Roslyn Superintendent of Schools Dan Brenner said on Thursday that while he has not heard much from residents on the district’s proposed $41.3 million bond proposal and $102.7 million budget for 20145-15, he expects that to change as the May 20 vote approaches.
“I would have expected to see more people at this point and we have not,” he said during a breakdown of the district’s publicity efforts. “I’d hesitate to speculate why, but there hasn’t been a push back at the bond or the budget. There just haven’t been people standing up and saying, ‘great job,’ either.”
Brenner said there generally tends to be more community interest in the district’s budget vote when there is also a contested race for the board of education, but seats occupied by President Meryl Waxman Ben-Levy and Vice President Clifford Saffron will be uncontested on the ballot this year.
Still, Brenner said, the board will make up to 14 public presentations within the Roslyn community and continue sending e-mail notifications and print mailings to district parents with up-to-date information about the bond and budget.
Brenner said the district will also put up signs on Election Day in front of school buildings that urge people to vote. An electronic sign advertising the May 20 vote for the bond, budget and school board positions is already up in front of Roslyn High School.
“We feel pretty good about the fact that when we’re done, we will not be able to be accused of a lack of transparency, if you will,” Brenner said. “We’re out and about and really trying to get the info out to the best of our ability.”
In his report, student delegate Jordan Fishbach said Roslyn High School’s Organization of Class Councils has sent e-mails and messages on Facebook to students who have already reached their 18th birthdays and are registered to vote to participate in the election.
Fishbach, the council’s current president, said he has also contacted previous presidents to notify recent alumni to vote on behalf of the bond, budget and board of education candidates.
“It’s not going to be difficult to get the word out,” he said.
In other developments:
• The board held a student recognition ceremony for several academic award-winners throughout the district.
Certificates of recognition were presented to Young Kang, a seventh grader at Roslyn Middle School who won a silver medal in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards; Emilia Bunich, a Roslyn High School student who won a Scholar Artist award from the Long Island Arts Alliance; Ludia Ock, a Roslyn High School student who won a Regional Silver Key award from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards; and Jack Lindenman and Ashley Tucker, Roslyn High School students who each won Long Island’s Best Scholastic Art and Writing awards for their photography.
• The board also recognized teachers Richard Ritter, Robin Schum and Meredith Simone, and administrators Craig Johanson, Claire Scordo, Carlos Perez and Kevin Carpenter, who were granted tenure.
“Don’t let this be the moment where you pause and breathe too long,” Brenner said. “This is the moment where you take a big deep breath and say, ‘We’re plowing ahead to make things even better.’ That’s what we expect, and that’s what we know we can expect of you.”
• Brenner announced that the New York State Association of School Business Officials would be recognizing Ben-Levy as its Outstanding School Board Member on June 9 at its annual convention in Saratoga Springs. The district will receive $1,000 as part of her award.
He said the board, led by Assistant Superintendent for Business Joseph Dragone, had nominated her for the award, but did not tell her first.
“I want you to know, it means more to me than anything else to have your respect and your love and support. It was never about me, it was about taking our ideal and making it as close to the reality as close to the ideal as we could,” Ben-Levy said. “I didn’t do this by myself, there were a lot of good people around me to make all of this happen.”
