Old battle fought again in Mineola school board race

Richard Tedesco

Residents of the Mineola School District district will head to the polls to cast ballots on Tuesday, May 21, voting on the school budget and a contentious race for a school board seat that pits incumbent Trustee Irene Parrino against  educator Patricia Navarra.

The school district has proposed a $86.14 million budget  for 2013-14, which represents a 2.56 percent increase over the current $83.99 million budget. The projected tax levy would rise to $77.9 million, a 2.18 percent increase over the current $76.24 million, coming under the state-mandated tax cap.

“We have been able to control our costs as we’ve gone budget to budget each year,” said Mineola Superintendent of Schools Michael Nagler.

Nagler said the school district has added academic programs as it has continued to hold down costs over the last several years. The current 2012-13 budget represents a $229,458 decrease from the previous year. 

He said the district would reduce the levy by $250,000 by applying savings to be realized from deferred step increases in teachers salaries negotiated as part of their new contract agreement with the board.  

Nagler said the Mineola School District had the fourth lowest average tax levy growth among school districts on Long Island and would have the fifth lowest year-to-year growth for the 2013-14 tax levy. 

The lines were clearly drawn between the Parrino and Navarra during the candidates night event at Mineola High School last week, as Navarra took a direct shot at Parrino for her resistance to district consolidation plans with Trustee John McGrath. 

McGrath lost his seat in a three-way race with incumbent consolidation advocate Christine Napolitano and Artie Barnett, a challenger who co-founded P.E.A.C.E., People for Excellence, Affordability and Commitment to Education, an organization that supported the district’s consolidations.

“If you and Mr. McGrath had a plan, we’re still waiting to hear it,” said Navarra, a co-founder of P.E.A.C.E. with Barnett.

Parrino restated her opposition to two bond proposals to fund improvements to district schools as part of prospective consolidation options was consistent with the majority of district residents who voted against those bond proposals before a consolidation plan was finalized in a 3-2 board vote.

“At this point, I don’t think I’d change my position,” Parrino said during the candidates night event.

Parrino said Navarra’s experience teaching at Hofstra University “doesn’t mean she’s more qualified than I am.” 

Parrino said her experience as a lawyer in private local practice since 1993 gave her an ability to see potential problems in district contracts.

Navarra cited her 13 years of Hofstra experience as an asset for serving on the board.

“I know what works in a classroom. I see the challenges that are ahead for all of us,” she said.

Navarra criticized Parrino’s frequent absences from board meetings and her abstention from a budget vote two years ago.

“Abstention from a budget vote without an explanation is an empty argument,” Navarra said.

Parrino said she had objected to including the approximate $2 million for funding the Hampton Street School library project in the budget because it would have been included in the tax cap calculation.

Parrino, who has two children attending district elementary schools, said Navarra wouldn’t have children in the district after this year. Navarra, who has a daughter graduating Mineola High School this year, said she experience guiding her daughters through the entire education process.

Parrino has touted herself as the only school board member who will have children in district schools after the current school year, raising the ire of Barnett, whose daughter is a junior in the high school. Barnett called Parrino’s repeated assertion on this point “a conscious effort to deceive the voters” and said he finds it insulting.

“It’s a slap to me. It’s a slap to Will,” Barnett said, referring to school board President Will Hornberger, who has two children in district schools.

In a letter to the Williston Times this week, Barnett said Parrino was absent from board meetings from late January through February.

In comments during a phone interview, he also chided Parrino’s self-description as an ‘independent thinker.”

“She’s an independent thinker now that John McGrath’s not here,” Barnett said.

He also said she was often unprepared for board meetings.

“I am always prepared for my meetings,” Parrino said. “He’s attacking me because I filed charges against vice president Hale seeking his removal from the board.” 

She said Hale make “over-the-top” comments about herself and other people in e-mails that she said she considered “inappropriate.”

She said she had been absent from meetings due to illness during the winter months. 

District voting will be held in two locations this year: voters with zip codes in the 11501 and 11040 will vote at the Jackson Avenue Elementary School; voters in zip codes 11507, 11577 and 11596 vote at the Meadow Drive Elementary School. The polls will be open at both schools on May 21 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

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