Great Neck resident John Jahng said the foundation that the New York school system provided for his life is one of the main reasons he is running for a seat on the Great Neck Public Board of Education this year.
Jahng, a Great Neck resident for the past 12 years and a financial investment adviser, cited his experience attending Brooklyn Technical High School followed by New York University and said he would not be the man he is today without either.
In the early 1990s, Brooklyn Technical High School was one of three specialized high schools in New York City, Jahng said. Jahng spoke on the unique programming Tech offered to him and his classmates and said he wants to incorporate more innovative and mainstream technology into the Great Neck school district if elected.
“I still remember my peers in mechanical engineering building a hovercraft to transport a person as a class project,” Jahng said. “At the time, that was a revolutionary technology. I am certainly in favor of providing our students with the same resources if I am elected.”
Jahng is running against incumbent Rebecca Sassouni, who is finishing up her first three-year stint on the board. When asked why voters should elect him rather than Sassouni, Jahng spoke about his specific platform and implored voters to keep the students’ best interests in mind when filling out ballots.
“I can’t speak for Rebecca or her platform, I can only speak for myself,” Jahng said. “We may have different values that some may agree with more than others. I look at it that way rather than putting myself on higher ground than her, or anyone else.”
Jahng, a father to a middle school student, touted the importance of family involvement, welcoming input from all stakeholders.
“Natural roadblocks exist, but we must extend our efforts in encouraging and involving all parents by forming a greater partnership to educate our students,” he said.
Jahng said establishing a “greater and more meaningful” relationship between the school district and residents is something he wants to cultivate if elected. Jahng cited a statistic from the state’s Education Department that student enrollment in the district increased by 3 percent from the 2015-16 school year to 2018-19.
“The demographics and numbers are constantly changing, and we must thoughtfully anticipate, accommodate and plan for these changes,” Jahng said. “It goes beyond parents too. We want to make sure everyone who resides within the school district knows what we are doing to adapt to these growing numbers.”
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Jahng said, creating an online platform was imperative to reach out and virtually interact with voters throughout the district. Jahng said one of the things voters have conveyed to him throughout the campaign has been the passion they have to see the school district and its students succeed.
“People pay to see results, but as parents, we always know our child is our crown jewel as well,” Jahng said. “I am grateful and appreciative of the feedback I have received from voters.”
Elections will take place on June 9 due to the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, everyone who resides in the district and is registered to vote will receive an absentee ballot with a postage-paid envelope, according to Board of Education President Barbara Berkowitz.
She said the district is sending out more than 30,000 ballots, which must be received by the district no later than 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9.
