken said in late March. “It’s been encouraging, as I’ve gone around and gotten people to sign my petition. My interest in serving the community has been well-received, so why hold back like I didn’t know what I was going to do?”
Since Aitken and Merola were the only candidates to return petitions, they will be the only names on the ballot on May 20, Michelen said. Candidates may still be elected to the board on a write-in vote.
Merola, a former information technology specialist who now teaches special education at Sanford H. Calhoun High School in Merrick, has said her diverse professional skills would benefit the board as it evaluates its curriculum in the next two years.
In the last decade, Merola has co-chaired both the pro-school budget organization PASS Manhasset as well as the Citizens Education Committee, which serves as a liaison between the board of education and the community on academic issues.
“It’s nice to say you’re changing academic rigor at the high school level, but it all starts at the elementary level,” Merola said. “Things change. The market changes. Students needs change. We have to make sure we offer programs that keep our students competitive.”
Aitken, a Manhasset resident of 16 years whose three children have graduated from the Manhasset School District, previously served on the Citizens Advisory Committee for Finance, an organization that serves as a liaison between the board of education and the community as it pertains to the district’s budget.
She also served on the board through the implementation of the state’s tax cap legislation in 2011 as well as the revisions to the 2013-14 budget, which initially failed to achieve a supermajority vote.
“I feel that we have accomplished a lot and I’ve got a lot of skills and knowledge to bring to the position,” said Aitken, who professionally has worked in financial restructuring, helping to turn around companies that go into bankruptcy. “It’s a very turbulent time with a lot of changes, but it’s something I enjoy doing and I’m willing to continue to do if the community supports me.”
Aitken told the Manhasset Times in late March that if re-elected, she would continue to approach her work with the board in a fiscally responsible manner that she said is crucial in the tax-cap era.
“It has gotten to be more of a challenge, as the fiscal aspects are different and budgets have tightened up,” Aitken has said. “We’re limited as to what we can spend and people’s pocketbooks are tight, but from a big-picture standpoint you want to serve the kids. That hasn’t changed. You just have a limited world in which to do that.”
Merola said she, too, would make fiscally responsible decisions based on the tax cap if elected, adding that it has been among the primary issues supporters have expressed to her.
“I always wanted to do it, I just never did it. But I’m at a point in my professional life where I’m set and can manage,” Merola said. “I have that opportunity now. It’s time.”
