Napolitano, Widman uncontested in bids for re-election to Mineola school board

Rebecca Klar
Christine Napolitano, Mineola school board president, and Brian Widman, trustee, are unopposed in their bids for re-election. (Photos courtesy of candidates)

With two sons in the Mineola school district, in fifth and eighth grade, Brian Widman said he can hear firsthand some of the issues facing students in the district  – which he said helps in his position on the Board of Education.

Widman, a Roslyn Heights resident, is running uncontested in his bid for re-election for his second term.

On May 15, Mineola voters will cast their ballots for the school board at Jackson Avenue and Meadow Drive schools from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Board President Christine Napolitano, from Williston Park, is also seeking re-election uncontested.

If elected, this will be Napolitano’s fourth term on the board.

Widman said he is happy that the board has been able to keep the budget within the allowable tax levy.

This year, the board adopted a $98.2 million 2018-19 budget that is an increase of 3.97 percent from the current budget and increases the tax levy by 1.96 percent.

The public will vote on the budget on May 15, too.

One goal Widman would like to see accomplished is more of an emphasis on penmanship. 

“Both of my children, they still have to write on the iPads, but it’s very, very sloppy,” Widman said. “And I don’t know that handwriting or penmanship would make a difference, because it didn’t with me, but it’s something that I’ve heard from parents that they’d like to see.”

Widman added that for children taking parochial school exams, there is a part that needs to be done in script.

If Napolitano is re-elected, this will be her 10th year on the board.

Napolitano said in a previous interview she’s often asked “haven’t you had enough?”

Although she said the job is time-consuming, overall it is a rewarding experience.

“People talk about volunteering sometimes in foreign places, and that’s awesome and I respect everybody that does that, but I very much believe in sometimes you have to look in your own community, your own block, your neighbors, and see what can you do to make your community a better place to be,” Napolitano said.

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